FILM AUSTRALIA COLLECTION

Title Details

Elizabeth Durack

Elizabeth Durack talks of her roles as a single mother and her career as ÒtwoÓ professional artists: Elizabeth Durack and Eddie Burrup.
Series : Australian Biography Series 6 | Year : 1997 | Total Duration : 26 Minutes | Producer : Robin Hughes, Linda Kruger
Director : Robin Hughes, Linda Kruger |
Interview Elizabeth Durack, 1997, talking about feelings for the old life in Australia, having to feel the flow of history in Australia. Super. Still b&w photograph six Durack children lined up with hands on each others shoulders, pull back from Elizabeth third in line, 1920s. Interview Elizabeth about childhood memory of being left in tree with frog at age two and then drawing the frog. B&W photo Elizabeth as very young girl, 1910s. Interview Elizabeth about drawing as a child.
Access No. 132389 | 2 mins | Various | Australia | © Elizabeth Durack | Colour |
Still b&w photograph Elizabeth Durack and sister Mary as young girls, 1920s. Pan of book jointly made by girls (sisters) called ÒKookaburra and KangarooÓ, showing various sketches and handwritten text.
Access No. 132390 | 21 secs | 1920s | Australia | © Elizabeth Durack | Colour |
Archival b&w footage circa 1940s MS Aboriginal stockman on horseback cracking whip, VS Aboriginal stockmen on horseback rounding up cattle.
Access No. 132391 | 11 secs | 1940s | Australia | © Film World | B&W |
Still b&w photograph WS homestead in bushland of Kimberley region. Interview Elizabeth Durack. B&W photo Aboriginal stockmen on horses outside Durack homestead in Kimberleys. B&W photo Elizabeth Durack and sister Mary posing with Aboriginal women and children. B&W photo Elizabeth with two Aboriginal boys by river. B&W photo Aboriginal boy, Jeff Chunuma. Interview Elizabeth Durack, 1997, talking about her classificatory son, Jeffery Chunuma. B&W photo Elizabeth and Jeff. B&W sketch of Aboriginal boy, modelled by Jeff Chunuma.
Access No. 132392 | 1 min 7 secs | Various | WA, Australia | © Elizabeth Durack | Colour |
Interview Elizabeth Durack, 1997, talking about Aboriginal boy, Jeffery Chunama becoming her surrogate son. Still colour photograph Elizabeth Durack and Jeff Chunama as adult, arm in arm. B&W photo Elizabeth and Sydney journalist Frank Clancy, who she married,1940s. Interview Elizabeth about her marriage to Frank expanding her social knowledge, coming to Sydney. Pull back from previous photo Frank Clancy to Elizabeth and their two young children.
Access No. 132393 | 54 secs | 1940s | Australia | © Elizabeth Durack | Colour |
Still b&w photograph Elizabeth Durack with her son and daughter (children). Interview Elizabeth Durack, 1997, talking about returning to the west after her five year marriage finished, having her studio on the bank of the River Ord where she did big paintings. CU painting of Aboriginal people in and around river,1947. Interview Elizabeth about developing indepth relationships with Aboriginal elders. CU painting Aboriginal figures by river, CU detail of painting, Aboriginal child reaching into water where fish are swimming.
Access No. 132394 | 1 min 18 secs | 1940s | WA, Australia | © Elizabeth Durack | Colour |
Interview Elizabeth Durack, 1997, talking about the importance of her relationship with the Aboriginals. Archival colour footage Aboriginal rock paintings, pull back from escarpment in outback bush landscape, dissolve to pan of cave paintings and engravings. Interview Elizabeth about joining up on a big walk made by old Aboriginal men who were to meet up with some desert men. Archival b&w footage pan grasses to hill in bushland. Interview Elizabeth about understanding between men and women when men's ceremony was to take place, bush etiquette.
Access No. 132395 | 1 min 44 secs | Various | WA, Australia | © ABC Television | Colour |
Pull back from sketch by Elizabeth Durack of Aboriginal people sitting beneath rock shelter. Interview Elizabeth Durack, 1997, talking about meeting being remnant of something between her local Aboriginals and the desert tribe. Sketch of old Aboriginal women in camp, sketch of old man sitting outside humpy with dogs. Interview Elizabeth about Aboriginal tradition. Sketch of Aboriginal elder. Interview Elizabeth about learning Aboriginal culture and tradition as an artist.
Access No. 132396 | 1 min 25 secs | 1990s | Australia | © Elizabeth Durack | Colour |
CU painting ÒOrd River VenusÓ of an Aboriginal woman, by Elizabeth Durack. Interview Elizabeth Durack , 1997, talking about understanding theory of ancient intimate relationship of Aboriginal people with landscape and wildlife. Still b&w photograph pull back from Durack family members to gathering with Aboriginal Òhouse womenÓ outside homestead. B&W photo Elizabeth with brother Reg. Interview Elizabeth about her brother's opinion that the Aboriginals were reconciled when they came in to work on the cattle stations.
Access No. 132397 | 1 min 49 secs | 1990s | WA, Australia | © Elizabeth Durack | Colour |
Still b&w photograph Elizabeth Durack's father, Michael on horse. Interview Elizabeth Durack, 1997, talking about receiving no inheritance after her father sold all the Durack properties just prior to his death. B&W photo MS Michael Durack, Elizabeth's father. Interview Elizabeth. B&W photo Elizabeth working on a painting of an Aboriginal stockman. Interview Elizabeth about having to work hard and sell paintings to earn money. Pan of inside cover of book ÒAustralian Legendary TalesÓ with illustrations by Elizabeth Durack.
