In this short film, made in 1966, two children build a Guy Fawkes statue, but are spotted by a third child who reveals their secret to their classmates. The children fight over the statue and eventually join forces to light the bonfire together.
The burning of a Guy Fawkes effigy is a tradition that emerged in the UK, initially to commemorate the failure of a plot, known as the Gunpowder Plot, to assassinate King James I in London on 5 November 1605. In its modern form, the tradition is celebrated as more of a social gathering, with a display of bonfires and fireworks. In Australia, it has become less common since the 1970s.
This short film was sponsored by the Eastern Suburbs Children’s Film Group, Melbourne, and produced and directed by John Richardson. Written by John Richardson and Val Fairweather. Featured cast include Christopher Wilson, Scott McClung, Christopher Ely, Robert Bartnik, Ian Mathieson, Daniel Meltzer, Stephen Palamountain and Jamie Steuart.
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
How to watch
This work has been digitised and can be viewed in the display above.
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
321114
Language
English
Subject categories
Childrens Films → Children's films - Australia
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Attitude change in children
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Black and White
Holdings
16mm film; Access Print (Section 1)
MOV file ProRes4444; Digital Preservation Master - overscan
MOV file ProRes4444; Digital Preservation Master - presentation
MPEG-4 Digital File; ACMI Digital Access Copy - overscan
MPEG-4 Digital File; ACMI Digital Access Copy - presentation
MPEG-4 Digital File; ACMI External Digital Access Copy