''Thar She Blows!'' is a 1931 short Australian film, the first production from

Cinesound Productions Cinesound Productions Pty Ltd was an Australian feature film production company, established in June 1931, Cinesound developed out of a group of companies centred on Greater Union Theatres, that covered all facets of the film process, from produ ...

. It is a documentary on the West Australian

whaling Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industr ...

industry.

Synopsis

The action takes place at Point Close station, 500 miles north of Perth. A steamer sights a whale, plunges a harpoon into it, then draws the carcass to the ship's side, whereupon it is attacked by a school of sharks. The whale is towed ashore, where it is stripped of its blubber and prepared for market.

Production

Ken G. Hall Kenneth George Hall, AO, OBE (22 February 1901 – 8 February 1994), better known as Ken G. Hall, was an Australian film producer and director, considered one of the most important figures in the history of the Australian film industry. ...

got hold of some spectacular footage shot by Walter Sully on board a Norwegian whaler off the coast of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, including scenes of a shark attacking a whale carcass. Hall wrote a commentary, had Lionel Lunn record it, and added a soundtrack to the film. Sound recording was primitive in Australia at the time and Hall could not add music or dub in an effects track.

Release

The film was released in support of a Hollywood feature and received good reviews, particularly from

Kenneth Slessor Kenneth Adolphe Slessor (27 March 190130 June 1971) was an Australian poet, journalist and official war correspondent in World War II. He was one of Australia's leading poets, notable particularly for the absorption of modernist influences int ...

, then a critic for ''

Smith's Weekly ''Smith's Weekly'' was an Australian tabloid newspaper published from 1919 to 1950. It was an independent weekly published in Sydney, but read all over Australia. History The publication took its name from its founder and chief financer Sir J ...

''. ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' called it "an interesting film. ''

The Sydney Mail ''The Sydney Mail'' was an Australian magazine published weekly in Sydney. It was the weekly edition of ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' newspaper and ran from 1860 to 1938. History ''The Sydney Mail'' was first published on 17 July 1860 by J ...

'' said it was "a promising example of local synchronisation." The '' Brisbane Courier'' said "it is most entertaining from an educational viewpoint. The audience receives an insight into an industry, the value of which is not generally realised, in spite of the fact that it is carried on in Australian waters." The ''Adelaide New'' said that the film was:

Australia's answer to the eternal question, "Why can't we make pictures as good as America?" From a production point or view, the film is 100 per cent perfect... the shots easily eclipse anything of the kind attempted by cinematographers in other parts of the world... The whole production dealing with whaling and especially the scene where a school of sharks attacks a dead whale, could hold its own against any in the world.

This success encouraged Cinesound to make another short, ''

That's Cricket ''That's Cricket'' is a 1931 Australian featurette from director Ken G. Hall about the game of cricket and its importance to the British Empire. It features appearances from some of Australia's top cricketers of the day and footage of the Austr ...

'', before moving into feature production with ''

On Our Selection ''On Our Selection'' (1899) is a series of stories written by Australian author Steele Rudd, the pen name of Arthur Hoey Davis, in the late 1890s, featuring the characters Dad and Dave Rudd. The original edition of the book was illustrated by ...

'' (1932).Ken G. Hall, ''Directed by Ken G. Hall'', Lansdowne Press, 1977 p 55.

References

External links

''Thar She Blows!''
at National Film and Sound Archive {{Ken G. Hall 1931 documentary films 1931 films Films directed by Ken G. Hall Australian black-and-white films Australian documentary films 1930s Australian films 1930s English-language films Cinesound Productions films