Sestier and Barnett at the Melbourne Cup races, as seen by The Bulletin's artist18
Image courtesy of the National Library of Australia
Sestier and Barnett at the Melbourne Cup races, as seen by The Bulletin's artist18
Image courtesy of the National Library of Australia
On Saturday, 31 October (Derby Day) 1896 and on Tuesday, 3 November (Cup Day) 1896, Marius Sestier and H. Walter Barnett made films of events of the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) Spring Carnival at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne.1 These films are almost the very first ones made in Australia, and those that are extant are Australia's oldest existing motion pictures. Although films were taken on both the day of the Victoria Derby and the day of the Melbourne Cup, the collection is (and was) commonly referred to as "the Melbourne Cup films".
How many films did Sestier and Barnett take on these two occasions? Considering that some of them were not successfully processed, we are unlikely ever to know the answer to this question.13 But how many films were good, how many did they eventually show to the public, what were these films, and which ones still exist? And what were the logistics of their production?
One of the Melbourne Cup films was first shown on 19 November 1896 at the Princess' Theatre in Melbourne, Victoria2,3 as part of a theatrical matinee in aid of a fund for the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind set up by Lady Brassey, the wife of the Governor of Victoria. It was of the arrival of Lord and Lady Brassey and the vice-regal party at the Flemington racecourse on the day of the Melbourne Cup. The audience received it enthusiastically, especially when the orchestra in the theatre played the National Anthem to match its being played by the band at the racecourse in the film.3 (This was thus a very early experiment in synchronised sound!)
Sestier and Barnett returned to Sydney, New South Wales (where Sestier had exhibited his
Lumière cinématographe in September and October) soon after.
On Tuesday, 24 November 1896, at the Criterion Theatre, they showed several
of the films taken in Melbourne.4,5
The first advertisements for these shows stated that
"15 Tableaux of the MELBOURNE CUP from the arrival of the GOVERNOR to the finish
of the last race
" would be presented.4
It was to be "A COMPLETE RECORD OF THE CUP CARNIVAL of 1896
."4
The first advertisements for these shows to have a programme6 listed the following 11 subjects from the Melbourne races [my numbering]:
So the number of Spring Carnival films was reduced by 4. Were there originally to have been 15 Melbourne films, or 15 films in total and the first advertisements were incorrect?
The most extensive review of this first public showing was given in The Daily Telegraph of 25 November;7 this review referred to all the Melbourne films listed above except [9] Near the Grandstand - i.e. only 10 films. The Sydney Morning Herald's review8 of this first showing specifically referred only to numbers 11, 3, 8, and 7 (in that order).
But from 26 November, the advertisements said "10 living tableaux of Flemington on Cup Day, and 5 other magnificent pictures, included in each programme."9 (There were to be no further lists of titles in the Sydney papers.) Were these 10 all those listed above except number 9, as referred to in the Telegraph review?
And by 5 December, the number of Flemington films on show was down to 6 (with 10 others).10 Presumably Sestier and Barnett adjusted their programmes in response to the receptions of the films by their viewers. From 9 December, no number of Melbourne films was given in advertisements.
There was also mention of films that appear not to have been shown.
The advertisement in The Sydney Morning Herald of 21 November4
refers to "Special pictures of NEWHAVEN with his Jockey and Trainer before and
after the CUP
" [my emphasis],
and in the notices in the same paper5 and in Sydney's The Evening News
of the same date,21 the departure of the
vice-regal party was supposed to have been on the programme.
It thus appears that some of the films were not considered to be worth showing publicly
even once.
An early announcement19 that a Lumière cinématographe was
to be exhibited in Adelaide, South Australia refers to "the 16 original [pictures]
so successfully taken by Messrs. Barnett and Sestier, of the Derby Day and the Melbourne Cup
".
(This is the only time the number of films was 16, and the number is most likely a typo.)
When it was exhibited at the Theatre Royal in Adelaide at the end of 1896,
several of the Melbourne films were referred to by name in the newspaper advertisements:11
Derby Day (the Betting Ring) Arrival of Train at Flemington Arrival of Lord Brassey and Party on the Lawn Finish of the Melbourne Cup Race on the Lawn, near Grand Stand
The first of these, Derby Day (the Betting Ring), had not been mentioned in earlier advertisements, and specifically refers to the Victoria Derby (assuming that it was in fact made at Melbourne).
