Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Titles tagged with ‘dancing’

46 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year

A

Adventure Island – Episode 1174 television program – 1972

A successful children’s show set on the magical Adventure Island, a ‘land that’s far across the sea’.

Albion, Douglas: Wally’s Fifth Birthday Party home movie – c1921

Douglas Albion was about to throw this footage out when he heard of a search for source material to be used in the production of Our Century (1998).

Astonish Me, Graeme Murphy Choreographer documentary – 1989

Dancer Graeme Murphy remembers the anxiety he felt about partnering, particularly in a pas de deux, because of his small stature.

B

Balinese Holiday home movie – c1933

This rare example of amateur footage of Bali and Java in the 1930s represents a particular Westerner’s view of the Asian region at that time.

Beautiful Middle Harbour advertisement – 1927

Beginning with wide, panoramic shots of the scenery, this captures some interesting footage of Sydney before suburban development.

Berlei Underwear Cinema Advertisement: Sarong advertisement – 1950

The Berlei ‘Sarong’ girdle is aimed at active women who want comfort and freedom to move at the same time.

A Big Country – The White Rose television program – 1979

Widely known as 'the King of the Dance Hall’, Frank Bourke founded The White Rose Orchestra in 1936 and toured rural areas for more than 40 years.

Blackbuster short film – 2012

In this comic love story a pirate-movie dealer’s daydreams seep into reality.

The Book of Revelation feature film – 2006

The Book of Revelation is based on a simple, powerful idea: most films about rape are about women as victims of men, so reversing that idea allows men to experience the trauma of violation.

C

Cadbury’s Crunchie – ‘Exciting Biting’ advertisement – 1959

From the start, Crunchie has attracted a younger market than Cadbury’s boxed chocolate line, so Crunchie ads like this target youth and appeal to a sense of fun.

Cadbury’s Crunchie – ‘Golden Groovy Beautiful Crunchie’ advertisement – c1966

This TV commercial conjures up the 1960s par excellence, with a discotheque playing host to a young, groovy couple dancing under a glittering ball and eating Crunchie bars.

Children’s Party, Boys Wrestling and Outdoor Performances home movie – c1925

Cameras were relatively expensive in the 1920s and mostly confined to families who could afford the new technology.

Cine Safari home movie – c1977

Cine Safari was made during a month-long trip by approximately 30 members of the Cine Society in the spring of 1977.

D

The Dance of the Eyes documentary – c1940

Skylogues’ like this one from Bali, were shown in cinemas prior to a feature film; few Australians travelled abroad then.

Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky documentary – 2001

Vaslav Nijinsky, from Russia, was widely considered the most talented male dancer of the 20th century.

The Djarn Djarns short film – 2005

The Djarn Djarns is a comedy-drama very much suited for young people. It is a dance film with a sports feel, so culture and sport are not in competition.

E

Edens Lost television program – 1988

A beautiful woman’s obsession with one man damages the lives of all around her.

Efftee Film Productions Congratulates Miss Dorothy Fricke newsreel – 1931

This silent newsreel item shows the debutante celebration of Miss Dorothy Fricke, held at Chelsea Memorial Hall in Melbourne on 24 August 1931.

Elapsed Time Test Studies: Australian Wildflowers, Tahiti, Travel Scenes home movie – c1955

FE Winton was apparently the only person in Australia in the 1950s doing elapsed time photography using electric flashes.

F

The Far Paradise feature film – 1928

Despite their love for each other, family loyalties keep Cherry Carson and Peter Lawton apart until Cherry learns the truth about her father’s past.

G

George Wallace: Australia’s Premier Comedian historical – 1931

This screen test by seasoned vaudeville comic George Wallace led to roles in several feature films.

Gone to the Dogs feature film – 1939

The second comedy that George Wallace made with Cinesound features a musical interlude with dogs, children, dancing girls and backing singers on bicycles!

