Colombo Ceylon-1946: Elephant Being Crane-Lifted As Cargo Onto An Ocean Vessel

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Year1946
Decade1940s
LocationColombo, Sri Lanka
Duration5s
Price$149 USD

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use

$149 USD flat · royalty-free worldwide · 4K restored master (MP4)

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Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable agreement. Additional use-specific review may be required. See the Licensing Guide and Archive Integrity.

Elephant Being Crane-Lifted As Cargo Onto An Ocean Vessel — Clip Details

COLOMBO CEYLON-1946: An elephant is hoisted by a crane over a harbor, secured in a wooden crate as it's lifted from a ship. The vintage 8mm film captures the unusual transport of the animal across the water, with boats and colonial-era buildings visible in the background. The footage shows the elephant suspended mid-air, its legs dangling, as it's moved through the port. The scene reflects mid-20th century logistics and the use of animals in transportation, with the grainy, color-bleached quality of the Super 8 film adding to its historical authenticity.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 124755548

Rights & Clearance

$149 · Commercial Direct license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

No recognizable people, logos, or music are flagged. Lower-risk for commercial use, subject to your own review.

People visible: No
Logos / trademarks: No
Audible music: No

Flags come from automated catalog metadata, not a legal opinion. The source is an original 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie reel. For high-stakes commercial use, request a full rights review.

Source & Documentation

Source reel: Reel record not linked for this clip
Date: 1946 Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual or technical evidence; no reel-level note is linked.
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual evidence such as signage, landmarks, or terrain; no reel-level note is linked.
Licensing route: Direct license available from Stockfilm

Confidence labels are defined on Archive Integrity. Fields without a recorded value are shown as not recorded rather than assumed.

Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: Useful for 1940s editorial or documentary requests needing colonial-era Colombo harbor footage of an elephant being crane-lifted as ship cargo.
Period detail: The harbor, small boats, waterfront buildings and crane sling may show mid-1940s port handling in Colombo, then Ceylon.
Home-movie behavior: The brief handheld view feels like a traveler or dockside observer recording an unusual cargo transfer rather than a staged animal scene.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a suspended elephant, wooden side crate, crane cables, harbor water, moored boats and distant waterfront buildings.
Film character: The 8mm image has soft focus, muted color, grain and slight exposure shifts that support its home-movie archival texture.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a striking insert, transition or historical cutaway for maritime trade, animal transport or colonial port logistics.
Historical context: The footage visually documents an elephant handled as cargo in a busy harbor setting without proving the shipment purpose or destination.
Research note: No people, logos or brands are visible, but copyright, animal-use sensitivity and any harbor or vessel identification should be reviewed separately.
Research search match: Researcher searches may include 1946 Colombo Ceylon elephant cargo, 8mm harbor crane lift, animal transport by ship and vintage port logistics.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent reel scenes, then other 1946 Colombo harbor footage, then broader archive clips of maritime cargo or animal transport.

Still Frames From This Clip

1946 Colombo footage appears to show an elephant close to the dockside with crane lines above it. — Elephant partly visible beneath crane rigging before the harbor lift.

An elephant hangs from crane cables over Colombo harbor water, with boats and waterfront buildings behind it. — Elephant lifted by crane over the harbor, legs hanging above the water.

The elephant remains suspended in a wooden side support as crane lines hold it above the Colombo harbor scene. — Crane sling holds the elephant above water with harbor craft in the background.

The crane-held elephant is shown closer to the dock edge, with harbor water and boats behind it in Colombo. — Elephant nears the dock while suspended in its crane support.

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