[KenRa Films Present: the Kenneth Rankine Home Movie Collection: Reel 32]

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 captures the wedding of the filmmaker’s daughter, Bettye Rankine to Robert (Bob) Wootton, both of whom would feature in Kenneth’s films. Of particular note are the opening sequences of the reel which show Kenneth’s interest in devising creative and clever titles. Kenneth frames shots of the soon to be bride and groom separately against a tree blowing in the breeze on a sunny day, as singles followed by ‘Bettye Rankine and Bob Wootton in Our Wedding’ as the main title. Kenneth also uses his artistic sub-titles to separate sequences in the reel as well as his lingering shots of flowers (a device which he used regularly throughout his films). Highlights of the reel include the 1940s style of wedding and the wedding fashions of the era. Scenes at the wedding reception show some of the customs of day such as drinking an obligatory glass of sherry (usually upon arrival) and hosting the reception in the family home. Footage also includes the couple enjoying life with their first child some time later. The wedding segment ends with the couple shot in the same frame, now together and married as compared to the single shots of the opening title sequences.

Selected highlights list:
00:00:30:00 title cards, ‘Bettye Rankine and Robert Rankine in’ followed by, ‘Our Wedding’ which follow a preliminary sequence of the bride and groom shot individually.

00:00:34:00 scenes showing the preparation for the wedding reflects the more simple style of weddings of the era (late 1940s from the appearance of the car models). Although the wedding dress is of a lustrous satin fabric with a long train, it is a simple design compared to the prevailing current styles and the bride and groom are attended by only one attendant each.

00:01:28:00 shot of the full train of the wedding dress.

00:02:00:00 lovely look at Kenneth and Bettye on way to the car framed in the Rankine family driveway and garden.

00:02:16:00 scene showing the family were in a position to hire a car and chauffeur for the occasion.

00:02:28:00 Bettye Rankine in her wedding veil framed in the car window.

00:03:58:00 scenes at the church include a closeup of the bridal bouquets.

00:04:06:00 we see Mrs Rankine for the first time in a shot with Bettye and Kenneth outside the church.

00:04:55:00 the bridal couple arrive at their table at what seems to be a private home rather than a reception venue.

00:04:59:00 framed shot of guests drinking sherry at the reception.

00:05:20:00 Kenneth shows the bridal party and guests laughing and relaxed and the happy groom kissing the bride.

00:05:45:00 reception scenes give us a glimpse into the prevailing celebratory fashions and customs of the day - suits and hats and the occasional fur.

00:06:56:00 the wedding sequence ends with a formal title card ‘The End’ after we see the couple shot in the same frame, now together as compared to the single shots of the opening title.

00:07:05:00 title ‘And Now Kenneth Robert as Blue Eyes’ begins a sequence about the Wootton’s first child. Kenneth sets up a beginning sequence where we see Bettye and Bob and Mrs Rankine gazing at above at the sky looking (as we realise) for the stork to deliver the baby.

00:07:30:00 Kenneth Robert has arrived and there are lots of shots of him as a very happy baby in the sunny family garden.

00:08:04:00 Kenneth devises some scenes where Bob Wootton is polishing a car that suddenly turns in to a larger car that he then shows off to Mrs Rankine and Bettye. Cars feature in Kenneth’s films including a scene here where he and Bob reverse the wide cars down the narrow driveway which was typical of the house style at the time.

00:12:18:00 a title for the baby at one year old showing height, chest, weight and number of teeth. We immediately see footage of what is likely to be the baby christening at what appears to be a country church.

00:13:15:00 showing us the baby now crawling on a rug in the family garden.

00:14:28:00 the baby is sitting playing with a ‘Kool Mints’ tin, playing with water, clapping with his mother and being tickled; the baby being fed what appears to be sugar on a plastic spoon gripped in his teeth to cover his nose, sitting on his stroller and learning to walk between his parents;

00:17:10:00 the baby walks independently and soon after is tottering around the garden.

00:17:46:00 with another flower to separate scenes, we see the baby sliding around the garden on a spade being held by his father, running with a pull-along toy, riding around on a broom; playing with a balloon that bursts, looking quite confident with the camera, playing with a spinning top.

00:19:37:00 title card for the baby at two which includes height and weight followed by a brief shot of the toddler ending with a final flower.