The National Film and Sound Archive in Australia is constantly on the lookout for early material to add to the national collection of our audio visual heritage. One hunt has been for the original 35mm film material of the film Captain Thunderbolt produced in 1951 by Cecil Holmes. Until now only available as an incomplete poor quality print on 16mm film.

Other searches have been more successful with the original negative of Wake in Fright (1971) thought to be lost and gone forever. To quote the NSFA  “the search for it was almost like a film – ‘The Hunt for O-Negative’ – and its final discovery, in Pittsburgh of all places, in a box marked ‘for destruction’ sounds like a filmmaker’s fantasy”. The restoration was finalised in 2009.

To again quote NSFA , other “restored feature films include: Sons of Matthew (1949), Sunday Too Far Away (1975), Storm Boy (1976), Newsfront (1978), My Brilliant Career (1979), The Odd Angry Shot (1979), Starstruck (1982), Bliss (1985), The Year My Voice Broke (1987), Howling III: The Marsupials (1987), Shame (1988), Flirting (1990) and Proof (1991).

Restored silent films include: The Man from Kangaroo (1919), The Empire Builders (USA, 1924), The Sword of Valor (USA, 1924), Three Days to Live (USA, 1924) and The Cheaters (1929).

Restored documentaries include: My Survival as an Aboriginal (1978), Witches and Faggots, Dykes and Poofters (1980), Rocking the Foundations (1985), Eternity (1994) and Mabo: Life of an Island Man (1997)”.

Search your attics, basements and back sheds etc., because these are often the places where previously discarded treasures of national significance have been found. My own experience is that these are the sorts of places a lost or unknown part of your own families heritage are also often to be found.

Author: Paul