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THE LAST FILM the estimated output was known to exist in
archive collections. Sound films of the 30s and
SEARCH 40s fared better, but there were still major gaps.
Ray Edmondson Finally, there was the sheer size of Australia: a
big country with plenty of out-of-the way places
As published in This Film is Dangerous, where films might have been left and forgotten.
compendium volume ed. Roger Smither, A non-current film programme ending up in an
published by International Federation of Film outback country hall at the end of its circuit
Archives (FIAF), Brussels, 2003 pp 396-398 could easily stay there, because it wasn't worth
the distributor's while to chase it up.
Sometime in 1979, the Chairman of the Council
of the National Library of Australia, Kenneth How would the task be conducted? A field
Myer, was seeking a way to boost the work of officer would travel the country, with car and
the National Film Archive. He suggested that I caravan, on a literal treasure hunt. He would
devise a worthwhile, sponsorable project which have a backup person at the Canberra "base".
he could recommend for support by a particular
foundation with which he had contacts. His arrival in each locality would be pre
publicised through the
An organised and very public local radio, TV and
national search for nitrate newspaper and his
film seemed to me the logical contact details made
project. While the Archive known. On arrival, he'd
had for 20 years or more be interviewed by the
pursued various approaches media, respond to
in searching for lost material, enquiries and would
they had been low key, proactively search likely
intermittent, and - for reasons locations (such as closed
of expense – had involved up theatres) or seek out
only limited fieldwork. promising individuals.
Outside the collector network The Canberra back-up
and the incidental discoveries person would follow up
which came our way, I on the contacts made
believed there was more once the field officer
material in private hands - in moved on.
old, closed picture theatres,
attics, barns and garages, and As a working name, I
elsewhere – that we would first called the proposed
never turn up unless we had project Operation
the means to add a new Nitrate. Further
dimension to the task. reflection brought to
mind the Bogdanovitch
Furthermore, at the time it film The Last Picture
was received wisdom within FIAF that the Show, an alternative lifestyle book with the
world's remaining nitrate film holdings would striking title The Last Whole Earth Catalog, and
have pretty well disintegrated by year 2000 (we an article I'd written some years earlier called
now know better, The Last Newsreel. So it seemed to me that The
of course). We were therefore running out of Last Film Search combined a proper sense of
time. Added to that, the survival rate of apocalyptic urgency with accurate description.
Australian silent films was poor - less that 5% of As a slogan "nitrate won't wait" - borrowed