Home of the Blizzard: the picture story

Papers of Sir Douglas Mawson and those of his wife, consisting of correspondence, lecture notes, manuscripts, newspaper cuttings and photographs. Includes literary manuscripts. Series 11 includes promotional leaflets for the film Home of the Blizzard.

The 12 page leaflet issued by Lloyd's Film Agency Ltd., 48 Rupert Street, London, is a promotion or souvenir from the showing of the Frank Hurley film of Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911-1914. It contains eight photographs including one of Mawson, one of Cecil Madigan with his face encased in a mask of ice, several of the wind conditions at Cape Denison, and one of the huskies. The central opening provides details of what can be seen in the film including: The departure, At Macquarie Island, Life in Adelie Land, The Land of the Blizzard, Sledging preparations and footage of seals and penguins.

In addition there is an advertisement for Mawson's account of his expedition also called The Home of the Blizzard, published by Heinemann in two volumes. The advertisement includes three press reviews of the book. Inside the back cover is an advertisement for an exhibition of photographs from the expedition by Frank Hurley 'now on view at the Fine Art Society's Dudley Galleries', Piccadilly.

Mawson hoped that the screening of the film would help reduce or eliminate the expedition's debt. Lloyd's Film Agency screened the film from 20 April to 5 May 1915 at the Alhambra Theatre and later at a theatre in Marble Arch. Lloyd's, however, was soon to go into liquidation as the effects of World War I reduced cinema audiences. From June to September the film was screened in the United States with a script prepared by Mawson. However, the Lee Keedick Agency which showed the film recorded a large deficit to the end of September 1915. By April 1920 the film had made a net profit of only $1233.37. The film never lived up to Mawson's expectation of it.

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