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Bill Peach. Prints have been sent to film Ordell only directed this one film, while
festivals and special seasons around the Higgins was a life-long top cine-profes-
world over the past forty years. A clip sional. They must have liked each other:
opened the Sydney office of the NFSA in the film sings.
1986. Asked years ago by Macca on na-
tional breakfast radio, “What’s your favor-
ite among them all”, the director of the
Archive named, yes, .

One further manifestation has emerged as
the digital future of film comes rushing in.
The NFSA has re-mastered that original
celluloid print into a Digital Cinema Pack-
age (DCP) for showing in present-day
cinemas. Having seen this copy, I can say References:
that the flavor of the picture remains
intense, with the beautifully naturalistic 1. The News-Luxe, a newsreel theatre, opened on
lighting and some little traces of cinematic Pitt St prior to 1946.
wear-and-tear. As it romps along, there is 2. Ron Israel went on to a major business in
barely time to take in the duality in its industrial and commercial photography.
creation: skit business inventing, joke
writing and performance eliciting by Tal 3. Macca is Ian McNamara, the host of the Sunday
Ordell, credited as writer-director, and the morning ABC Local Radio program Australia All
less-is-more perfection of camera work Over.
and (presumably) editing by Arthur Hig-
gins, credited on the same panel as cine- 4. Higgins was, in fact, the first accredited member
matographer (4). A stage and radio man, of the Australian Cinematographers Society.

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