Film and documentation relating to the Board for Anthropological Research expeditions, historical events and personal interests

Archive Collections / Dr Eustace Couper Black / Series AA 31/10 / Film and documentation relating to the Board for Anthropological Research expeditions, historical events and personal interests

This film compilation contains a large number of small sequences taken over many years and varying subjects.

It is important to note that this contains additional film taken during the Board for Anthropological Research (BAR) expeditions to The Granites, NT, 1936; Nepabunna, South Australia (SA), 1937 and Ooldea, SA, 1939. This footage complements to the official 'final film productions' of The Granites, Northern Territory (NT), 1936 (AA 346/9/11) and Ooldea, SA, 1939 (AA 346/9/14). No 'final film production' was made of the BAR expedition to Nepabunna, SA, 1937.

Access DVDs some of which are Open Access DVDs have been edited for inclusion in the Board for Anthropological Research collection. See further details: The Granites, NT, 1936 (AA 346/9/11/23-24), Nepabunna, SA, 1937 (AA 346/9/12/1-2) and Ooldea, SA, 1939 (AA 346/9/14/8-9).

This compilation also contains a copy of some of the footage from the BAR expedition to Macumba, SA, 1926-1927, and test film taken in Adelaide, 1926.

In addition this compilation contains footage relating to the Centenary Parade and the Re-enactment of Governor Hindmarsh's 1836 landing at Glenelg, 1936; and items of a personal nature.

Where possible footage has been identified with the annotations on the original film boxes, a list of which is available in (AA 346/9/27). For details of the history of the film see 'Notes' at the end of this inventory.

The time coded summary is in minutes and seconds. Following the summary of this film is a list of references and further notes.



Formats Held: SP Betacam, Digital Betacam, Access DVDs

Time Coded Summary: Taken from Access 3 (AA 31/6/5)

00:30  '9.5 mm film 200 feet roll'

00:36  Floats at the Centenary Parade, Adelaide, 1936.

01:57  Re-enactment of Governor Hindmarsh's 1836 landing at Glenelg, 1936.

02:24  Unknown commercial western film, with English intertitles.

03:29  Cartoon: 'Felix le Chat, joue au Base-Ball.'

06:45  Ethnographic film, regarding the Bedouin people, English intertitles.

07:49  '9.5 mm film large roll (3 sections)'

07:55  Start of footage relating to BAR expedition to The Granites, NT, 1936.

07:55  Restricted Content Starts.

08:26  Restricted Content Ends.

08:27  BAR expedition members conduct physical anthropological measurements and take blood samples.

09:38  Group of Australian Aboriginal men sit around eating what looks like fruit.

10:00  An Australian Aboriginal woman with her child.

10:16  HK Fry (AA 105) speaks with some women and children.

10:19  An Australian Aboriginal woman with her child.

10:35  End of footage relating to BAR expedition to The Granites, NT, 1936.

10:39  Formation of five airplanes take off.

10:44  Water airplane in the sea next to a large ship.

11:01  An airplane takes off from an airfield.

11:07  Motorised model planes.

13:03  Man with a horse in a fenced yard.

13:17  Men inspect a river weir.

13:46  River [Murray?]

13:58  'Molly dancing, Port Elliot' SA [Annotations on boxes]

14:24  Footage from a moving train of an urban railway station and then wooded landscape.

14:42  Waves breaking on rocks.

14:53  Car driving off a barge, River Murray.

15:03  Group of swimmers.

15:16  Boy runs through scrub with a rifle.

15:34  Crossing the River Murray on a barge.

15:51  An airplane lands.

16:02  Crossing the River Murray on a barge.

16:12  Aerial views of urban landscape.

16:23  Start of footage relating to BAR expedition to Ooldea, SA, 1939.

16:23  Landscape from train.

16:28  Camp of Australian Aboriginal women and children.

16:35  BAR expedition members JB Cleland (AA 60) and TH Johnson (AA 161) distribute currants to a group of women and children.

16:40  Camp scene with Australian Aboriginal women and children.

16:45  Further shots of the distribution of currants to a group of women and children.

16:53  Snake in the sand.

