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Venice

Date produced: 1934

Filmmaker(s):

John V. Hansen

Description:

"Venice, another Kodacolor achievement by John V. Hansen, ACL, exemplifies in a new way the amazing versatility of the amateur color medium in the hands of a master craftsman. The significant accomplishment in this case is capturing the brilliant, yet delicate, Andrea del Sarto mosaics in the arched recesses above the doors of St. Marks in Venice. Although the sunlight does not strike these mosaics directly and lighting conditions for any type of photography are difficult, Mr. Hansen succeeded in registering the tones and colors, from the most subtle pastel shades to the brilliant yellow of metallic gold. This latter quality, so difficult to simulate in any medium other than the real thing, here is shown with the rich luster of the metal itself. Turneresque interpretations of Venice in another section of the reel are equally beautiful, if less obvious accomplishments, while studies of colors of buildings, as reflected in shimmering water, succeed in preserving what otherwise would be the most elusive memories of beauty. Mr. Hansen richly deserves the accolade of the Ten Best." Movie Makers, Dec. 1934, 534, 545-546.


Vieille France

Date produced: 1937

Filmmaker(s):

Luc Fauvel

Description:

"Luc Fauvel is a Norman, and he turned to his own pays to contrive as sensitive and trenchant a study of French provincial life, in miniature, done by the medium of film, as did giants like Flaubert and de Maupassant through the medium of words. His Vieille France has irony, pathos, humor and plain reporting. It is the tale of an old bonnet maker of Normandy, who goes through her daily tasks, in which she has grown old, but who, at the end of the labor, reviews the past, by means of her photograph album, and meditates on her son, who died on the field of honor in the World War, and on her daughter who has become a great dancer and is far removed from the little Norman village of her origin. Mr. Fauvel accomplishes most by suggestion, by indirect statement and by a kind of insidious comment on life, never more than fleetingly presented. This young Frenchman, now studying at Cambridge, in England, will give us better and more technically well knit pictures as times goes on." Movie Makers, Dec. 1937, 630.


Wheels Across Europe

Date produced: 1971

Filmmaker(s):

Julian Gromer

Description:

"In 2 parts, the film depicts a cycling journey around central Europe through Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, Yugoslavia, West Germany, and the Netherlands. Tourist scenes includes shots of Venetian canals, the leaning tower of Pisa, and Dutch windmills.In 2 parts, the film depicts a cycling journey around central Europe through Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, Yugoslavia, West Germany, and the Netherlands. Tourist scenes includes shots of Venetian canals, the leaning tower of Pisa, and Dutch windmills." Chicago Film Archives.


Where the Sirens Sang

Date produced: 1953

Filmmaker(s):

Helen C. Welsh

Description:

"From the Island of Capri, Helen Welsh has brought home a charming, sunny vignette in Where the Sirens Sang. It is the sort of film any traveler would like to have as a memento of a pleasant sojourn. Miss Welsh's seeing lens has captured the spirit of the countryside, its people, its luxurious beaches, its typical transportation. For this reviewer, Where the Sirens Sang plays a beckoning tune indeed." Movie Makers, Dec. 1953, 334-335.


Why Whales?

Date produced: 1992

Filmmaker(s):

Robbins Barstow

Description:

"In October 1992, Connecticut Folksinger Donald Sineti visited Heidelberg, Germany, with global whale advocate Dr. Robbins Barstow, to sing for whales in a German-American cultural exchange program. Enjoy song concerts in castles, campus, city streets, and countryside." Archive.org


World Through a View Finder, The (Part II)

Date produced:

Filmmaker(s):

Edwin Mayer

Description:

"This amateur film captures Edwin and Minnie Mayer’s worldwide adventure across Australia, Asia, Africa, and Europe in the 1950s. This segment documents stops in Thailand, India, Egypt, Greece, Vatican City, Italy, the Netherlands, and England" Texas Archive of the Moving Image.


XVth Olympic Games: Helsinki, Finland, 1952

Date produced: 1952

Filmmaker(s):

H. Lee Hansen

Description:

"Olympic summer games Helsinki, Finland, 1952." UC San Diego Library.


Yugoslavia, Land of Our Fathers

Date produced: 1976

Filmmaker(s):

Frank L. Kreznar

Description:

"Edited film created by Frank L. Kreznar, an award winning amateur filmmaker, documents Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Vojvodina, and Serbia. Most of the footage is of countryside or mountainous areas although Kreznar depicts Zagreb, Croatia, and Belgrade, Serbia. The historic Petrovaradin Fortress in Vojvodina, Serbia, is only historic building filmed. The footage of Slovenia emphasizes agriculture, while the footage of Bosnia-Herzegovina includes scenic shots of mountains and waterfalls. Kreznar also shows traditional houses in the rural areas providing a contrast to modern Soviet construction such as Soviet-style apartment buildings. Shots of urban areas also include an emphasis on the lack of cars, high volumes of pedestrian traffic, and the popularity of public transportation. He depicts churches that are still being actively used while discussing the lack of Soviet suppression of religion in Yugoslavia, and he shows the existence of privately held business enterprises such as taxi services and cafés. He also mentions that the majority of Yugoslavian agriculture is under private, family control and that private businesses with five or less employees are allowed to exist. Kreznar discusses the impact of wars between Eastern and Western Europe on this territory, showing various war memorials throughout the film. The film ends with footage of hitchhikers – mainly from countries in Western Europe – attempting to travel through the country" via the Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Museum.


Total Pages: 10