[1934 MACROBERTSON TROPHY AIR RACE]

Year Published: 1934

Description: The film opens with a shot of three men atop elephants wading through water (:14) and tromping onto land. Elephant trunks lift barricades 1:06) at a shipping yard. An unidentifiable plane swoops in over water (2:20). Elevations are noted at 3,000 feet (3:32), 7,000 (3:39) 11,000 (3:51) and at 18,000 (4:00). Aerial shots capture the land below (4:16), presumably somewhere near Penang. Coastline shots follow (4:27). A close shot shows merchant vessels near the shoreline (4:39). Small monkeys huddle near the tree line (4:52). A thin man in a sarong humps up a tree (4:59). A hand feeds one of the monkeys (5:18). The man reaches the palms at the top and begins to shimmy his way down (5:33). A map notes locations along the race route (5:56). Aerial shots captured puffy clouds below (6:19). The skyline of Singapore follows (6:43). A traffic cop guides cars along the streets in a ground view shot (6:58). Balmy palms encircle a thatched roof home (7:14). A plane cuts through the sky (7:28). The map notes the racers are moving for Batavia (7:31). Waters encircle a large volcano (7:46). The same unidentified plane cuts by (7:51). A close shot of the plane landing reveals it to be the Fokker F.VII (8:07). Crew members spill out (8:26). The rules for this race indicate there was no limit in the amount of crew members per flying team. Crew members mingle outside a large hangar (8:55). Another Fokker runs by (9:13). The craft lifts from the runway (9:29) and rides over high palms (9:41). Racers head for Port Darwin (9:59). Black waters roll (10:07). An aerial shot captures the port (10:31). The plane swings in closer, homes dot the lands (10:36). Ground crews move around a Vickers (11:07). The pilot climbs out of the cockpit (11:12). From Port Darwin, fliers head for Melbourne (11:23). Aerial shots follow of the city (11:27) and Murray River (11:37). A wooly sheep herd buzzes by (11:59). A kangaroo leaps over Australian land (12:23). An aerial shot follows of an Australian air field (13:04). The Shrine of Remembrance appears (13:15). Modern skyscrapers prick the sky (13:25). The Boeing 247 piloted by Roscoe Turner swings in (13:39). Close shots capture the winners circle (14:20). Charles William Anderson Scott and T. Campbell Black took the win in their de Havilland DH.88 Comet named Grosvenor House.