Starstruck: Australian Movie Portraits Exhibition – Online Highlights

Costumes and collections

Since Starstruck opened at the National Portrait Gallery on 10 November 2017, we've unearthed stories behind some of the photographic portraits, production shots, rare film posters, casting books and original costumes that featured in the exhibition.

We've interviewed prolific on-set stills photographer Matt Nettheim (Tracks, The Babadook), whose work featured in the exhibition.

Curator Jenny Gall explored the link between character and some of theiconic costumes featured in the exhibition, while Jennifer Coombes took a closer look at the red satin gown worn by Nicole Kidman as Satine in Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, Australia, 2001).

We've also published a curated collection of images from the exhibition including photographs of Nicole Kidman, Toni Collette, Hugo Weaving, Geoffrey Rush, Abbie Cornish, Heath Ledger and Chips Rafferty.

Three Women

Among the highlights of Starstruck are the 1930s Cinesound casting books – containing applications, letters and photographs sent by aspiring students to the Cinesound Productions talent school.

We profiled the lives of three actresses who feature in the casting books – Diana DuCane, whose granddaughter contacted us with more information about her life and career; Pearl Schweig, surf queen and Norman Lindsay model, whose acting career lasted from the 1930s into the 1970s; and Betty Bryant, who caught the eye of Hollywood before retiring from acting to focus on charity work.

Click on the links above to read more about each of these women. You can also learn more on the Starstruck website.

A National Film and Sound Archive of Australia and National Portrait Gallery exhibition supported by the National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach Program.