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be aligned to that of changing gender dynamics of the early 20th century. This changing of gender dynamics is shown through women walking the streets of
Melbourne unaccompanied by a male and socialising with other women. The intended audience for the film was at the promising market of city travelogues that would in turn improve perceptions and tourism for the city of Melbourne.
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were created in "fast" motion as the equipment was situated on the front of the tram going through various
Melbourne streets. This scene is also referred to as a "phantom ride," as it seems as though the camera is floating through space and not held by any machinery or camera equipment but almost 'flying' through a space.
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He began his career in the film industry by screening movies. Starting In 1923 he had moved with his wife Senora
Spencer to a Ranch where seven years later he would drown himself after fatally shooting his store man and wounding another on the 10f September 1930, leaving his estate to the "Orphanages
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was of the middle/upper class as he wanted his viewing parties and audience to reflect the same. Groups and classes of
Melbourne's society that were not represented include Melbourne's Asian population and the lower class. It, however, does show the "modern women in movement with the city," that can
388:
Ernst
Higgins created point-of-view scenes that made the viewer feel as though they were a part of that time and place. More specifically, the scene of St Kilda street that puts the audience in the position moving through the street. Therefore, with the absence of the tram in the frame, it gives the
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on 22 November 1910, showed the films advertising for an opening screening at Hoyt's
Olympia theatre under the "Amusements" section. In terms of the physical preservation of the film, its nitrate base means it ages faster and is more fragile to the elements, it is being stored in a highly controlled
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The film acts as a glimpse to the past and the infrastructure that helped it move into the metropolis it is today. Throughout the film, various forms of public and private transport are shown. Particularly the rail system that was developed 20 years before the film's premiere, enabled Ernst
Higgins
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Moreover, the depiction of women throughout the film represented
Melbourne as a modern city. During the scene of a football match, women are the audience members at the forefront of the scene, with men in the background. Throughout the film there is no representation nor recognition of Melbourne's
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shifted meaning in the late 19th century, turning satirical and contradicting the "booming" it once was. An economic depression would wear thin on the city and the term would be used as a sarcastic insult to the
English class system that left many Melburnians unemployed and impoverished. Spencer's
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resulted in a state of delusion. He had reportedly fallen asleep during the film, only to be woken by the Peanut Boy after several attempts; he had thought he had been transported to
Melbourne's Flinders Street. This was due to the film's ground breaking cinematography that such audiences had not
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was considered intriguing and groundbreaking by audiences at the time as such angles were not recorded/broadcast before. These included, birds-eye-view-like angles of the city that were created through vantage points of the city, as such technology had not been created yet. "Point of view" angles
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Through selecting this audience carefully through specific sites, scenes and buildings, it would ensure greater economic return for the filmmakers and city of Melbourne as these subclasses were affluent and willing to spend money on travel through influence. Higgins hoped that the audience would
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The film also shows scenes of a men's football game. Higgins also films young females in various locations, but specifically in the Collins Street scene. This intention was to provide insight to the pastime "doing the block" which is seen as ritualistic promenading for young socialites of the
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was developed to put the city on display and show the most prestigious and impressive sites of the city. At the time of the film's production and showing, there was no other film that depicted the city in such a way. Both through representation and film techniques, the audience was exposed to
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was an aid in promoting the city to travelogue audiences. This would also mean that England tourists or patriated citizens would have a cultural and economic influence over the city. Therefore, Melbourne had developed as a city that would reflect and instil European architecture through its
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experience its iconography through the magic of cinema, describing such experiences as a "thrill." At the beginning of the 20th century there was a shift in the representation of women in cinema, Higgins and Spencer chose to depict the 'modern women' within
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in 1910. The film is shot in an observation style, where each scene is divided by a title screen that introduces the next well-known metropolitan Melbourne street and/or building. Such iconography and landmarks that are included in the film are:
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metropolitan scene. This representation of promenading and navigating city traffic as shot by Higgins, was significant and deliberate in broadcasting the authentic experience of Melbourne city life which is dodging the new industrial world.
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The film's locations were shot by Spencer and Higgins over the previous year (1909) to the film's release. The film continues to be the oldest surviving film of the city of Melbourne. Produced under Spencer's Pictures, it was likely shot by
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with the intention to appeal to female audiences. This is particularly apparent during the scenes of the football match where only female spectators were filmed, despite the conflicting reality of gendered football audiences.
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that was first opened in 1984. Spencer aimed films towards the middle-and-working-class audiences through soundtrack and advertising. He was also known for his production of bushranger films like
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received a similar reaction to the showing of a locomotive on screen with the illusion that the train was going to hit the audience members, noting it caused "terror, even panic." Furthermore, a
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These both provided a new perspective in filmmaking and cinematography, without the development of expensive and innovative film equipment, which is all thanks to the city's
354:(1909–1910), Melbourne was Australia's interim Capital and the most popular entry route from England to Australia. This put Melbourne on the global stage for Australia and
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wrote that he considered the city of Melbourne to "eclipse other colonial cities in terms of prestige" and thus felt it compelling to describe Melbourne as "marvellous".
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were specifically selected for their European Design as Spencer and Higgins wanted to draw in "regal types" and "aspirational-regal types" as their target audience.
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illusion that the audience has agency over the direction of the filming of the shot. This adverse reaction to the moving picture was not uncommon for audiences.
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263:. Developed under Spencer's Pictures, the label was renowned for "natural, artistic and realistic display," of the subjects and scenes they were filming.
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saw a positive cultural shift in the terms of its connotation but would continue through various cultural and academic references in such light.
