This early 1940s black and white film documentary shows the life of Columbians in different income classes. It was created by legendary filmmaker Julien Bryan and the second in his commissioned Americas series. Young men in 1940s suits and 1940s formally dressed young women talk, children read books, young athletes swing weights, and classroom children of different ethnicities interact (:49-1:55). A vintage illustrated map shows Columbia’s geographical layout. Waterfalls and mountain and an illustrated map show the region’s topography (1:56-4:20). Churches and Roman Catholic monuments are shown. Catholic women with traditional head coverings participate in Mass (4:21-5:20). A patron saint’s feast includes a parade, a bull fight, and masked street performers. The Archbishop talks to politicians. 1940s downtown Bogota has pedestrians, vehicles, and trolleys. Columbians leaving church walk past shops, billboards, and movie posters (5:21-8:20). A man walks into a closed courtyard of a large private home, which includes outdoor hallways, gardens, and multiple buildings. Intricately decorated rooms are shown. The wealthy family entertains a large party of notable figures in their courtyard, including Colombian President Pumarejo (7:31-9:44). A vintage map illustrates Columbia’s production and exports (9:45-10:20). Sugar cane is harvested by peasant workers. It is ground, mixed, and poured into molds at a small refinery. A peasant worker shucks corn on his small plot with a small house. Oxen pull a plow. Wheat is threshed using donkeys. A young girl cards large hemp bundles over nails in a board, a man uses a loom to weave hemp fabric, which is stitched into bags (10:21-12:56). A map shows where coffee is grown. Women ride horses into a ranch, workers harvest in a coffee field. Bags of coffee are loaded unto conveyer belts unto a paddlewheel boat, and craned onto boats for export. Hand-powered and motor-powered boats transport goods, horses and donkeys carry large loads, and vans carry goods (12:57-17:03). An American company drills and builds an oil pipeline to the sea through dense jungle, including past indigenous Motilon dwellings. 1930s Caterpillar diesel tractors prepare the roads, planes and trucks transport building supplies, and doctors treat patients. Smog is released from smoke stacks processing petroleum and crude oil (19:03-19:40). A small refinery is shown at work briefly (17:04-19:54). A Nazi flag flies over a German-owned business The mail movements of Nazi propaganda is shown up-closed and tracked (19:55-20:58). Shown are American companies, Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander statues, and the Colombian Congress building. Citizens march, put up signs and posters, and vote (20:59-22:23). Eduardo Santos has a bust created by American sculptor Jo Davidson. (22:24-23:01). Children read books, boys look through a microscope, learn farming techniques, and exercise together. Girls kneel in Catholic schools, overseen by nuns (23:02-23:43). Nurses care for patients, doctors run medical tests, and nurses are trained (23:44-24:24). Art made by women is showcased in the National Library building. University men in 1940s clothing talk and study (24:25-25:22). The film ends with brief highlights of Columbian children. The credits are in cross stitch (25:23-26:21).

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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