The Salvation Army isn’t just a part of Melbourne’s social fabric – it’s also an integral part of moving-image history. The Salvation Army ran Australia’s first production company, The Limelight Department. They produced hundreds of scenes and stories by photographing actors in elaborate sets and costumes, printing these scenes on slides and then hand-colouring them in the department’s Bourke Street studio. The Blind Man of Siloam shows how this technique re-created ancient locations from hand-painted backgrounds. The department’s most famous show, Soldiers of the Cross, featured over 200 slides projected from multiple lanterns, as well as hymns, music, motion-picture segments and rousing narration.
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In ACMI's collection
On display until
16 February 2031
ACMI: Gallery 1
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The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-02. Play and Illusion → MI-02-C01