The Beach
This film will be shown at the Arc Cinema, National Film and Sound Archive
LAHEY, Vida, 1882 - 1968 / Beach umbrellas 1933 / Oil on canvas on composition board Oil on canvas on composition board / Gift of Ann Gruen in memory of her mother, Margaret Darvall 1970 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © QAGOMA /
How did Australia come to be the most beach-conscious nation on earth?
Inspired by Geoffrey Dutton’s book Sun, Sea, Surf and Sand: The Myth of the Beach (1985), this film looks at how Australia came to be the most beach-conscious nation on Earth. This is reflected in the way the beach has been celebrated and mythologised.
The documentary interweaves sunlight-drenched beach cinematography with historical footage, feature film extracts, photographs and paintings. It also features readings and interviews with writers and artists.
For Australia's artists, the attraction of the beach – with its great variety of colours, range of social types, symbols and myths – has been irresistible. We can see through their work that, during the 20th century, the beach replaced the bush as the site of cultural significance upon which national dramas, big and small, played out.
The film is narrated by David Wenham and features original music by Peter Sculthorpe as well as over 100 examples of beach-related art and literature. Interviewees include Tim Winton, Les Murray, Gabrielle Carey, Graeme Murphy, Juliana Engberg, Ken Done, Peter Sculthorpe, George Ganyjibala, and Anne Zahalka, all of whose work has been influenced by the beach.
What emerges is a range of perspectives and representations, both contemporary and historical, on the changing place of the beach in the nation’s culture.
This title is held in the NFSA collection.
Saturday Screenings is a free program of film screenings presented monthly in partnership between the National Gallery of Australia and National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.
