User Reviews

A commonly ignored part of the world to those not living in it is Central America. Sandwiched between North and South America, people tend to forget the middle part of anything no matter what it is. This Traveltalks focuses on the central american nation of El Salvador and how, despite its size, it greatly contributes to a breakfast staple of the modern age. The smallest country in central america, el salvador is host to a huge highway known as the Pan American Highway, though only a portion of it. When completed, it will be able to allow cars to move all the way from Alaska to Argentina on one, continuous road. El salvador is a democracy, and every person over 18 is obligated to vote in elections. Much like the US, the government has a policy of religious tolerance and no mandatory religion is enforced on the populace, but most people are Catholic due to Spanish colonization and influence. In the western part of the country stands Izalco, a large volcano said to be in a constant state of eruption since the 18th century (it stopped in 1966). We then see the country's agricultural output in the form of a cactus-like plant called henequen, which is taken by ox carts to towns and refined into twine and rope. Strangely, volcanic soil is thought to be the best for growing coffee plants, so many plantations cover areas just below Izalco. Thousands of laborers toil in the sun in order to separate the coffee beans from their plants. Finally, we're shown how women wash clothes in streams while men fish in lakes while sitting on chairs attached to makeshift wooden rafts. Being filmed in 1945, I feel like Fitzpatrick mentions the democratic aspects of the country featured here as an endorsement of america's efforts during the war. I liked seeing the volcano and learning about how they turn that plant into useful materials, but aside from this, there's not much here that will seem extraordinary. My favorite installments of this series are the ones that bring something special to the table, such as showcasing a place that no longer exists, has some deep historical value or is far away from civilization. This short may fit the second criteria, but only at a minimal level.

James A. Fitzpatrick sends the Technicolor cameras down to El Salvador. He begins by quoting from an almanac, then shows us the country's section of the Pan-American Highway -- 180 miles with the country, the most densely populated and automobile-filled country in Central America.

See! I'm doing it too. Instead of looking at the handsome and interesting pictures taken by the unnamed cinematographer of this short, particularly the Santa Ana volcano, I'm babbling about things like henequen -- another name for agave -- which is used for making twine in El Salvador, instead of booze like the Mexicans do, and coffee, which grows well in the volcano soil.

The copy that plays on Turner Classic Movies is one of the best preserved ones in the library. Maybe we should all just shut up and look at the pretty pictures.

This Traveltalks short starts in San Salvador. It's a picturesque capital with its completed section of the Pan-American highway. James A. FitzPatrick starts by highlighting its democracy. Obviously, both of those points are partly due to the world at war. It's wartime promotion of our side. Next, they spend a lot of time with a henequen farm, a species of agave which is used to make mezcal. Then they spend a lot of time with a coffee farm. Then they spend a lot of time with the native community. I like all of that. This is pretty good for a Traveltalks episode although it seems to have a lower score than the others. I don't know why.

Seeing El Salvador (1945)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Nice entry in the TravelTalks series takes us to El Salvador where we start off seeing their first highway, which runs 180-miles and James A. FitzPatrick says that one day they hope it will run to Alaska. From here we learn that the majority of people are Roman Catholic and that everyone is legally held to vote after the age of eighteen. Other topics include a look at the Santa Ana volcano, which sits six-thousand feet up and apparently it has become known as the "Lighthouse of the Pacific". We also learn that the two top products are coffee and henequen and we see how both are produced. Fans of the series will certainly want to check this out as it features that beautiful Technicolor we've all became used to and the stories told are also quite nice. El Salvador is certainly a very beautiful place and the color really brings this out. As usual, FitzPatrick's narration helps set the tone and in the end it's certainly worth viewing.