Titles tagged with ‘Christmas’
20 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year
1920s
Albion, Douglas: Children’s Party home movie – c1921
This beautiful example of early movie making in 1920s Australia was rediscovered by Douglas Albion decades after it was filmed.
Australasian Gazette – Annual Christmas Treat newsreel – c1925
This segment from an old cinema newsreel shows Christmas celebrations for children at the Victoria Barracks in Sydney, including a live puppet show and Father Christmas handing out presents.
Christmas Hustle and Bustle: Crowds Leave for Well-deserved Holiday on 22 December newsreel – 1928
This Christmas 1928 newsreel includes a hint of the economic hardships of the time by contrasting well-dressed women with two homeless swagmen.
Here Comes Santa advertisement – 1929
In this 1929 cinema advertisement, Santa and a young girl dressed as a fairy arrive by horse-drawn carriage at Alexandra Hospital and distribute presents.
1930s
A Brief Survey of the Activities of the Brisbane City Mission sponsored film – c1939
This is a moving portrait of the charity work of the Brisbane City Mission for the poor at a time when many people struggled financially because of the Depression.
1940s
Christmas Crackers home movie – 1945
This amateur film from 1945 shows the joy of a family reuniting at the end of the Second World War after the men return from overseas service.
Bush Christmas feature film – 1947
In a rare villainous role, Chips Rafferty plays a horse thief, Long Bill. He is tracked by five kids spending Christmas in the Blue Mountains.
1960s
Dimpel, Konrad: German Christmas celebrations, Lutheran Sunday School picnic home movie – c1966
In this 1960s home movie, a curious baby kangaroo joins a Lutheran Sunday School picnic at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve outside Canberra.
1970s
Bushnell, K: Cyclone Tracy Aftermath home movie – 1974
This unedited footage was shot by freelance cameraman Keith Bushnell in the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Tracy which hit Darwin on Christmas Day 1974.
Cyclone Tracy radio – 1974
Journalist Mike Hayes describes the trauma experienced by the people of Darwin post-Cyclone Tracy, 1974.
1980s
Lucinda Brayford television program – 1980
Wendy Hughes, Sam Neill, Carol Burns and Barry Quin feature in the saga of an Australian heiress who marries into British aristocracy.
I’ll Be Home For Christmas documentary – 1984
The film follows the lives of a group of men who have bonded through their addiction to alcohol.
Winners – The Paper Boy television program – 1985
The Paper Boy is a beautifully shot period film that captures the era and gives a realistic insight into the lives of struggling people in the Depression.
Cyclone Tracy television program – 1986
A fictional account of one of Australia’s worst natural disasters – a major turning point in the history of Darwin.
Harp in the South television program – 1986
The ‘harp in the south’ refers to Irish immigrants in Australia. A mini-series, based on Ruth Park’s book, follows the Darcys in the aftermath of the Second World War.
1990s
Babe feature film – 1995
A worldwide hit film based on a children’s book about a farm pig who wants to be a sheepdog.
2000s
Compass – Fly on the Wall Messiah television program – 2004
Every year, 700 amateur singers come together to perform Handel’s Messiah at the Sydney Town Hall. It’s a Christmas tradition. They have nine rehearsals only and getting ready for the big night is a nail-biting experience.
The Proposition feature film – 2005
Many Australian films present the outback as a dangerous place but probably only Wake in Fright can offer an outback with predatory instincts to match The Proposition.
Boxing Day feature film – 2007
The unconventional production method helped give Boxing Day an unusually intense sense of foreboding, danger and unpredictability.
The Square feature film – 2008
A married man gets into deep water when he joins his girlfriend in pinching a bag of stolen cash.
