Training at Rushcutters Bay
Clip 1: Jack Johnson training
1 min 18 sec
Taken from the historical footage Training at Rushcutters Bay (1908)
Original title classification not known – this clip chosen to be PG
Availability of the complete title
Please note: this clip is silent
Curator’s clip description
In a medium shot, the camera films American boxer Jack Johnson training in preparation for his fight with Tommy Burns at Rushcutters Bay, Sydney. A small crowd has gathered as Johnson warms up, wrestles and then practises with a sparring partner. A man with a stopwatch moves around the two and monitors them.
Curator’s notes
The camera films Johnson in training from a fixed tripod which pans to follow the movement of the boxers as they spar. It is interesting to note that in this footage, as well as the footage of the bout proper between Johnson and Burns, social conventions of the time mean the crowd consisted of male spectators only.
Lauren Williams, curator
