Shot by an unknown American starting on May 14 1949, this film (one of a three parter) is a silent home movie shot on 16mm film. The movie begins with the ship SS America leaving the United States Lines pier (:30) and views of the Empire State Building (1:00) in the distance. At sea there are shots on deck and there is an abandon ship drill at (4:20). At (7:00) Le Havre, France is reached and the busy port is shown. At (8:00) the scene moves to Paris where Champ de Mars is seen, followed by the Eiffel Tower (8:30) and various street scenes. Versailles is seen at (12:45), and more Paris at (14:15) including the Eiffel Tower from a distance at (14:30). The Arc de Triomphe is seen at (16:21), Notre Dame at (17:10), and the Cafe De L’Opera at (17:50).
The film continues in Reel 2 with a trip to Switzerland and the UK.
SS America was an ocean liner built in 1940 for the United States Lines and designed by the noted American naval architect William Francis Gibbs. She carried many names in the 54 years between her construction and her 1994 wrecking, as she served as the SS America (carrying this name three different times during her career), the USS West Point, the SS Australis, the SS Italis, the SS Noga, the SS Alferdoss, and the SS American Star. She served most notably in passenger service as the SS America, and as the Greek-flagged SS Australis for Chandris. In 1941, she carried two Nazi spies from the Duquesne Spy Ring in her crew: Erwin Wilhelm Siegler and Franz Joseph Stigler. Both men were charged by the FBI with espionage and sentenced to 10 years’ and 16 years’ imprisonment, respectively.
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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
