This fragment of Ken Hall’s 1949 documentary The Thrill of the Surf bobbed up recently in bit torrent. Little do the surfers realise it, but the days of their hefty, finless paddleboards and box framed, plywood ‘toothpicks’ are sadly numbered. In a year or two, racy malibus will appear at Bondi and, pretty soon, start drawing a line in the sand between surfers and lifesavers. There’s unwitting poignancy in Hall’s shimmering closing shots as pre-modern surfers glide shoreward into the setting sun.
The original film is held by National Film and Sound Archive along with detailed curator notes and credits. Will hopefully negotiate use of this invaluable pre 50s footage to kick off the show.