Sydney Opera House. Australian Colour Diary 28.

Made by The Commonwealth Film Unit 1968. Directed by James Fitzpatrick and Jim Dale. Also featuring a score from Robert Young and Sven Libaek. The Sydney Opera House inches ever closer to completion but still five years from opening.

[@coolhand1964]

My Father was a plumber and worked on the Sydney Opera House during its construction, for years as kids he reminded us every time we walked or drove past it. It was a proud part of his career as a tradesman to say he was a part of it. Now an old bloke myself, I cannot look at it without feeling pride myself that my father was part of it's construction.

[@nuevaholanda1]

Maravilloso documental!!! Le doy las gracias a la NFSA por estos preciosos documentales.Soy un enamorado de Australia y de todo lo que hace referencia a este precioso país.

[@NFSAFilms]

Hi Jason, thanks for your comment. I suspect the controversy was part political and part shock of the new. Sydney, or Australia, had not had such a radically designed building as the Opera House before. As mentioned in the film it created a clash between the artist and the bureaucrat.

[@apgoldapgold]

Love the accent of the 1960s Australian.

[@robertnicholson7733]

Apart from the films already on KZbin, does NFSA have other films on the construction of the Sydney Opera House? I can remember watching a contemporary film on the construction that was far more detailed than this, it included surveyors using specially made markings in the ribs to check they were in the correct position, also using the computers (overnight) to determine the spacers that were placed under the "lids" to correct for small differences in where the ribs were compared to where they should have been. If not finished films, do you have raw footage? My father worked for M.R. Hornibrook (M.R. was a Queenslander and lived in Brisbane) in Brisbane, the Sydney section built stages two and three of the opera house. Utzon did not like the quality of work done by Civil and Civic in stage one, I suspect they never understood the importance of surface finish in cast concrete, it was not common to display it in those days. Also, in their defence, Stage 1 was a rush job to make a start and thus stop an incoming government from cancelling the project. Utzon never fell out with Hornibrook even when things got sticky with Arup. Hornibrook did a lot of innovative work on the opera house, Utzon had the vision, Arup did the engineering, but Hornibrooks had to work out how to build it, to specifications that were extremely tight, possibly the most precision built building ever up until that time (precision of a large three-dimensional curved surface in space that could not deviate as there was no way to correct a mistake). The construction arch was all Hornibrook, designed by a young engineer hired to do that particular task. I don't think they ever got the recognition they deserved (apart from their name on the construction cranes for such a long time). Even in this film, they are just referred to as "the contractor".

[@NFSAFilms]

There is a film called the Fifth Facade 1973 about the construction and opening. Not sure if we can upload to KZbin because of copyright issues but will check.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I love watching these Colour Diary series. As controversial as it is beautiful, the Sydney Opera House. Why do you reckon it was so controversial during its construction? Didn't Sydney want an opera house? Didn't Sydney need an opera house?

[@just4laughs686]

The over budget The Eiffel Tower in france was also highly controversial to the point of protest locals because they called the design of it a giant lamppost that would ruin Paris Both that tower and this opera house have proven their initial critics wrong

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I've been reading up on the Sydney Opera House. Since I wasn't around at the time, I wouldn't know what it was like at the time. But from what I read, it was more political than anything else. The Prime Minister at the time refused to provide Jorn Utzon the money necessary to pay his workers to do the work. How crazy is that?

[@jimpikoulis6726]

Complex roof to be accurate to a quarter of an inch

[@Fredricful]

vordan ser denn gamle armeringa ut som er i kontakt med saltvann havet er denn like bra i dag så nor den ble bygget ?

[@kwicksandz]

i believe it went massively overbudget

[@mef626]

This film was directed by John Fitzgerald, not James Fitzpatrick. Refer to: www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba048e15f

[@NFSAFilms]

+M Ef Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately we have no record of John Fitzgerald working with the Commonwealth Film Unit. James Fitzpatrick is credited on this and other CFU films of the time. It sounds like you may have discussed this film with your Grandfather and the BFI link is intriguing but without further evidence I am unable to change our database. If you have anything else that may help us clarify this we'd appreciate seeing it

[@mef626]

+NFSA Films I'll see what I can get you. I didn't just discuss it, we watched the original on 16mm last month along with many of his other works in a presentation he did for U3A on his lifes works. It's actually quite interesting such a burdensome bureaucracy (he has stories) like the CFU would incorrectly record this. What do you need to fix this error?

[@mef626]

+NFSA Films "John Fitz-Gerald"

[@NFSAFilms]

+M Ef Thanks for the update. It certainly sounds like something we should try and fix. What other CFU films did you Grandfather work on? There are many stories of conflict and "creative difference" between the film makers and the administrative / government commissioners of films. There was a lot of levels of bureaucracy in the organisation, which, as an official government production unit, you might expect. Any information you can offer up would be helpful.

[@michaelXXLF]

Imagine for a second the bureaucrats had won. No, don't!

[@mef626]

@JasonCarp He did try to add some of the more controversial aspects but censors wouldn't allow it, he paid homage to the workers lost or otherwise as best he could get away with in the scene with helmets stacked. (I know because John Fitzgerald is my Granddad)