User Reviews

"Wandering Through Wales" is a typical Traveltalk short by the gifted American documentary film director James A. FitzPatrick who narrated a myriad of world travel shorts from the late 1920's until the mid-1950's. One aspect of these one-reelers, besides FitzPatrick's rather unique narration technique, that makes them special is the Technicolor photography. This time the gorgeous cinematography is by Virgil Miller.

Wales is highlighted by FitzPatrick with emphasis on the coastline, the castles, and the history of this part of Great Britain. Of special note is the breathtaking train ride taken by FitzPatrick and his entourage up the highest mountain in Wales, Snowdon. Sheep tended to get in the way of the railway and hikers can be seen from time to time taking the slow way up the precipitous pathway.

Closing the scenic short is "All Through The Night," a traditional Welsh lullaby.

James A. Fitzpatrick sends Virgil Miller to run the Technicolor cameras for this survey of Wales, and a fine job Mr. Miller does of it. The copy that plays on Turner Classic Movies is in fine shape, with good color and gracefully moving shots.

Fitzpatrick sounds more relaxed than he usually does, although he feels it necessary to show off his vocabulary, as he usually does. He also feels it incumbent on himself to praise 'the Swiss system of mountain railroad construction', and to rhapsodize over the fact that the Welsh have chickens, just like they do elsewhere.

Still the purpose of this short is to offer the audience some pleasant views of Wales. It does that.

Wandering Through Wales (1948)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A trip to Wales starts off with a quick rundown of some of its history including how 2.5 million people call it home and that the majority of it are small farmers. We then learn that 20% of the people speak Welch, 32% are bilingual and the rest speak English only. From here we see some chicken farmers, Craven Castle, the longest suspension bridge built in 1826, the site where it's believed Charles Dodgson wrote Alice in Wonderland and we get a ride on a train that goes five miles per hour and has to dodge sheep. This is another good entry in James A. FitzPatrick's TravelTalks series and this one here offers up some really fun stories. It should go without saying but of course it's the Technicolor that's the real star as it brings plenty of these images to life and especially great were the shots of the railroad tracks and journey as well as the highest mountain in Wales. Fans of the series will certainly want to check it out because its mix of history and entertainment is quite fun to watch.

Colourful and hopelessly general, this short does at least draw some attention to the little brother of the four countries that make up Britain. However, all the shots are of north Wales alone and the camera stays within a few miles of the north Welsh coast.

There is nothing of mid-Wales and nothing of where the majority of the population have always resided: south Wales. And it's not as if the south has not got its share of beautiful hills, valleys, castles, coast and so forth. It's a bit like showing New England and saying it's a film of the USA.

So as a record of a lost age, it's entertaining and interesting, but it does fall well short of what it could have been.