Page 20 - 2015-09

The projectionist of News-Luxe, Ron where the National Library already carried
Israel, had made the front of house dis- documentary films, had begun getting
play by blowing up images from the silent classics for the country’s burgeoning
frames of the old film itself (2). In the film society movement and was under-
8×10 form, they were planted around stood to be concerned with preserving
Sydney’s several (then) newspapers and Australian films. But just what would the
in magazines like Pix and Australian Library do with ? Would
Monthly. John Burke, the committee mem- other groups be able to see this wonderful
ber with a camera, roamed Woolloo- old charmer of quintessential Sydney?
mooloo and Potts Point for contemporary
comparisons. Some surprised now-adult Frustrated as time passed, SUFG seized
members of the cast found themselves the conclusion of a tour by Mary Field, a
standing on stage for the smash opening British specialist in children’s films, to pop
night. The film’s innocent comic verve and a 16 mm print in her bag. Under the threat
clever social insights, along with views of that the negative would also be shipped to
old Sydney, delighted two further nights of the National Film Library in London, Can-
the gown and town audiences, even if the berra finally came through with an accep-
1.33 images looked askew in the 1.37 tance telegram. The film was safe and
gates. SUFG was off the hook.

These days, the catalogue of the National
Clearly, the film had to be preserved,
something unheard of at that time. The Film and Sound Archive lists nine versions
Group now had the cash to pay for a 35 and formats of . Some have
mm negative to be duped off at Automatic many subsidiary copies. There is generous
, the 1967
excerpting in
Film Lab in Dowling St. Everyone just call-to-arms film by Anthony Buckley and
knew that the film should go to Canberra,

20 REEL DEALS September 2015