[KenRa Films Present: the Kenneth Rankine Home Movie Collection: Reel 5]

Kenneth Carruthers Rankine (1890 - 1968) was a keen amateur cinematographer and filmmaker. This collection of his home movies has been donated to ACMI by Kenneth’s granddaughter. The collection represents a wonderful slice of life in Australia; with contents including scenes of everyday life, major family occasions, holidays around Victoria and views of Melbourne.

This film shows footage of Mt Buffalo and the Grampians, in Victoria, filmed in September 1944. Footage shows spectacular views from high up, waterfalls and rock formations and a peep at some buildings. Kenneth’s camera lingers over many of the waterfalls before moving onto a selection of flowers and bushes before ending the reel with pink tinged clouds. Title cards are used throughout the film.

Selected highlights list:

00:00:12:00 ‘Mt Buffalo September 1944’ low lying clouds and overlooking misty, foggy mountain scenery.
00:02:32:00 group of young women wearing jodhpurs which were worn by women at time for ourdoor activity.
00:03:50:00 hikers walking up a trial.

00:03:55:00 ‘Pulpit Rock’ sign followed by ‘Lake Catani’, a walking track, spillway, views across the lake and a group sitting on a short pier.

00:06:09:00 walkers waving at the camera from a high, jutting rock formation and viewing platform (possibly ‘the Monolith’).

00:10:08:00 filmmaker Kenneth walking along a track.

00:10:31:00 ‘View Point’ and hikers looking out over a dramatic view.

00:12:19:00 a group of hikers coming downwards and waving at the camera; sequence ends with pink tinged clouds.

00:12:42:00 ‘The Grampians September 1944’ appears followed by a distinctive tractor ploughing or planting in a farm paddock before moving to the scenery of the Grampians.

00:13:18:00 ‘Broken Falls’ sign, top of the waterfall and then full cascading waters across a wide section of rocks.