This 1940s color travelogue film about Provence, France was produced by Simmel-Meservey Distributors. Provence is a geographical region in southeastern France. A map of France opens the film (:40-1:00). The Romans first settled the area. The broken stone columns and seats of the amphitheater are seen in the ruins of the Arles Roman Theatre. Tombs are along the Avenue of the Dead (1:01-2:05). Later buildings used parts of the earlier Roman buildings. This includes the St. Trophime Cathedral, built in the 12th century around an earlier church (2:06-2:20). The granite Arles Obelisk was once part of the Roman circus (2:21-2:42). The architecture inside and out of the St. Trophime Cathedral is shown (2:43-3:07). Camargue is a mostly marsh area located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Rhone delta. Fields of rice are shown and a smiling man with his horse in a field of crops (3:08-3:54). The Provencal Gypsy Festival dates to the 12th century. During it, pilgrimages are made to the Church of Les Saintes Maries de la Mer (3:55-5:00). Camargue is known for black bulls and white horses, which take part in the pilgrimage (5:01-6:00). Celebrating the three Mary’s who legend says landed there, the pilgrims wear costumes representing these women (6:01-6:30). The religious procession winds through the narrow streets, carrying the statues from the Church to the sea. There the Archbishop proclaims a blessing on the sea and the people. The white horses with their riders enter the water and return to the place the three women are said to have landed. The procession returns to the Church to end the festival (6:31-8:25). Aigues-Mortes is a medieval walled city built by King Louis IX as a port of departure for the Crusades. A statue of him stands there overlooking the city, which is panned by the camera (8:26-10:48).

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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