16:54  Children at midday meal, Ooldea mission. Identified in EC Black photo. (AA 31/6)

17:23  Women walk up sand dunes carrying large tins on their heads, accompanied by a large number of dogs.

17:27  Landscape from a moving train.

18:08  End of footage relating to BAR expedition to Ooldea, SA, 1939.

18:08  Two men hand feed magpies by railway tracks.

18:30  Aerial views of urban landscape.

19:09  'Gipsy moths, July 1939.' [Annotations on boxes]

19:31  Cartoon: 'Felix fait la sieste.' [Annotations on boxes]

20:43  Charlie Chaplin film 'Charlot, d'Artagnan moderne.' [Annotations on boxes]

21:39  Vegetation.

22:00  Thorny devil (Moloch horridus) walking.

22:09  Military drill parade, uncertain of the country.

23:28  'Moloch. Point Cook. Mollie and Patty talking.' [Annotations on boxes]

23:40  Men disembarking an aircraft.

24:05  Three men on a pier.

24:10  An aircraft comes in to land.

24:26  'Wallaroo trip, models at Race Course, Jack throwing glider. 1938.' [Annotations on box]

25:50  Start of footage relating to BAR expedition to The Granites, Northern Territory, 1936.

25:50  Australian Aboriginal men make crayon drawings with a BAR expedition member.

26:16  Making hair string for pubic tassel.

26:33  Two Australian Aboriginal men running.

27:04  An Australian Aboriginal man throws a boomerang.

27:05  An Australian Aboriginal man during the preparation of Pitjuri.

27:08  Shot of BAR expedition members filming the preparation of Pitjuri.

27:28  Shot of BAR expedition member Olive Pink and two Australian Aboriginal men holding Pitjuri.

27:34  Footage of the spreading grass fire used to signal neighboring groups.

27:39  Two Australian Aboriginal children in a tree.

27:50  Three Australian Aboriginal children walk towards the camera.

27:53  Four Australian Aboriginal children sit on the roof of an expedition vehicle.

27:59  Mining operation with white and Australian Aboriginal workers. See: The Granites, (AA 346/9/11) Time Code 02:12.

28:11  End of footage relating to BAR expedition to The Granites, NT, 1936.

28:12  Start of footage relating to BAR expedition to Nepabunna, SA, 1937.

28:12  Four BAR expedition members making plaster casts of rock engravings, HM Hale (AA 124) faces the camera. EC Black notes in his diary of 27 May 1937 that six plaster casts makde at Red Gorge, Deception Creek, South Australia. See: (AA 31/1 Notebook 2)

28:54  A group of Australian Aboriginal women and children outside an iron clad building, Nepabunna mission.

29:05  End of footage relating to BAR expedition to Nepabunna, SA, 1937.

29:06  Start of footage relating to BAR expedition to The Granites, Northern Territory, 1936.

29:06  Restricted Content Starts.

29:43  Restricted Content Ends

29:43  End of footage relating to BAR expedition to The Granites, NT, 1936.

29:43  'Pathé Baby Scolaire LE JARDIN DES PLANTES LA MÈNAGERIE' Footage of animals at a zoo with French intertitles.

36:06  Charlie Chaplin film, French intertitles.

40:55  Landscape and buildings by the railway shot from a moving train.

41:44  '9.5mm film ex cassettes. Port Lincoln Railing, River Murray Trip July 1940, Coorong Minipa, Short film.'

41:50  Railway crossing men standing beside a car.

41:55  EC Black and another BAR expedition member disembark a train, behind them the houses and shops of the town.

42:19  Footage of landscape from a moving train.

42:48  Two men beside a fire. One goes to a parked car and returns with a rifle, preparations for a meal.

43:40  Man shoots a pistol at paper targets attached to a tree.

43:54  Views of the River Murray shot from a boat.

45:11  Arriving and the manual operation of a river locke. 'Blanchetown April 1939.' [Annotations on box]

45:41  Close up of steam train coming into a railway station.

45:45  Footage of significant buildings beside the River Murray [?] shot upon a boat.

46:36  Railway carriages.

46:39  Pier at a beach, a large ship is docked in the far background.