H

Happy Feet feature film – 2006

Filmmakers spent two months in Antarctica photographing landscapes and fauna to make this animated film look photoreal.

Harvie Krumpet short film – 2003

Adam Elliot combines darkness and humour, tragedy and triumph, Alzheimer’s and living life to the full, so that we may learn more about what it means to be human.

The Hayseeds feature film – 1933

This is the seventh and last film about a comical rural family known as the Hayseeds — it is also the first with sound.

Holidays in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Canton, Java home movie – c1932

These scenes of colonial-era South-East Asia are an early example of actuality footage which captures Australian perspectives of the region.

I

In the Wake of the Bounty feature film – 1933

Made by Charles Chauvel and with Errol Flynn in the cast, In the Wake of the Bounty is an odd mixture of re-creation and travelogue.

J

John Safran’s Music Jamboree – Episode 2 television program – 2002

An irreverent and enthusiastic take on popular music, sandwiching real facts between Safran’s signature pranks and comic diatribes.

L

Love Tricycle short film – 2003

Love Tricycle is like Grease with bicycles instead of people, complete with a high school, a love affair and a showdown between rivals on the racetrack.

M

Magnavox Wireless: Why Jones Chose a Magnavox advertisement – 1925

Compared to contemporary car radios, the Magnavox Wirelesses seems absurd because of its large size.

The Maitland and Morpeth String Quartet short film – 1989

A whimsical, animated tale of music and romance, narrated by Ruth Cracknell and set amidst the Great Maitland Flood of 1955.

Monte Carlo Russian Ballet. Original Ballet Russe home movie – c1936

This footage shows staged sequences of the Ballets Russes’ repertoire on their 1930s tours to Australia. It includes excerpts from ballets Les Presages and Thamar.

Moulin Rouge! feature film – 2001

Moulin Rouge! was a risky venture for director Baz Luhrmann but is a tour de force of imagination and appropriation.

Movietone Special: Peace: Australia Celebrates newsreel – 1945

This Movietone News special edition newsreel marking the nationwide celebrations at the end of the Second World War includes the iconic image of the 'dancing man’.

N

New Faces television program – 1982

A 1980s episode from the classic talent show hosted by Bert Newton.

Night documentary – 2007

The real time and time-lapse images in Night are edited seamlessly and, in combination with the music, become very meditative.

P

Pacifica: Tales from the South Seas – Episode 1 documentary – 1993

Traditional stories, myths and legends from the Cook, Kiribati and Vanuatu Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

R

River of No Return documentary – 2008

A thought-provoking film that explores the issues involved in living a traditional lifestyle while trying to gain access to the larger, dominant society.

S

Seven Deadly Sins - Envy television program – 1992

This show invites us to identify with behaviour we would not normally condone. All of the characters in this episode manifest the sin of envy.

Stan Ray and George Moon Jnr: Specialty Dancers historical – 1931

Entertainers Stan Ray and George Moon Jnr perform a tap dancing routine on one of the stages inside His Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne.

Strictly Ballroom feature film – 1992

Strictly Ballroom is one of the most popular Australian films ever made. The story may be nothing new but the execution is so colourful and eccentric it hardly matters.

The Sullivans – On the Brink of War television program – 1976

The first four episodes of the long-running hit series cover the period leading up to the declaration of the Second World War in Australia on 3 September 1939.

Sweetie feature film – 1989

Ambiguity is filmmaker Jane Campion’s preferred method in Sweetie, and it works superbly as a destabilised narrative because of it.

T

Those Who Love feature film – 1926

Barry Manton marries Lola Quayle, a dancer from a humble background. Lola faces an uphill battle for acceptance from Barry’s wealthy parents.

Torres Strait Islanders historical – 1898

A national treasure: the oldest film made of Torres Strait Islanders and of Aboriginal people. This film deserves national and international cultural icon status.

W

Winner Take All – Downside Risk television program – 1982

An ABC TV series about the fast-paced world of big business, Winner Take All is an early ‘80s time capsule.