A few days later, another list was advertised for Adelaide:12
Arrival of Train, Melbourne Cup Arrival of Lord and Lady Brassey and Suite The Grand Stand Weighing for the Cup Finish of the Melbourne Cup Race Decoration of Newhaven, Derby Winner Newhaven, his Trainer, and Jockey
Presumably, these are films numbered 1, 3, 9, 6, 7, 8, and 11, respectively, above.
The film of Lady Brassey putting the blue ribbon around Newhaven's neck - number 8 above - was here explicitly stated to have been taken at the Victoria Derby: this blue ribbon was given in recognition of the Derby winner. Some newspaper articles that mention the 'blue ribbon' film imply that it was taken at the Melbourne Cup; the fact that Newhaven won both the Derby and Cup in 1896 helps to confuse matters. (If the film ever comes to light, the clothes worn by Lady Brassey should determine at which event it was made.)
After Sestier had left Australia in May 1897, one of his cinématographes was
exhibited in Brisbane, Queensland, and the Melbourne Cup films were often shown.
One review states that, "in all, twelve different views of Flemington on Cup Day
"14
were available to be shown.
A later advertisement15 promises the "MELBOURNE CUP FROM START TO FINISH
", and
lists the films to be shown:
Arrival of the train at Hill platform Arrival of Lord and Lady Brassey at Flemington On the Lawn, near grand stand Saddling paddock Start of Cup race Finish of the Cup race Lady Brassey placing the Blue Ribbon on Newhaven Newhaven, his Trainer, Higginbotham, and Jockey, Gardiner
A film of the start of the Melbourne Cup had not previously been referred to in any Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, or other newspaper. However, it is almost impossible that Sestier could have filmed the start of the Cup race, reloaded his cinématographe, and proceeded to beyond the finishing post and set up to film again in the 3 minutes or so of the race. (But if someone else was filming with another cinématographe, then both start and finish could have been shot.)
But there could be confusion. We have The Lawn near the Band Stand and [On the Lawn] near the Grand Stand. Were there two films, or just one, with the names being (easily) confused?
The following films were explicitly named in advertisements or referred to in reviews or reports:
The following table lists the films that survive in the Lumière collection, with their numbers and names in the Lumière catalogue and their likely identifications with the films shown in Sydney.
| Lumière catalogue number | Lumière catalogue title | Title from Sydney programme | First showing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 418 | La foule | The Lawn near the Band Stand | 24 November 1896 Criterion Theatre, Sydney |
| 419 | Arrivée du gouverneur | Arrival of H.E. Lord Brassey and Suite | 19 November 1896 Princess' Theatre, Melbourne |
| 420 | Enceinte du pesage | The Saddling Paddock | 24 November 1896 Criterion Theatre, Sydney |
| 421 | Sortie des chevaux | Weighing out for the Cup | 24 November 1896 Criterion Theatre, Sydney |
| 422 | La course | Finish of the Melbourne Cup Race* | 24 November 1896 Criterion Theatre, Sydney |
| 423 | Présentation du vainqueur | "Newhaven," his Trainer, W. Hickenbotham, and Jockey, Gardiner, after the race | 24 November 1896 Criterion Theatre, Sydney |
| 652 | Arrivée d'un train à Melbourne | Arrival of Train, Hill Platform | 24 November 1896 Criterion Theatre, Sydney |
(The hyperlinks are to copies of the films at the australianscreen Web site.)
* The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, in their collection catalogue, have copied the erroneous identification of this film by the authors of La production cinématographique des frères Lumière20 as Finish of Hurdle Race, Cup Day. This is wrong because the first and second horses are several lengths apart at the end, and there was only 3/4 of a length separating them in the Hurdle Race; also, there is no hurdle visible on the track.
But could not "La foule" be Near the Grand Stand (if this was indeed a different film), and "Weighing out for the Cup" be Weighing in for the Cup? (Weighing out was done before a race, and weighing in after a race.)
Regarding the sequence of Lumière catalogue numbers, why does the "arrival of a train" film have a number that is not consecutive with the rest? La production cinématographique des frères Lumière23 states that, in general, the numbering of the films corresponds to the times of their arrivals at the Lumière offices; if this is indeed so it means that there was a delay between the receipts of the train film and the others. Did Sestier (or someone else) really send them separately, and if so, why?
