This 1980 travelogue film sponsored by the Tourist Development Corporation of Malaysia and produced by the London-based Polonius Film Services showcases the sights and sounds that an overseas visitor may enjoy while visiting both rural and urban areas of the country. “Magical Malaysia” presents the varied cultural and religious practices prevalent throughout the country as well as the mélange of historical architecture, much of which represents Malaysia’s troubled colonial past. From the beautiful beaches of Penang to the busy nightlife of Kuala Lumpur, “Magical Malaysia” shows the viewer everything that the country has to offer.

(0:09) opening title: “Magical Malaysia” over aerial views of the country

(1:22) two men fishing with a net on a small boat in the islands of Langkawi

(2:07) a busy Malaysian fish market

(2:30) Malays drying bilis fish (anchovies) in the sun

(2:54) farmers and water buffalo working in the rice paddy fields

(3:36) tourists in a Langkawi hotel

(3:58) the Zahir Mosque (Masjid Zahir) in Alor Setar, Malaysia

(4:03) the Balai Besar in Alor Setar

(4:09) aerial view of Penang Island

(4:14) the Penang Hill Railway, a funicular leading to the top of Penang Hill

(4:25) tourists at a colonial-era hotel on Penang Island facing the Malacca Strait

(4:44) wild vegetation and macaque monkeys of Penang Island

(5:50) a giant leatherback turtle lays eggs on a beach on the South China Sea in eastern Malaysia

(6:20) fishermen on the Kuantan River on Malaysia’s east coast

(7:14) Malaysian musicians playing a serunai (wind instrument), gendang (drum), and a percussion instrument

(7:23) Malays playing congkak, a mancala-type game

(7:43) Malays pounding and sifting grain, weaving

(8:08) a man instructs a baboon to fetch coconuts from a tree

(8:40) a group of people fly colorful kites

(9:38) a group of men playing the Malaysian sport of “top spinning”

(10:11) men practicing “silat,” both a dance and the Malaysian art of self-defense

(10:37) men making Malaysian “batik” cloth

(10:58) tourists on the beach and at an up-scale hotel/resort

(11:44) the seaport of Malacca (Melaka)

(12:07) the gateway marking the Portuguese A’ Famosa Fort ruins in Malacca

(12:16) the St. Paul’s Church ruins and graveyard within A Famosa Fort

(12:28) Dutch colonialist engravings

(12:38) Malaysian scribes draft letters near the Stadthuys, a colonial Dutch town hall

(12:53) inhabitants of the Portuguese Settlement (Saint John’s Village) in Malacca

(13:20) a map highlighting the Malaysian peninsula and the North Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak

(13:36) hiking trails and cabins around Sabah’s Mount Kinabalu

(14:10) colonialist structures in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak: the palace of Astana and Fort Margherita, on opposite banks of the Sarawak River

(14:40) a fishermen’s village at the mouth of the Sarawak River

(15:45) Dayak dancers, musicians (including a bonang and gong player), and weavers at a village/longhouse on the river

(17:31) a Dayak hunter and a group of orangutans

(18:33) a Dayak man playing the sompoton

(19:04) a Buddhist temple in Penang housing sea turtles and pit vipers

(20:06) a Hindu shrine and long-tailed macaques near the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur

(20:30) Dhammikarama Burmese Temple in Penang

(20:44) statues, including the reclining Buddha and Naga serpents, at Wat Chayamangkalaram Buddhist temple in Penang

(21:11) carved and painted murals at the Khoo Kongsi Chinese clanhouse in Penang

(21:46) the National Mosque of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur

(21:51) Kuala Lumpur cityscapes, including the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTM) (Malayan Railway Administration Office) headquarters building, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, the National Museum, the Malaysian Houses of Parliament at the Perdana Botanical Gardens (formerly Lake Gardens), and the National Monument

(23:12) a Tok Dalang shadow puppet show

(23:50) Kuala Lumpur street nightlife, including satay and seafood vendors

(24:46) End credits. Cinematography by Nicholas Struthers, written and directed by John Dooley, with narration by James Greene.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com