“Wheels Across Africa” is an expedition documentary by Belgian-born filmmaker Armand Denis about a trip across Africa in Dodge trucks circa 1936. The black-and-white promotional documentary, presented by the Dodge Dealers of America, focuses on Denis and his wife Leila Roosevelt Denis (a cousin of Theodore Roosevelt) as they take an 18-month journey through the Belgian Congo and the Sahara Desert on motor driven Dodge vehicles.
It takes the viewer quickly through Belgium, France, and Spain, across the Straits of Gibraltar to the African continent (mark 01:55) and the town of Moulay Idriss (mark 02:10) during an annual festival and the camera captures fire dancers, glass eaters, and other “entertainers” who come from throughout Morocco. There are scenes from a traditional sheep marketplace (mark 04:19), rug makers, and tailors. Crossing the frozen Atlas Mountains at mark 06:37, the expedition makes its way into the adjoining valley before entering the Sahara at mark 08:45. From there the viewer journeys to an oasis and scenes of a garrison of French colonial troops storming past on horseback (mark 13:00) before the expedition heads into the desert (mark 14:02), encountering sandstorms before successfully stopping for supplies at an outpost. By mark 19:30, as their desert journey continues, the convoy encounters nomadic Tuareg travelers at a well who share their water and perform traditional dances, all of which is captured on film.
As the film continues, the viewer is taken into unspoiled Africa to introduce you to a variety of primitive tribes (starting at mark 28:26) and scenes of men and women with their traditional tattoos made by scarring the skin, followed by scenes of even more traditional dances. Passing the Dungu River (mark 24:00) we see undisturbed wildlife including hippos and crocodile and cross the river on elephant (mark 37:45) — with the animals used to help pull their Dodge trucks through the muddy river water. There are additional scenes of elephants, hippos, buffalo, antelope, warthogs, and other animals such as baboons, leopards, wildebeest, giraffes, and zebras. At mark 49:09 the expedition encounters their first pride of lions. One lioness circles the camera crew threateningly and charges — only to be shot through the heart. This film offers some of the best examples of the African way of life and the harmony of the tribes with nature prior to any exposure to modern industrial development.
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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 and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