From newspaper reports, the vice-regal party arrived at about the time of the start of the Hurdle Race, which was the first race of the afternoon and was scheduled for 1 p.m. The members of the party arrived in four carriages. In the film the last of these carriages is seen to stop in the background, but most activity on it is hidden by the dense crowd, in the foreground, waiting for the governor and suite to walk up a section of lawn that is kept clear by attendant policemen.
From the shadows seen, the Sun is to the right of the camera position, and the direction of view is roughly west-southwest.
The image above, a detail from page 912 of the 7 November 1896 edition of The Australasian weekly newspaper, shows the positions of the horses at the finish of the 1896 Melbourne Cup. Although Sestier and Barnett's film was shot from a point some way to the right of this scene, the positions of the horses in the film, taking into account parallax, coincide with those in this image.
Why didn't Sestier and Barnett set up their cinématographe closer to the finishing post, with a similar view to that of the camera that took this image? Did they know that the horses would be moving so fast, when viewed laterally, that they would appear as blurs because they couldn't set a short enough exposure time?
And although Barnett managed to whip up some hat-waving enthusiasm in the vicinity of the camera, only one raised hat can be seen in the image above.
The film shows two trains and a locomotive in motion, and two platforms are visible, one on each side of the railway tracks. The camera is positioned on the north platform (as determined by the direction of the shadows in the image) and facing roughly north-east, and the main subject of the film is the arrival of a train at this platform and the alighting of passengers from it. But the film starts with the other train, only just in view, coming to a stop at the other, south, platform. As the north platform was referred to as the Hill platform and the south platform as the Grand Stand platform, the title Arrival of Trains at Hill and Grand Stand Platforms, which was once used in an advertisement,4 is valid for this film and doesn't refer to two distinct films.
| The image on the right is a copy of the last photograph in the book
Views at Flemington: Melbourne Cup 1894 (see below),
titled Train Arriving at the Course,
and is taken on the Grand Stand (south) platform with the camera facing roughly south-west.
The rear of the racecourse grandstand is visible in the background.
A portion of the Hill platform is visible in the middle distance on the right,
and on it is a small, roofed structure with an elevated section that was probably
an observation post for the railway.
(There is a similar one opposite it on the Grand Stand platform.)
To account for the elevated position of the camera in the train arrival film,
it is likely that Sestier shot it from this building.
The light-coloured section in the fence behind and to the left of this structure is a gateway; although barely visible in this reduced-size image, across the top of this gate it reads: "TO THE HILL". | 
Image courtesy of the National Library of Australia
|
And how do we know that this film was made on the day of the Melbourne Cup, and not on the Victoria Derby day (or even on another day of the Spring Racing Carnival)? The weather on the day of the Derby was reported to have been bleak and cold, and few spring dresses were to be seen.
In three of the (surviving) films, H. Walter Barnett makes himself conspicuous: The Lawn Near the Band Stand, The Saddling Paddock, and Finish of the Melbourne Cup Race. In the first of these, he walks from the camera position into the crowd and talks to various people and directs them to walk closer to the camera, sometimes accompanying them as they do so. He manages two such sorties in the time of the film. In the second, he again walks out before the camera to talk with a couple, but the appearance of a somewhat unruly horse interrupts them, and when the horse has the audacity to stop and stand between them and the camera, HWB has to give it a nudge to leave the scene! In the film of the finish of the race, the collection of people standing near the barrier rail do not appear to be very excited about the horses coming down the straight, so once again Mr. Barnett walks into view and tries to get them to show some interest by waving their hats; he is partially successful.
Barnett's appearances didn't go unremarked:
"Well-known figures pass and re-pass in living semblance to their very selves, prominent amongst them being the ubiquitous Mr. Barnett himself, to whose enterprise is due this triumph of up-to-date living pictures."and
"The Australian pictures are keenly appreciated, and the frequent appearance in them of Mr. Barnett, who seems to be manipulating the crowd after the manner of some great general, is not without its effect on those amongst the audience who recognise him."
And the well-known people in the films who were named in newspapers were Mr. Robert and Mrs. Brough, Mr. Titheradge, and Mr. Tom Fitzgerald.
