Directed and filmed by Frank Hurley for Cinesound, this short industrial documentary captures the realities of 1930s mining in Broken Hill. This film opens with dramatised historical re-enactments of Captain Charles Sturt’s 1844 expedition and Charles Rasp’s 1883 silver lode discovery. Utilising extensive cable networks and specialised camera filters to overcome extreme dark and heat, Hurley takes his camera 2,000 ft below the surface. The footage captures miners drilling rock, pit ponies hauling ore cars, and an explosive rock blasting arrangement. Above ground, it documents men operating heavy machinery to extract zinc, lead, and silver deposits, and the refining of the raw minerals.
- Status
- Released
- Production
- Cinesound Productions
Keywords
- mining
- broken hill
- industrial mining
Links
Top Cast
Frank Hurley as Self - Narrator (voice)
Mr. A. Johnson as Captain Charles Sturt
Unnamed Station Hand as Charles Rasp
Top Crew
Frank Hurley · Director, Writer
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