"A journey from Norfolk - via Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset - to the village of Charmouth in Dorset. Having set out from Norfolk, the group speed down country lanes and gravel tracks to a farm in Hampshire where a tractor is used to cut and bind a hay crop. From Hampshire the group travel to Wiltshire and the site of 'Britain's oldest ruin', Stonehenge, before visiting the 14th century Nunney Castle in Somerset. In the cathedral city of Wells, the group visit take in views from the cathedral tower and its ornate Western Front, as well as the nearby Bishop's Palace. A visit to Cheddar Gorge - filmed from a moving car - and the Cheddar village is followed by an informative visit to Glastonbury Abbey, with views of the ruins, the Lady Chapel, the grave of King Arthur and the ongoing archaeological work. At the end of a long journey, the group arrive at their destination - Charmouth, Dorset - swimming at the beach and taking a tour which includes panoramic views of the village, a house where Charles II once slept, and picturesque shots of the River Char and Golden Cap, the highest point on the South Coast. The film concludes with 90 year old George Hodges - presumably a relative of the filmmaker - who is shown smoking a pipe and relaxing at his home before appearing at an official ceremony where he opens the playing fields which had been donated by his late brother Charles." (EAFA Database)
"Nineteen thirties holiday film of the Harrison family at a number of Suffolk coastal holiday hotspots; including Southwold, Lowestoft, the Broads (Beccles), and Thorpeness. This reel, with scenes in both Dufaycolor and black and white, shows the family having a jolly old time bathing, picnicking at their beach hut, horse riding, and sailing. Intertitles include “Susan on the li-lo” and “tea with the mater” (BFI.org.uk)
"Item is a film of a trip Dr. Willinsky took to the Spanish Moroccan city of Tetuan with his wife, Sadie. In the form of a travelogue, footage of the sights along city streets, landmarks, markets and the local population are accompanied by music and Dr. Willinsky's commentary. Sadie is occassionally spotted sight-seeing." Ontario Jewish Archives.
"Item is a production of Dr. Willinsky's trip to Spain with his wife, Sadie. In the form of a travelogue, footage of landmarks, historic sites, and the local population is interspersed with captions and maps that were added in by Dr. Willinsky to denote locations and provide context. The production includes footage from Madrid, Cordoba, Segovia and Valencia. Sadie is occassionally spotted exploring sites and interacting with locals and travel companions who are probably family friends or relatives." Ontario Jewish Archives.
"When you ramble about on a cinematic tour of old Quebec in Carl Nerish's St. Lawrence Sketches, you feel that here at last is a new and different theme for the travel film. The Old World atmosphere of that delightful city is shown with loving sympathy. One of the outstanding points is a clever and human continuity device employed to carry the story along during a tour of the city in a horse drawn carriage. Spoken titles are used with striking closeups of the quaint cab driver who is pointing out the sights to Mr. Nerish and his audience. By studying each shot of the driver, Mr. Nerish was able not only to present a varied series of shots of him, but also to show enough background material to add a good deal to the scenes presented in the regular course of the film. Equally effective are the shots of people in the market place, where a telephoto enables Mr. Nerish to get unposed views. A carefully chosen, but somewhat detailed, musical background was played throughout the film, and it served in no small measure to lend atmosphere to the production. Special credit is due the filmer for his precisely executed titles. Such painstaking work as that involved in centering and lining up movable title letters is seldom seen." Movie Makers, Dec. 1939, 632.
"One of a series of films recording the travels of the schooner Elver, her owner V.B. Harrison, crew and guests. Scenes are shot from the Elver including adjustment of sails, sea, waves, buoys, coastline and passing boats, sometimes close enough to see crew in detail." (EAFA Database)
"A rather thorough glimpse of the little town of Salzburg, Austria, is given to us in this well constructed little film. We find music, distinctive dress, churches, parks, and people. The narrator and the sound track go a long way towards amplifying the mood that is created by the visuals" PSA Journal, Sept. 1966, 36.
"Studies in Blue and Chartres Cathedral, a cerulean cinema achievement, one 400 foot reel in full Kodacolor by John V. Hansen, ACL, shows what an artist's and a colorist's eye can select and record. While this film is in some sense a travel record, Mr. Hansen definitely made it a point to choose those scenes and vistas that revealed the open sky, whether seen in patches through the interlaced branches of trees or as a dim, distance haze, shimmering up from the tops of far off mountains. Here are deep blue skies overhead, merging into white mist at the horizon, apple green, azure, so many hues that it is a revelation to see that a mechanical process can so beautifully record nature. Mr. Hansen presents to the audience's eyes such a varying kaleidoscope of blending colors in his continuity that it is difficult to do the entire effect justice by mere description. But among his outstanding technical achievements are the recording of sunlit glades in a dense forest, especially effective cloud and sunset shots, distant and close shots and side lighting and backlighting in profusion. A further, outstanding triumph in color technique was shown in Mr. Hansen's recording of the vivid, glowing hues of the stained glass windows, taken from the interior of the cathedral at Chartres. Here, he succeeded in capturing that peculiar, deep dyed transparency found only in the colors of old stained glass. It is questionable if any other method of reproducing color can give such a real and beautiful rendition of stained windows as the motion picture. Certainly no color printing process can compete. The film was rounded out by some charming long shots of the carefully cultivated, rolling hills of Denmark." Movie Makers, Dec. 1932, 538, 560.
Total Pages: 44
Amateur Cinema