Thunderbolt cake tin

It has been estimated that 90% of films produced in the silent era have been lost forever. The 1910 movie Thunderbolt, directed by John Gavin and shot on nitrate film, was one of those considered lost. But in 1992, fragments of the movie were discovered safely tucked away in this cake tin and donated to the NFSA.

The film is a glorified retelling of the life of the legendary bushranger Fred Ward – AKA Captain Thunderbolt – and was filmed in New South Wales at Kurnell and the Blue Mountains. It was no doubt made to capitalise on the success of The Story of the Kelly Gang (Charles Tait, 1906), and it got in just in time, ahead of the NSW Government banning bushranger movies in 1912 for promoteing crime. 

While less than half of the film survives, it plays a critical role in helping tell the fascinating story of the early days of Australian film.