Thar She Blows!
| Industry | Film production |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1931 |
| Founder | Ken G. Hall |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Products | Films |
Thar She Blows! represents a 1931 Australian short film and marks the inaugural project of Cinesound Productions. This documentary focuses on the whaling industry located in Western Australia.
Synopsis
The narrative unfolds at Point Close station, situated approximately 500 miles north of Perth. It illustrates a steamer locating and harpooning a whale, subsequently towing the creature to shore where it faces attacks from a school of sharks. Following this, the whale is processed by removing its blubber and preparing it for commercial distribution.
Production
Ken G. Hall obtained remarkable footage captured by Walter Sully aboard a Norwegian whaling vessel operating off the coast of Western Australia, including dramatic scenes of sharks feeding on a whale carcass. Hall developed a scripted narration recorded by Lionel Lunn and incorporated a musical soundtrack. However, due to the limitations of early sound recording technology in Australia at that time, integrating music or sound effects was not feasible.
Release
Premiering alongside a Hollywood feature film, this short received favorable critiques from reviewers such as Kenneth Slessor of Smith's Weekly. The Sydney Morning Herald referred to it as "an interesting film," while The Sydney Mail regarded it as "a promising example of local synchronisation."
The Brisbane Courier emphasized its educational significance, highlighting its detailed portrayal of an often neglected sector within Australian maritime industries.
Meanwhile, the Adelaide News commended it as "Australia's answer to the eternal question, 'Why can't we make pictures as good as America?'" particularly praising its production standards and cinematographic work, notably the shark attack sequences.
This positive reception motivated Cinesound to create another short film, That's Cricket, before progressing to feature-length productions with On Our Selection in 1932.