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continual process of decomposition of incorrectly archives are concerned. They don’t even want to
washed nitrate film stock, all point to the see the film that has been shot over the years.
immediate establishment of a Government- This has always been a drawback – “The Good
sponsored film archive which could work in close Old Aussie” himself.
co-operation with film collectors nationwide.
However, along with most other collectors, The youth of Australia are, however
Davidson feels that the responsibility for the demonstrating and renewed awareness of their
operation and running of a National Film Archive past and a more critical sensitivity to their
should he delegated to people who are proficient traditions.
in film preservation and documentation. It must They are in fact the most devoted supporters of
he run by film men. Men who know film and people like Harry Davidson. He has preserved a
understand it. You cant just have a set-up where past which is relived again as the images flicker
they advertise a vacancy in a new film archive across the screen: picnic in Wonthaggi in 1913,
and anyone can get the job, finding their way soldiers marching to war in 1915, Parisian
blindly not knowing what they're doing. But if it fashion parades circa 1919, as well as such
was there with definite purpose and a feeling feature films as The sentimental bloke, The
towards it, which is what I think I've got, and they haunted barn, and many of the Ken G. Hall’s
could show the films to the right audiences and films from the 1930s.
to the right people, and preserve them in the
right way with due recognition, then I suppose An indication of the ultimate value of Davidson’s
the films the films in my collection would be work in his gradual piecing together of the film
available. which marked the beginning of the career of
perhaps Australia's greatest film maker Ken G.
Hall’s The Exploits of the Emden made in 1927.
Elsewhere in the world, however, film collectors The loss of this film, the only print in existence,
are regarded unfavorably as possible candidates would merely represent one more addition to the
for the staffing of a film archive. This attitude is already long list of major Australian feature films,
possibly due to their individualism and their which have disappeared. We have a duty to our
unwillingness to co-operate and share their love future.
of film with administrators.
They're a breed all on their own. People react
differently to different things. I suppose it’s not
what you do; it's the way you do it. A lot of these
blokes just like to collect their films, and look al
themselves and say, “Well this is mine. The rest
of the world, the rest of the universe can’t see it.
I’m sitting here looking at it now.” If you’ve got
any feelings toward the world, and hope that
human nature will alter a bit and won't go as mad
as it seems to be going, and you believe people
should look at these old films and appreciate
them, then they should be saved and preserved,
provided the right people are doing it.
The present situation is that films are stored in
the National Library in Canberra. It is an
unsatisfactory situation, particularly from the
viewpoint of preservation and documentation.
Yet Australians seem to have always
demonstrated a peculiar incuriosity towards the
preservation of their history, and their culture.
It's the Great Australian Apathy. Film has been
popular in Australian as long as it came from
overseas. If it’s from overseas it’s good. If a bar
of chocolate has been brought across the water,
for some reason or other it's better than ours. If
you've got an apathy amongst the general public
where “It’s no bloody good if it’s Australian”, this
same thing is going to wear off where film
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