In November 1896, there was only one Lumière cinématographe in Australia. There are many mentions of "the only authorised cinematographe in Australia" in newspaper advertisements and reports. And had there been another machine surely it would have been used for exhibitions. (A second one arrived in Sydney on 11 December.) Some histories state that Sestier arrived with 2 machines, but no evidence is given; it was probably assumed he brought two because two were bought by Baker and Rouse after Sestier returned to France in May 1897.
Exactly how was the first display (positive) print, that was shown at Lady Brassey's benefit matinee, made? Processing a 17 m length of film had only recently been accomplished for the first time in Australia at Barnett's Falk Studio in Sydney. Also, almost two weeks elapsed between taking the films and an announcement that the processing (of most of them) had been successful.13 As a Lumière cinématographe would function as a camera, printer, or projector, there are several possible answers to this question, listed below in order of increasing organisational and technical difficulties.
The last three possibilities are in agreement with the recollections of Albert James Perier,16 who stated that the Melbourne Cup films were developed in Sydney. But he doesn't say where the films were printed.
Two earlier groups of works are interesting to compare with the Melbourne Cup films: the three paintings by Carl Kahler,
The Kahler paintings, which were later reproduced by Goupil et Cie as photogravure
prints for wider distribution,
are in the first instance representations of large numbers of persons, some of whom,
apparently, paid to have their image in a painting.
The settings show the appearance of some of the racecourse buildings and grounds at the time.
Interestingly, amongst the items of Barnett's house contents auction on
8 September 1896 are listed "Photogravures by Goupil and Co.
and Bougereau"
:
were the Goupil ones of the Flemington scenes?
More relevant as a comparison with Sestier and Barnett's films, however, are the photographs in the 1894 Sands & McDougall volume. The titles of these are:
[1] The Age (Melbourne), 16 November 1896, p.6g, Amusements.
During the recent racing festival at Flemington the Lumiere Cinematographe was used for the first time in this part of the world to secure moving pictures of the Derby, the Cup race, and numerous scenes on the lawn. It was chiefly in the nature of an experiment, but many will feel gratified to know that most of the principal views taken have been successfully developed. When these are shown, as they will probably be next week, it is safe to say that they will attract considerable attention, for by this means those who witnessed Newhaven's double triumph will be able to enjoy the sight over again, and those who did not see it will now have an opportunity of so doing, through the medium of this wonderful instrument. Besides this there will be various pictures of promenaders on the lawn, including the arrival of the vice-regal party. ...
[2] The Age, 19 November 1896, p.8h, Amusements.
This advertisement refers to only one film:
"The FIRST LOCAL PICTURE Taken by the Lumiere Cinematographe, Showing FLEMINGTON ON CUP DAY,
And THE ARRIVAL Of HIS EXCELLENCY the GOVERNOR and Suite on the Course
".
[3] The Age, 20 November 1896, p.6g, Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind, Lady Brassey's Appeal.
This review states that there was one picture that was new:
that of the arrival of Lord and Lady Brassey and party at Flemington.
... the Lumiere Cinematographe views were shown. They included a new picture, illustrating the arrival of Lord and Lady Brassey and the vice-regal party at Flemington racecourse on Cup day. It was a wonderful and faithful photograph, the scene being reproduced with the most perfect fidelity, and all the bustle and animation of the racecourse being brought before the audience with the same vividness as if they were looking upon the actual moving figures. When the orchestra, in imitation of the invariable custom of the band at Flemington at the moment of the arrival of the viceregal party, struck up the National Anthem, the audience in the theatre rose to their feet and cheered heartily, just as the crowd on the racecourse cheered on the occasion represented, thus completing the reproduction in the vocal detail to which the cinematographe has not yet been educated. ...
[4] The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 November 1896, p.2a, Amusements, Criterion Theatre.
[5] The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 November 1896, p.10e, Amusements, Lumiere's Cinematographe.
[6] e.g. The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 November 1896, p.2d, Amusements, Criterion Theatre.
[7] The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 25 November 1896, p.6c, Amusements, Lumiere Cinematographe.
AUSTRALIAN SCENES.
