Film review: ‘Lost City of Melbourne’ by Nick Gardener from ‘Built For Speed’
For anyone even vaguely interested in the history of the city in which we live, the documentary, The Lost City Of Melbourne will be a must-see.
With remarkable film footage, illustrations and still photography (much of it from German photographers Mark Strizic & Wolfgang Sievers), the documentary traces Melbourne’s growth and transformation over the last 170 years. Delivered in a sprightly tone with energetic piano music and commentary from erudite but engaging historians, the film recounts the city’s rapid growth during the Gold Rush, the period of ‘Marvellous Melbourne’ in the 1890’s when it was considered one of the most modern and eminent cities in the world, through to the 20th century and for better or worse, a major shift in the attitude toward the city’s development.
It’s important to note that, while the film touches on various aspects of Melbourne’s cultural history, it’s mostly about its architecture and the battle between those who wanted to retain the grand Victorian and Art Deco buildings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and those who saw these as old hat and lacking functionality.
Cinephiles will swoon at the loving recollections of Melbourne’s ornately designed early 20th century cinemas. Each suburb contained multiple picture houses, some of which were remarkable works of art themselves. There were many I hadn’t heard of like the Padua in Sydney road, a lavish Art Deco palace which had a triangular stage that featured a small screen for advertising that rotated to reveal an orchestra before rotating again to show the big screen for the main feature. Those not so enamoured of Melbourne cinema culture may, however, feel there’s a little too much emphasis on this aspect of the city.
By the 1950’s, a type of cultural cringe had set in regarding Melbourne’s ‘Victorian’ appearance. With the Olympics and a visit by the Queen imminent, there seemed to be a panic that Melbourne needed to modernise its look and do away with much of its architectural past. Much of the film’s second half is an elegy to this lost part of Melbourne as countless historical buildings are, in the 50’s ,60’s and 70’s, smashed to pieces and replaced with modernist glass and steel towers as well as hideous mission brown offices blocks and shopping plazas This period of transition produced some strange images such as the gleaming, hyper-modern, all glass ICI building standing like an alien structure amid the clutter of 1950s Melbourne. The film even features a segment on Whelan the Wrecker and a tv show where the company’s boss is interviewed by a long-haired and slightly bemused Barry Humphries.
In the 1970’s, those who cared about Melbourne’s heritage drew a line in the sand. Particularly when iconic buildings like the Regent Theatre were threatened. This preservation movement proved remarkably successful, in part because it was backed by unusual alliances such as Victorian Premier Dick Hamer and BLF leader Norm Gallagher.
While the architectural heritage story is in itself fascinating and vital to the city’s identity, it does start to feel a little repetitive and some might be hoping for the film to focus on other aspects of Melbourne. There’s only passing reference to the music scene and to sport but no mention of MCG; there’s actually a picture of anti-football warrior Keith Dunstan holding an immolated footy.
Still, while its scope is limited, the material on offer in this documentary makes for a mostly remarkable time capsule of Melbourne.
Nick’s rating: ****
Genre: Historical documentary.
Classification: E
Director(s): Gus Berger.
Release date: 1st Sept 2022.
Running time: 83 mins.
Reviewer: Nick Gardener can be heard on “Built For Speed” every Friday night from 8-10pm on 88.3 Southern FM.