[4] At this stage of Hall's career, his only experience in handling film came with re-editing movies to meet the requirements of Australian censorship.
Hall wrote and shot a number of new sequences, including one where an Australian soldier on the Emden collects his debts before the battle begins.
[5] The movie was made with the co-operation of the Royal Australian Navy, who allowed Hall to shoot footage on the real HMAS Sydney while it was training off Jervis Bay.
She had no right to bombard a wreck up on a reef, with no chance of retaliation just because the surviving Germans had not lowered their flag, so they poured another five salvoes in and killed 50 men... Captain Glossop, R.N.,[8] let it be noted, should never have brought the Sydney within range because she out-gunned, out-ranged and out-sped the Emden.
[9]The film enjoyed good reviews[10] and was a popular success at the box office, launching Hall's directorial career.