[Culture] BON VOYAGE @ secret cinema

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The Secret Cinema at Moore College of Art & Design presents BON VOYAGE: VINTAGE TRAVEL FILMS Friday, March 25 8:00 pm Admission: $6.00 Moore College of Art and Design 20th & Race Streets, Philadelphia (215) 568-4515, ext. 4099 On Friday, March 25, The Secret Cinema at Moore College of Art & Design will present BON VOYAGE: VINTAGE TRAVEL FILMS. Another collection of rare original prints from the Secret Cinema archives, this program will focus on one of the earliest yet most enduring uses of motion pictures -- bringing views of far-off lands to audiences unlikely to experience them in person. The assortment of short subjects collected for BON VOYAGE: VINTAGE TRAVEL FILMS illustrates the range of styles and approaches used by travel filmmakers through the years. There will be examples of shorts made by Burton Holmes, who originally gave live lectures illustrated by silent film footage, and also by his latter-day rival, James A. FitzPatrick, who produced dozens of one-reel "Traveltalks" for MGM. There will be some color and some silent tinted prints, some films made as promotion for travel and others meant to be more educational. Yet all are fascinating (and sometimes amusing) just by virtue of their vintage. The styles of filmmaking and narration are definitely from another time, and often politically incorrect by present standards. On the other hand, most of the films still have a lot to teach in the context of their original intent, too. There will be one complete show at 8:00 pm. Admission is $6.00. All Secret Cinema presentations are projected in 16mm film on a giant screen (not video). Just a few highlights of BON VOYAGE: VINTAGE TRAVEL FILMS are: THE STORY OF OUR NATIONAL PARKS (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1920s silent) - Early government film promoting use of National Park system. Begins with the framing device of a well-to-do housewife showing off a photo album of her recent trip to Yellowstone; soon, the photos come to life for a detailed look at the park and its attractions. AN EGYPTIAN ADVENTURE (1928) An early sound adaptation of an even earlier silent film, "produced in Egypt" by Louis de Rochemont, who later created the acclaimed March of Time documentary series. This short previews the March of Time modus operandi of using staged scenes in reality films, by mixing in an amusing story of U.S. sailors on shore leave being hoodwinked by crafty Egyptian antique traders. EUROPEAN HISTORY ATLAS: ETHIOPIA (1930s, Burton Holmes) - Rather disparaging narration sets the tone for this short, which shows then-ruler Haile Selassie, and the Coptic Church, "a strange mixture of the supernatural and barbarism." 6-1/2 MAGIC HOURS (Pan Am, 1954) - This delightful color film takes a promotional look at 1950s transatlantic air travel, complete with onboard powder rooms, lounges and gourmet food. FAIREST EDEN (1931, William M. Pizor Port O' Call series) - Early sound ("recorded on the Cinephone System") travel film of Pago Pago in American Samoa. See tattoos, ukuleles, a nude boy in a canoe made from discarded gasoline cans, and much more. "Unlike the women, the men are rarely corpulent." HAWAIIAN ISLANDS (1926, Eastman Classroom Films) - Lovely multi-tinted print from long ago, showing Waikiki Beach complete with surfers, early animated graphics, an active volcano, and a fascinating look at the Dole Pineapple cannery. ...and much, much more SECRET CINEMA WEBSITE: www.thesecretcinema.com