Directed by pioneering female producer Fanchon Royer, “Children of Democracy” presents a rare view of Costa Rica as it appeared in the 1940s, with special focus on the nation’s children. The narration is quite praiseful of the “tiny country” and its citizens both young and old who have “North American” attitudes, little poverty to speak of and labor problems. The film begins with images of tourists visiting Irazu volcano by horseback, and at 1:48 the Moravia church. The film also shows a typical day for school children (who are seen walking with no shoes on), and their local school. At 3:20, a child visits a shoe repair shop. At 5:00, a typical Central American rain is seen. At 5:15, coffee and banana cultivation is referenced. At 5:35, a “living fence” is seen. At 6:20, the village farmer’s market is seen, with dulce being shown being sold along with “strange and delicious fruits”. At 7:10, a trolley car is seen on the road to San Jose, the capitol. The National Theater is seen at 7:30, and a school at 7:46. At 8:13, the Costa Rican National University is seen. The Ojo de Agua is seen at 9:00. At 9:40, a large cathedral is shown.
Born in 1902 in Iowa, Fanchon Royer produced over thirty films with her own company, Fanchon Royer Productions. Her films were made quickly and cheaply, in four to six days at a cost of no more than $20,000. She formed a new production company in 1940, Way of Life Films, to make educational and industrial films. After converting to Catholicism in 1943, she began producing religious films. In 1945 she moved to Mexico, where she produced, wrote, and directed two films, Bell Ringer of Antigua and A Fighter for True Peace, as the Los Angeles Times reported in 1948 (A3). In addition, she wrote a book, The Mexico We Found, about her adventures filming throughout Mexico and Guatemala, as well as her family’s adventures living there. In 1957 her father died and Royer used her inheritance to buy a fruit farm in Teziutlan, Puebla, Mexico, where she retired. She died in 1981.
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