Access No. 132398 | 54 secs | Various | Australia | © Elizabeth Durack | Colour |
Interview Elizabeth Durack, 1997, talking about battle of being accepted in art circles. Still b&w photograph Elizabeth Durack and sister Mary at art exhibition, posing in front of painting. Interview Elizabeth. MS painting of Aboriginal woman sitting in chair and holding baby in her lap. B&W picture of images of two nuns and two children. MS wording from exhibition catalogue for David Jones' Art Gallery. Interview Elizabeth about a damning review in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Access No. 132399 | 46 secs | 1990s | Australia | © Elizabeth Durack | Colour |
Pull back from cover of Elizabeth Durack program (catalogues) with picture of Elizabeth. Interview Elizabeth Durack, 1997, talking about bad review causing her Sydney exhibition to be unsuccessful. CU drawing (or painting) of young Aboriginal girl with goats and holding goat. Interview Elizabeth having good luck and good health when raising her family, having an unhappy love affair early on in her life. Still b&w photograph Elizabeth with man (lover). Interview Elizabeth about leaving for London but not wanting to go, disliking being abroad, never seeing her first love again as he was killed. Detail previous photo Elizabeth and man.
Access No. 132400 | 2 mins 3 secs | Various | WA, Australia | © Elizabeth Durack | Colour |
Interview Elizabeth Durack, 1997, talking about how the tragic death of her first love has affected her entire life, being unable to mate with anyone, never being able to give completely. CU painting from Elizabeth Durack's disintegrating world series, showing Statue of Liberty surrounded by flying debris. Interview Elizabeth about feeling and sharing loss through her artwork, empathy for Aboriginal people losing their culture. ECU painting pan from Aboriginal on horseback in canyon to rock paintings.
Access No. 132401 | 1 min 42 secs | Various | Australia | © Elizabeth Durack | Colour |
Interview Elizabeth Durack, 1997, talking about once observing an Aboriginal worman making a shelter which blew away. B&W painting (or ink drawing) of Aboriginal shelter being blown away, chaotic sky. Interview Elizabeth about how she began to represent disintegration of the world in her paintings. CU details of painting of shattered Statue of Liberty. MS twin painting from Elizabeth's morphological phase, CU's detail of red and white painting. Interview Elizabeth about her daughter Perpetua's angry reaction to her morphological paintings, yet seeing an Aboriginal style in them.
Access No. 132402 | 2 mins 40 secs | Various | Australia | © Elizabeth Durack | Colour |
Still b&w photograph Elizabeth Durack with her adult daughter Perpetua. Interview Elizabeth Durack, 1997, talking about being on a walk with her daughter and deciding to create a nom de plume for her morphological Aboriginal style works, thus appearing Eddie Burrup.
Access No. 132403 | 53 secs | Various | WA, Australia | © Elizabeth Durack | Colour |
CU magazine article titled ÒThe Incarnation of Eddie BurrupÓ, pan down to photograph of Elizabeth Durack sitting in front of painting. Interview Elizabeth Durack, 1997, talking about not expecting such a huge reaction when she revealed herself as Eddie Burrup.
Access No. 132404 | 20 secs | Various | Australia | © Arts Monthly Australia | Colour |
CU 1997 SMH newspaper article titled ÒPainting hoax has artworld dividedÓ. CU SMH newspaper article titled ÒNom de brush got quite out of handÓ. Interview Elizabeth Durack talking about not talking to the press for four months after she revealed herself as made-up artist Eddie Burrup.
Access No. 132405 | 15 secs | 1990s | Australia | © The Sydney Morning Herald | Colour |
Artists materials on bench, various objects on bench in front of window, MCU Elizabeth Durack's hands holding drawing with attached note, WS Elizabeth in studio at large work table. Interview Elizabeth Durack, 1997, talking about not being able to appropriate Aboriginal culture which had been given to her as a gift through her contacts of the Aboriginal ancient world, being liberated as an artist through Eddie Burrup, her nom de plume, believing that her energy, enjoyment and creativity comes from a benign source, having never had any intention to deceive or upset.
Access No. 132406 | 2 mins 51 secs | 1990s | WA, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
MS red and white double painting by ÔEddie Burrup', pan of detail. Interview Elizabeth Durack talking about not believing her Eddie Burrup work would have worked through her own name, having no real answer as to why she needed to do the artworks through Eddie. MS Eddie Burrup painting. CU text from story of Eddie Burrup's life (profile). Interview Elizabeth about having freedom between two names. Pan across various Eddie Burrup signatures. Interview Elizabeth about having been stereotyped as a relic of old colonialism. CU Eddie Burrup painting, MS painting. Interview Elizabeth about the question of the fate of Eddie Burrup and Elizabeth Durack.
Access No. 132407 | 1 min 49 secs | 1990s | Australia | © Elizabeth Durack | Colour |