Messrs. Marius Sestier and H. Walter Barnett are revisiting Sydney with their wonderful Lumiere Cinematographe and a fresh collection of pictures, most of which are of strong local interest. ... The pictures which were brought with this cinematographe to the colonies were beautiful and wonderful, but Messrs. Sestier and Barnett are keeping pace with the times, and during their absence have enriched their collection with a large number of purely Australian scenes. That great intercolonial carnival, "The Melbourne Cup," furnishes most of the pictures exhibited in the present entertainment, and they strikingly convey the marvellous accuracy of the new photography. First of all there is the arrival of a laden train at the Hill Platform, Flemington. All who had been "at the Cup" recognised the scene, and the view received a storm of applause. Then followed in quick succession the lawn and band stand, with the bustling, fashionably attired crowd; the arrival of Lord Brassey and suite, with all the well-known formalities; the saddling paddock, with the racehorses walking "as natural as life," under the critical eyes of experts; and the finish of the Hurdle Race on Cup Day. As the familiar and stirring events passed in review a little of the excitement of the racecourse seemed to seize on the audience, and this grew as the horses were weighed out for the Cup, and Newhaven went forth along with the animals it was his good fortune to defeat. The finish of the race was watched with intense interest, and something like a little cheer went up as Newhaven swept past the post, although the horses were too far off to be clearly distinguished. Lady Brassey was then seen placing the coveted blue ribbon on the winner, after which a sight of afternoon tea under the awning was afforded. A moving picture of Newhaven, with his trainer, Mr. W. Hickenbotham, and his jockey, Gardiner, completed this portion of the exhibition. The audience found a vast fund of amusement in picking out well-known faces as they occurred in the throngs, and, indeed, quite a society column of "those present" might be written if space permitted. ...
[8] The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 November 1896, p.8b, The Lumiere Cinematographe.
The prominent feature in the new tableaux which were shown before a large audience at the Criterion Theatre last night consists in the fact that all the pictures but two represent Australian scenes. M. Marius Sestier has been enabled thus to enrich his repertoire by the skill of Mr. H. Walker [sic] Barnett ("Falk"), who with complete success has secured a long series of views of the Melbourne Cup, in which the figures of well-known citizens of Sydney and the sister capital appear. The scene at the Criterion which caused most delight was a splendid picture of Newhaven, notable for his fine head and glossy coat, being led up and down by his trainer, with Gardiner up. There was also a remarkably clear view of the arrival of the vice-regal party on the course. Constables were seen, telling the crowd to "stand back," and then Lord Brassey advanced with Lady Brassey on his arm. The portraits were life-like and all the members of the party successively came to the front in accurate focus. Lady Brassey placing the Blue Ribbon upon the unruly Newhaven, who eventually plunged and reared right out of the scene, was another tableau which excited enthusiasm; and the horses at the finish of the great race itself, and other incidents of Cup Day, were shown. ...
[9] e.g. The Daily Telegraph, 26 November 1896, p.2a, Amusements, Criterion Theatre.
[10] The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 December 1896, p.2f, Criterion Theatre.
[11] The Advertiser (Adelaide), 28 December 1896, p.2a, Amusements, Theatre Royal.
[12] The Advertiser, 2 January 1897, p.2a,b, Theatre Royal.
[13] The Age, 16 November 1896, p.6g, Amusements.
This report says "developed
":
is this really what was meant, or does it mean that positive prints were also made?
[14] The Brisbane Courier, 28 May 1897, p.6d,e, Amusements.
[15] The Brisbane Courier, 19 June 1897, p.2e, Entertainments.
[16] The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 June 1922, p.9f, The Kinema.
[18] The Bulletin (Sydney), 14 November 1896, p.15 (detail).
[19] The Advertiser, 8 December 1896, p.5g, Amusements, Theatre Royal Attractions.
Of course, the "16
" may be a typo or the result of a misreading or mishearing.
[20] Michelle Aubert and Jean-Claude Seguin, La production cinématographique des frères Lumière; la Bibliothèque du Film, Paris, 1996; p.57.
[21] The Evening News (Sydney), 21 November 1896, p.3e, Amusements, Lumiere's Cinematographe.
[22] Views at Flemington: Melbourne Cup 1894, Sands & McDougall Limited, Melbourne, 1894; National Library of Australia: MCL HIST 1262.
[23] Op. cit., p.29.
| Copyright © 2010 - 2011 Tony Martin-Jones | Film history index | Edition 5.3 (2011-09-05) |