She was young, pretty and very, very stylish, Queen of a quarter of the globe, and the first reigning monarch to visit our shores.
The newly crowned Queen's maiden visit to Australia in 1954 marked the end of one era and the dawn of another. It was post-depression, post WWII, and pre-TV, and Australians came in their millions to bask in the presence of their monarch who represented hope, romance, and the promise of a bright future. Queen Elizabeth II travelled around Australia for two months and an astonishing 75% of the population turned out to see her.
The 1954 Royal Tour was the biggest event ever staged in this country. The 26-year-old Queen opened parliaments, thanked war veterans, and attended mayoral lunches, glittering balls, horse race meetings and mining and agricultural displays. She waved at millions of Australians who lined the streets and ovals to cheer, wave flags and present well-rehearsed demonstrations of marching, dancing and royal loyalty. And the cameras were there, as never before, to capture it all.
When the Queen Came to Town stars Australian legends Bert Newton as the Narrator and Lorraine Bayly as the Storyteller – but the real stars are the people who were there, who presented the bouquets, drove the limousines, lined the streets, danced, sang and cheered for their Queen. In this new Australian film, they tell us the stories of what it was like to be living in a far flung outpost of Empire WhenThe Queen Came to Town!
Directed by Maurice Murphy (Fatty Finn, The Uncle Jack Show), and Produced by Harriet Pike and Bettina Dalton from Wildbear Entertainment, When The Queen Came to Town begins screening at cinemas around the country from November 6.
An Umbrella Entertainment release.
Confirmed cinemas:
Forum Cinemas Wagga Wagga – NSW
State Cinema Hobart – TAS
Reading Charlestown – NSW
Reading Mandurah – WA
Reading Bundaberg – QLD
Majestic Cinemas Port Macquarie – NSW
Victa Harbour – SA
Wallis Mitcham – SA
Gawler Cinemas – SA
C-Max Devonport – TAS
Wangaratta Cinemas – VIC
Deakin Cinema Mildura – VIC
Waverley Cinema – VIC
More to be confirmed
For more information please visit:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/movie/when-the-queen-came-to-town/