Summary

Folder of reference material used in the pre production of `The Mystery of a Hansom Cab' telemovie, filmed in Melbourne in 2012 by local production company Burberry Entertainment.

It was assembled by the film's wardrobe staff, and was used to guide the hiring and commissioning of costume pieces for the various characters involved in the production.

The film is based on the book of the same name, self published in 1886 by its author Fergus Hume. It was produced by Margot McDonald and directed by Shawn Seet, with executive producer Ewan Burnett.

Televised on the ABC in October 2012.

Physical Description

Black lever arched A4 folder containing a large number of sheets, each containing a break down of each major characters costume change, along a number of clear plastic pockets containing printed reference material and cloth samples.

Significance

`The Mystery of a Hansom Cab' collection, of which this object is a part, is an important addition to the current collection, as it succinctly documents one local television production, through artefacts and documentation. It represents the thousands of hours of television that have been filmed in Melbourne since its introduction in 1956. It is also a great representation of how the city's history has been portrayed on screen.

It represents literary Melbourne, as a screen adaptation of one of our most iconic and successful 19th Century books; a book which uses the city, its streets and its buildings as one of its characters.

The handmade costumes, the majority of which were made in Melbourne, represent the output of the city's bespoke tailors and clothing manufacturers, a small number which still exist today.

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