Belgium the Beautiful is a short travelogue from 1932, recorded at Burton Holmes Studios, that shows viewers some of the highlights of Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges, and the small nation’s countryside. The film opens with a shot of a map of Belgium. The film then features footage of Brussels (01:05), highlighting the city’s Royal Palace, the Financial Center, and bustling city streets where trolley cars have replaced transportation by canal. Children crowd around the camera on a street (01:40). Men and women sell newspapers. A woman models Brussels’ famous lace (01:59). The Palace of Justice towers above the city (02:10), and the iconic Hotel De Ville (Town Hall) stands at one end of the Central Square (02:22). People buy and sell flowers on a street in Brussels, and men relax at the many cafés in the city (03:01). The film then takes viewers to Antwerp and the city’s railway station (03:17). Shots of the city show streets and flower baskets atop lampposts. Antwerp is home to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (03:52), Brabo Fountain in front of City Hall (04:03), and the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Footage shows the city’s harbor and scenes of the city filmed from the point-of-view of being on the river. Next, the film visits Bruges, passing through a stone gateway into the old city (05:16). There are numerous shots of Bruges from the point-of-view of a boat traveling the city’s canals (05:24). Highlights of Bruges include the gothic City Hall in the town center (05:50), the Belfry of Bruges (06:23), and its adjacent marketplace. An old lace maker stands next to a well (07:26). The film concludes with footage of rural Belgium, including a village (07:38), dog-pulled wagons carrying people along dirt roads (07:51), and other common sights of the countryside—grazing cattle and sheep, windmills, and people standing in the doorways of their homes.
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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
