Created by Theodore Andrica and narrated by him, THE PLIGHT OF EUROPE is an emotional, and disturbing portrait of post-WWII Europe that focuses on the work and food shortages of post-war Holland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Italy, and Germany. The camera pans a Holland windmill. A mother and group of girls wear traditional dark dresses, white half aprons, and Dutch caps (:25-1:20). Women push prams (1:47). Men hold herrings by the tail and take bites (1:59). Bicyclists ride by (2:34-2:50). Colorful row houses use mirrors to see who is outside (3:08-3:30). Men stack large balls at the cheese market (3:52-4:20). The Dutch flag flies next to the Netherlands Royal Family flag (4:32). Budapest, Hungary has the Parliament building. People cross at a 1940s corner traffic light (4:40-5:30). A vendor sells corn-on-the-cob (5:36). Communist-led trade union members march behind a band (6:07-6:38). A swimming pool is full (6:42-7:12). Mangled bridges remain (7:17-7:30). Men board a trolley (7:44). Communist propaganda material covers a wall (8:26). The Hungarian Workers Party Union headquarters posts Communist leaders’ photos (8:41-8:57). A woman in a 1940s plaid dress with rickrack prepares a meal (9:00-10:30). Peasants wear head scarves. Shown are hanging meat, paprika, colorful enamelware, pottery, and 1940s dresses (11:09-11:53). War-damaged buildings fall. Men use pickaxes. Women and girls use wheelbarrows and rock hammers (11:55-13:05). People sit in debris; food cooks over a wood fire (13:21-14:00). In Czechoslovakia, a man carries a giant hay bale (14:30-14:42). A woman washes and pounds clothes on a rock (14:45-15:15). The Town Cryer drums and reads a government edict (15:16-15:30). Women work in flax fields. Men use scythes and a mechanical harvester pulled by horses (15:31-16:32). People pass bricks one-at-a-time up a line. Men carry lumber. A house is rebuilt from used materials. Bricks are laid (16:34-17:42). Two shirtless men hike (18:00). A line of pram baby carriages waits outside a church (18:10-18:56). Women use wheelbarrows to rebuild roads (19:01-19:15). July 1948, Prague held the 11th Sokol Festival slet. 20,000 gymnasts perform choregraphed routines at one time on the field (19:42-22:31). In Italy, the contrast of rich and poor are seen. A shoemaker repairs a shoe. A young woman fills a pitcher from a fountain. A man rides a 1940s Vespa (23:00-24:12). A 1948 Communist-staged parade in Rome celebrates the recovery of Palmiro Togliatti from an assassination attempt (24:19-25:50). Market items for sale include peppers, mushrooms, homemade soap, eggs, and flowers (26:04-27:00). People go to the Zoo, bicycle races, and carnivals (27:06-27:45). Oxen plow and flax pulp is shaken off. The process for making a wood and metal wagon wheel is shown. Copper pots are hammered (27:53-30:03). Grapes are picked, put into an ox cart barrel, and smashed (30:21-31:00). Frankfurt, Germany, the Bismarck pedestal remains (31:09). A woman pushes a carriage with a baby and dog in it. A little girl wears a large bow (31:35-31:50). Farmers hoe, plow, and sow (32:06-32:32). Buildings, including the railway station, have bomb damage (32:35-33:13). A homeless family is shown (33:29). A jammed street car passes (33:38-33:58). A hotel is under reconstruction (34:18-35:05). German men carry briefcases (35:07-35:24). Ration tickets are shown at the market (35:47). An F.W. Woolworth Co. shop opens. People window-shop (36:13-37:15). Soldiers and their families exit the American Post Exchange (PX) (37:17-37:34). A 1933 car is shown (37:38). A waffle shop and pretzels are signs of recovery (37:47-38:08). Germans attend a fair. Boys sit on a building roof to watch a handball game (38:13-39:03). Bombed out buildings are shown (39:05-40:00). Women shop second-hand clothes (40:03). A woman puts coins in a cup of a beggar man playing a guitar (40:25-40:40).

For Andrica (9 Aug. 1900-1 Mar. 1990), this film and its companion “Children of Europe” represented a continuation of work he began before WWII. As a writer for the Cleveland Press, he was affectionately dubbed the “Broken-English Editor” by his colleagues, he promoted a series of All-Nations exhibitions and in 1932 sold Seltzer on the idea of sending him on annual visits to the homelands of their readers. Prior to the outbreak of the war he visited Nazi Germany, a trip showcased in another film (see film 3275 on Youtube). After the war he produced two films to raise attention of the plight of Europe and its suffering masses.

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