47:08  A group of girls in uniforms playing football.

47:15  Footage of train tracks shot from a moving train.

47:32  End of footage.

47:37  '16mm film. Two men decorated for ceremony.' This footage is from a 16mm duplicate made in 1937 of one of the original 35mm nitrate, the film box is in the same hand as all annotation from the Macumba film boxes. 'Reel G' See full description of the film items from the BAR expedition to Macumba within (AA 346/9/2).

47:45  Start of footage relating to BAR expedition to 'Macumba, SA and Alice Springs, NT, 1926-1927'

47:45  Restricted Content Starts.

49:57  Restricted Content Ends.

49:58  '16mm film. First shots in Jeffrey film.'

50:04  Start 16mm duplicate of the original 35mm nitrate 'NFSA Title No.: 33558.' BAR expedition to 'Macumba, SA and Alice Springs, NT, 1926-1927' See description in BAR (AA 346/9/2)

51:52  End of 16mm duplicate of the original 35mm nitrate 'NFSA Title No.: 33558.' BAR expedition to 'Macumba, SA and Alice Springs, NT, 1926-1927'

51:52  '35mm film'

51:58  Restricted Content Starts. European man walks beside a deep excavation in the sand.

52:05  Another European man stands in the excavation and uses a shovel to move sand.

52:11  Human remains removed from the excavation.

52:21  Patient with uncoordinated hand movements in a hospital bed, Adelaide. Trial film shot in 1926.

52:40  Restricted Content Ends.

52:40  Start of footage relating to BAR expedition to 'Macumba, SA and Alice Springs, NT, 1926-1927' See description in BAR (AA 346/9/2)

52:57  End of footage relating to BAR expedition to 'Macumba, SA and Alice Springs, NT, 1926-1927'

52:57  'End' of footage.

  1. EC BLACK NITRATE COMPILATION, MASTER PRESERVATION COPY
    Format: SP Betacam
    Duration: 52 min 21 sec
    Transfer Date: 01/07/06
    Generation: AA 31/10/2

  2. EC BLACK NITRATE COMPILATION, DUBBING / LOAN COPY
    Format: Digital Betacam
    Duration: 52 min 21 sec
    Transfer Date: 01/07/2002
    Generation: Nitrate see 'Notes' at the end of the inventory.

  3. EC BLACK NITRATE COMPILATION, PRESERVATION DVD 1 [TIME CODED]
    Format: DVD
    Duration: 52 min 21 sec
    Transfer Date: 01/07/06
    Generation: AA 31/10/2

  4. EC BLACK NITRATE COMPILATION, PRESERVATION DVD 2
    Format: DVD
    Duration: 52 min 21 sec
    Transfer Date: 01/07/06
    Generation: AA 31/10/2

  5. EC BLACK NITRATE COMPILATION, ACCESS DVD 3 [TIME CODED]
    Format: DVD
    Duration: 52 min 21 sec
    Transfer Date: 01/07/06
    Generation: AA 31/10/3

  6. EC BLACK NITRATE COMPILATION, ACCESS DVD 4
    Format: DVD
    Duration: 52 min 21 sec
    Transfer Date: 01/07/06
    Generation: AA 31/10/4



REFERENCES
  • 'Centenary Pageant of Progress' Advertiser 23 December 1936. pp. 10,14, 25

  • Paperwork relating to the history of the films transfer. (AA 346/9/27)

  • Associated film papers (AA 31/10)



NOTES: The EC Black films were brought by Mrs Couper Black (daughter-in-law of the collector) to the Australian Film and Television School, who passed them on to AIATSIS. Correspondence was entered into by the South Australian Museum and AIATSIS with regards to the Board for Anthropological Research content. The films were highly deteriorated sections of nitrates, and could not be identified prior to digitization.The items were spliced together and because of their highly deteriorated condition, later destroyed. Associated paperwork relating the history and the digital transfer in July 2002. (See AA 346/9/27)

CreatorDr Eustace Couper Black
ControlAA 31/10/1
Date Range1926  -  1940
Quantity 13cm,   6   film items: SP Betacam, Digital Betacam, DVDs
Series AA 31/10