“Wheels Across the Andes” is covers expedition by Armand Denis in Dodge trucks across the Andes in 1947. The color film, presented by the Dodge Dealers of America, begins on the Pacific Coast of Ecuador (mark 01:07) and moves on to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia before concluding the journey in Peru. From paved roads to muddy dirt paths, Dodge vehicles are shown to be up to the task, even when it involves crossing a riverbed or through jungles to spend several minutes with the Colorado Indians who live in the western lowlands of Ecuador (mark 02:00), as the men, women, and children of the tribe are filmed going about their daily routines. At mark 08:48, a “witch doctor” shows the film crew how they select seeds from an achiote shrub or tree to obtain the red dye tribal members use to paint their faces. Back on the road come mark 11:45, the expedition continues through the Andes and into Peru, crossing the Cordillera Blanca mountain ranges, as the camera captures magnificent views including breathtaking images of the snowcapped mountains at twilight (mark 13:30) and a snow-covered camp (mark 14:30) — even though they are within a few miles of the equator. Reaching Lake Titicaca at mark 19:00, the expedition travels to La Paz, Bolivia, where we see “comedy” bull fights before heading to La Paz Airport (mark 20:30). At mark 21:10, the film reminds the viewer of the remarkable lung capacity needed by Indians living in high altitudes, as the film then captures technicians studying their capacity and ability to work under such otherwise exhausting conditions. Using their Dodge truck to carefully climb to an altitude of 18,000 feet (then an altitude record for an automobile). The film ends with scenes of a traditional Indian celebration.

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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