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The Lost City of Melbourne

Play trailer Poster for The Lost City of Melbourne 2022 1h 20m Documentary History Play Trailer Watchlist
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In the 1850s, Melbourne was the fastest growing city in the world. "They dreamt big, they built big... it was a city jumping out of its skin". It became an epicenter of film culture and its hotels, restaurants and cafes became world renowned. However, the attempted 'modernization' of Melbourne in the 1950s destroyed much of the city, including its elegant cinemas and picture palaces. Our buildings were deemed too Victorian, the opposite of a modern metropolis, and Whelan The Wrecker’s demolition blitz began. Featuring rare archival film & photography, this film is a revelatory work that allows its audience to reimagine the former glory of the lost city of Melbourne.

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The Lost City of Melbourne

Critics Reviews

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Craig Mathieson The Age (Australia) Jul 20, 2023
A valuable documentary about not only how we shape our cities, but how our cities shape us, Gus Berger’s feature recounts, via excellent deployment of archival material, how Melbourne’s grand architectural history was literally destroyed. Go to Full Review Stephen A. Russell ScreenHub Dec 15, 2022
Painstakingly put together with heaps of sumptuous archival footage summoned from the National Film and Sound Archives, it’s both a heartbreaking tribute to what was lost and also saved. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Tara L @RT70040733 Oct 1, 2025 How infuriating to see these wonderful historic photographs fly by with almost no description of location or other context. It’s like being aboard a miniature locomotive touring a museum or art gallery, with a conductor on the megaphone who moonlights as a truckie. Then there’s the simplified narrative about our supposed embarrassment leading up to the Olympics, which is almost comedically accompanied by music more suggestive of widespread famine. See more Jane K @RT81310719 Sep 30, 2025 The Lost City of Melbourne is, sadly, a missed opportunity. The subject matter-Melbourne’s rich and layered history-deserved a film of nuance, texture, and vision. Instead, what we’re given feels closer to a slideshow: a sequence of photographs, strung together with interviews that lack conceptual direction, all set against an endless loop of lift music. In an era where documentary filmmaking is defined by artful editing, considered pacing, and imaginative storytelling, this film falls short. Rather than immersing the viewer in the atmosphere of a lost city, it flattens the story into something static and forgettable. One can’t help but feel Melbourne deserved more. See more Robert Q @RT18037210 Jun 9, 2024 Truly excellent, we need the same for Sydney! See more Read all reviews
The Lost City of Melbourne

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Cast & Crew

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Gus Berger

Director

Gus Berger

Producer

Andrew Watson

Cinematographer

Radar Kane

Cinematographer

Phoenix Anna Cherry

Film Editor

Amelia Barden

Original Music
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The Lost City of Melbourne

The Lost City of Melbourne (2022) The Lost City of Melbourne (2022) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In the 1850s, Melbourne was the fastest growing city in the world. "They dreamt big, they built big... it was a city jumping out of its skin". It became an epicenter of film culture and its hotels, restaurants and cafes became world renowned. However, the attempted 'modernization' of Melbourne in the 1950s destroyed much of the city, including its elegant cinemas and picture palaces. Our buildings were deemed too Victorian, the opposite of a modern metropolis, and Whelan The Wrecker’s demolition blitz began. Featuring rare archival film & photography, this film is a revelatory work that allows its audience to reimagine the former glory of the lost city of Melbourne.
Director
Gus Berger
Producer
Gus Berger
Genre
Documentary, History
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 20m
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