Shot by an unknown American tourist, this black and white, silent, early 1930s home movie footage depicts a family’s trip to the Caribbean, including scenes of natural landscapes and historic architecture in Havana Bay, Cuba, Panama, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (TRT 14:11).
The film starts with an image shot from the deck of a ship, of the lighthouse known as Faro Castillo del Morro, at Morro Castle (Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro) in Havana Bay, Havana, Cuba. A pan shows the Morro fortress (0:08). The coastal skyline of Havana, Cuba (0:40). A distant, steam powered ocean cruise liner (0:59). A portrait shot of two men in suits and ties and a woman in white, wearing a hat, all aboard a passenger steamer (1:06). The Panama Canal. A sequence of locks is visible, with a railcar running on tracks in between them. Passengers look out from the bow of their ship as the railcar ascends a steep incline. Ships docked at harbor (1:12). Opening the gate of one of the locks. Pedestrians walk alongside on a path. Men haul in rope from the docks (2:40). Late 1920s style automobiles drive along a mostly empty street in front of coastal storefronts, including a “French Drug Store.” A man in a white Panama hat passes by. A shot from the Panama shore shows a passenger ship proceeding through the locks. A gate closes. The locks are seen filled with water, allowing for passage of a ship billowing black smoke (3:15). A closeup shows rushing water emptying from the locks. Slowly, the water level encompassing the ship begins to change. Another gate is opened (4:46). A 360-degree seaside panorama from a high elevation shows the canal at a distance, with mountains in the background (5:41). Panamá Viejo, the remains of the original Panama City, and Old Panama Cathedral (6:45). A man in silhouette, framed by a doorway. He inspects the ruins. The man, wearing a white suit, climbs a stone wall and waves joyously (6:51). A wide shot shows Panamá Viejo in the background, and a horse-drawn carriage in the foreground. A man in white reclines. The carriage driver wears less flashy attire (7:34). A pan around Panamá Viejo (7:59). A man operates a well, drawing up a bucket, while our tourist party looks on in amusement (8:07). Back on the ship, a man smokes a pipe and plays with a dog. Women sit in lounge chairs, reading magazines on deck. A black and white puppy fails to take direction from a woman’s outstretched hand (8:22). Smoke from a passing steamship obscures a coastal city skyline. A large bridge and urban architecture. Two men in conversation. A large luxury liner cruises by (9:09). A family portrait, with a woman and a young girl, all wearing cloche hats. Packing a polished black automobile and waving goodbye. A man doffs his hat (9:47). A rugged, mountainous landscape with winding roads, filmed shakily from within the car. Ascending a mountainside (10:26). A panorama from a scenic lookout point (11:20). Men smoking cigarettes (11:50). Cacti is visible. Back on the road, a truck speeds past (12:16). Caribbean storefronts and horse-drawn carts. Men carry large sacks on their shoulders (12:28). A camera-shy woman in a blouse repeatedly tries to hide from being filmed (12:50). A young girl poses for the camera, with mountains in the background. A man in a suit poses with a fire truck. Firemen carry buckets of water near a gate labeled, “Collegio Aldridge” (13:01). Sugarloaf Mountain is seen on the horizon, identifying the final location as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (13:55).
The Panama Canal was built in 1884 and taken over by the United States in 1904.
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 and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
