Sydney's Harbour Bridge

Made by the Cinema Branch 1933. Directed by Lyn T Maplestone. Officially opened on 19 March 1932, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was a massive engineering undertaking that transformed the city. This short film documents the construction of one of the world's great landmarks in its various stages, and provides a fascinating glimpse of life around Sydney Harbour and Circular Quay in the twenties and thirties. The Cinema Branch regularly filmed events of special interest to the nation. There were at least 3 different films on the progress of the bridge. Sydney's Harbour bridge was filmed over several years and edited to celebrate the opening.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Sydney
• Harbour
• Bridge
• Opening
• Ferry
• Ferries
• trains
• trams
• bi-planes
• traffic
• Construction
• Public
• works
• Bradfield
• Circular
• Quay
• New
• South
• Wales
• Milson's
• Point
• Dawes
• Granite
• North
• Australian
• Government
• film
• making
• screen
• stock
• footage
• library

[MUSOSFULLY]

I may be wrong but the narrator's comment at the end suggested that it was a British engineering feet, but i was of the opinion that John Bradfield was the designer/draftsman and engineer of the bridges construction?

[FILMAUSTRALIA]

@MUSOSFULLY I think the narrator is referring to the English company that one the tender to build the bridge Dorman Long. However you are right Bradfield was the overall designer and supervised the build.

[Seattlecarnut]

Who's the narrator?

[FILMAUSTRALIA]

@Seattlecarnut Unfortunately we do not know - any clues?

[Seattlecarnut]

@FILMAUSTRALIA I wish I could give any. But then I'm not from Australia. So I wouldn't know.

[FILMAUSTRALIA]

@Seattlecarnut Lost in the mists of time. There are possibly two versions of this film with another narrator for an English audience. Or vice versa.

[battleshipgold]

If you think Sydney Harbour Bridge should be painted a different colour, check out "Golden Harbour Bridge" on Youtube!

[3mberose]

@FILMAUSTRALIA yes but even now there's still debate on who should be credited but Bradfield did win!

[LittleRedDrum]

@jezelf i know right? heaps of people died while making the bridge

[scottclements78]

Now there are bridges, tunnels, motorways yet it takes longer to get home.

[ornitorrinco01]

@MUSOSFULLY The narrator referred to it as a feet of British engineering because at that time Australians were British subjects and Australia was a dominion of the British Empire. So a bridge that was built by a British engineering company (Dorman Long), in a British Dominion (Australia) by British Subjects (Australians) is a feet of British engineering. That was the mentality of that time, it is hard for people to understand that these days.

[jezelf]

nice safety harness at 3:15... :\

[SuperSuperSaloon]

Its an amazing video. Thanks

[Seattlecarnut]

@FILMAUSTRALIA Probably. I'd eventually like to visit there and see it for myself.