Friday, April 24, 2015

Documentary review - "Australia Marches with Britain" (1941) **

A short propaganda documentary (not a newsreel) from Ken G Hall and Cinesound, made to reassure Britain that we were there to help, i.e. so made before Pearl Harbour when our focus became more firmly about the Japanese.

Like most Australian films the cinematography is very good but it's dull (like too many Australian films) - there's talk about our sheep, and wheat, milk, the Egg Marketing Board, timber, ammunition, plans and a navy, plus an introduction by Senator Foll, an impressively uncharismatic politician. Australia is very much positioned as part of the British Empire - the final shot involves the British flag and a picture of the king.

One flourish is when a girl packing eggs (possibly the most boring job in the world) discovers "two bad eggs" - eggs with Hitler and Mussolini sketched on them, and smashes them. More of this would have made the movie more entertaining. Ken G. Hall didn't take a producing or directing credit for so many newsreels documentary but he did for this - maybe because it got overseas distribution. It's likely overseas audiences found this as dull as Aussies would have.

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