Glimpses of Guat-ah-mala. This is one of James Fitzpatrick's color travelogues, and you have to love the way he says GUATTT-AH-MALA. Fitzpatrick describes the chicleros, those who collect the sap from the trees. We see the entire processing of "chicle"... the rubber, from collection, to processing, and the transportation by plane. We see the very humble homes and living conditions of the natives on their way to and from market, balancing their goods in baskets on their heads. At one point, the narrator says "we see these young native ladies in their modern dress, which is funny, seeing the very modest, long dresses of the time. Describing the island of Flores, and how trade is connected, we see the natives moving about in small boats, and going to church. It's a shortie, at only eight minutes, but for the movie house viewers in the forties, it must have been a real treat to see lands and people from so far away, living such a different way of life. Looking over his projects, it looks like Fitz stayed mostly in the US and Mexico during 1944 and 1945, since the war was raging in Europe. Fun to see these little bits of history caught on film.
4 Reviews
less commentary would help
SnoopyStyle4 May 2022
TravelTalks goes to Guatemala. First we see a rubber plantation and see it get harvested. Then it's poor villagers at the local market. There is a Catholic procession.
It's great to see locals in their small village life. I can do with less of the FitzPatrick commentary about the local culture which he has only an outsider understanding. I still like the visuals of the locals. I would just turn down the droning narrations.
It's great to see locals in their small village life. I can do with less of the FitzPatrick commentary about the local culture which he has only an outsider understanding. I still like the visuals of the locals. I would just turn down the droning narrations.
A Traveltalk For The Insomniac
boblipton15 June 2019
James Fitzpatrick certainly takes care in pronouncing "Guatemala", as if he has just learned how to say it properly, or is afraid that his audience will speak of it later, mispronounce it, and trigger a crisis among the Organization of American States. We had just ended the Second World War, were facing a Cold War with the Soviet bloc, and would soon be in the Korea War. We didn't need problems that might cut off our supplies of bananas and chicle!
Except for the matter the country's name, Fitzpatrick seems a lot more relaxed in his narration than he usually was. Perhaps that's due to the fact that if you wanted to travel around the country, you had to do so by airplane. His travel agency wasn't going to sell many tickets to that country.
Except for the matter the country's name, Fitzpatrick seems a lot more relaxed in his narration than he usually was. Perhaps that's due to the fact that if you wanted to travel around the country, you had to do so by airplane. His travel agency wasn't going to sell many tickets to that country.
TravelTalks
Michael_Elliott24 September 2010
Glimpses of Guatemala (1946)
** (out of 4)
Fair entry in MGM's TravelTalks series has James A. FitzPatrick going to Guatemala where we learn that their main income is rubber and bananas. We learn that the Indians named the place Guatemale, which to them translates to "full of trees" and that most still practice the Pagen religion. We take a quick trip down the "Sweet River" where we see a marketplace full of women who have recently started to dress closer to modern times while keeping up with their hard work, which usually includes them carrying baskets on their hands while their children are on their backs. Fans of the series will want to check this one out if they have the desire to see all of them (like I do) but I think most people will find it a chore to sit through. I never really got caught up in any of the stories being told and it just seemed like a lot of time was being wasted because they didn't have as much to work with. The Technicolor certainly adds a few nice touches but the print shown on TCM was pretty worn.
** (out of 4)
Fair entry in MGM's TravelTalks series has James A. FitzPatrick going to Guatemala where we learn that their main income is rubber and bananas. We learn that the Indians named the place Guatemale, which to them translates to "full of trees" and that most still practice the Pagen religion. We take a quick trip down the "Sweet River" where we see a marketplace full of women who have recently started to dress closer to modern times while keeping up with their hard work, which usually includes them carrying baskets on their hands while their children are on their backs. Fans of the series will want to check this one out if they have the desire to see all of them (like I do) but I think most people will find it a chore to sit through. I never really got caught up in any of the stories being told and it just seemed like a lot of time was being wasted because they didn't have as much to work with. The Technicolor certainly adds a few nice touches but the print shown on TCM was pretty worn.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