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and surrounding features. Published in 1910, the film stands as the oldest surviving documentary of the city. It is currently housed at the
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Audience members that saw the film initially had mixed reactions. In particular, one man's experience whilst watching the film in
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Passi, Federico (2013). "The uncanny pleasures of the urban spectacle: Marvellous Melbourne- Queen city of the south (1910)".
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exhibit. It has also since been digitised and is available on the National Film & Sound Archive site in 'clip' forms.
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was a cultural product of 19th-century Melburnians' pride in living in the "booming" city of Melbourne. In 1885,
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Gaunson, Stephen (2014). "Marvellous Melbourne: Lady filmgoers, Spencer's Pictures and Cozens Spencer".
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article in 1910 depicted the film as an "education" was published in on Monday 14 February 1910.
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owned the monopoly over the tram network of the city. Other forms of public transport shown in
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to create the point-of-view shots. With the establishment of electric trams by the
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people of the Kulin nation, who are the original inhabitants of the land that
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something never seen before. The film represents various middle/upper class
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The Life and Adventures of John Vane, The Notorious Australian Bushranger.
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The International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology
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707:. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 23 November 1910. p. 16
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explores the following sites/buildings/scenes: (in order of appearance)
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include the trains of Richmond station. As shown in the scenes of
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1012:. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
864:. Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Taylor & Francis Ltd. p. 862.
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is a black and white silent documentary film about the city of
599:. Spencer's Films opened a theatre in 1913, three years after
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development. The landmarks and buildings that were filmed for
679:. National Library of Australia. 14 February 1910. p. 2
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Indigenous population. There is no acknowledgement of the
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Charles Cozens Spencer, ensured the representation within
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North Melbourne Electric Tramway & Lighting Company
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that takes the audience through the hotspots of its
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926:Casiraghi, Charlotte; Maggiori, Robert (2019),
900:"Marvellous Melbourne: Queen City of the South"
321:Marvellous Melbourne, Queen City of the South,
842:Third Annual London Film and Media Conference
410:Marvellous Melbourne: Queen City of the South
212:Marvellous Melbourne: Queen City of the South
123:Marvellous Melbourne: Queen City of the South
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302:, J.H Wrangham and Thomas Somers. The term,
1006:Collins, Delyse (1990). "Spencer, Cosens".
173:Cable Tram passing the Southwest corner of
294:In 1889, Sala's work would be put into a "
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392:L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat
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632:Electric tram in Melbourne in 1917
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1170:Black-and-white documentary films
905:National Film & Sound Archive
340:National Film & Sound Archive
136:National Film & Sound Archive
1155:Australian black-and-white films
1023:Pierce, Miles (2 January 2019).
613:Captain Midnight - The Bush King
307:use of the slogan for the film,
319:The cinematography of the film
1175:Documentary films about cities
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1205:1910s short documentary films
1165:Australian silent short films
1042:10.1080/17581206.2019.1669364
502:Melbourne Central Post Office
1210:1910s English-language films
1090:10.1080/17460654.2013.872049
1078:Early Popular Visual Culture
802:10.1080/17460654.2013.872049
790:Early Popular Visual Culture
537:National Gallery of Victoria
417:in various social settings.
932:Archipel der Leidenschaften
881:Australian Literary Studies
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940:10.17104/9783406741500-184
331:. An article published in
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551:Australian rules football
544:Agricultural Show Grounds
512:Royal Exhibition Building
261:Australian rules football
249:Royal Exhibition Building
132:central business district
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1127:Australian Screen Online
898:De Souza, Penny (2011).
573:Ships on the Yarra River
454:Queen City of the South,
1180:Films shot in Melbourne
564:Flinders Street station
527:Queen Victoria Memorial
350:At the time of filming
205:Queen Victoria Memorial
1215:1910s Australian films
1190:1910 documentary films
887:: 81 – via gale.
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982:Sydney Morning Herald
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860:Betrand, Ira (2005).
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369:Marvellous Melbourne,
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304:Marvellous Melbourne,
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1185:History of Melbourne
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1122:Marvellous Melbourne
647:Marvellous Melbourne
450:Marvellous Melbourne
439:Marvellous Melbourne
422:Marvellous Melbourne
385:experienced before.
361:Marvellous Melbourne
356:Marvellous Melbourne
352:Marvellous Melbourne
289:George Augustus Sala
285:Marvellous Melbourne
281:Marvellous Melbourne
181:streets in 1890–1900
24:Marvellous Melbourne
18:1910 Australian film
1136:at Senses of Cinema
477:St Paul's Cathedral
472:Melbourne Town Hall
376:Audience perception
338:environment at the
296:melodrama burlesque
241:Central Post Office
233:St Paul's Cathedral
225:Melbourne Town Hall
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115:English intertitles
984:. 14 February 1910
738:. 22 November 1910
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279:The title,
257:Yarra River
112:Silent film
39:Produced by
29:Directed by
1150:1910 films
1144:Categories
844:: 443–454.
657:References
435:Wurundjeri
1098:191497959
1059:221115198
1051:1758-1206
958:239205633
818:191497959
810:1746-0654
704:The Argus
624:Transport
445:Locations
216:Melbourne
150:in 1927.
128:Melbourne
108:Languages
103:Australia
988:22 April
928:"Furcht"
911:18 April
742:22 April
593:New York
346:Audience
154:Overview
148:Canberra
736:The Age
334:The Age
196:in 2009
175:Collins
140:Pyrmont
100:Country
95:15 mins
77: (
1096:
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963:31 May
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597:Sydney
247:, the
239:, the
207:, 2024
165:, 1910
144:Sydney
1094:S2CID
1055:S2CID
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