Last Updated: 4/29/08
Friday, May 16
8:00 pm
Admission: $7.00
Moore College of Art & Design
20th & Race Streets, Philadelphia
(215) 965-4099
On Friday, May 16, The Secret Cinema at Moore College of Art & Design will present Bon Voyage II: More 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. This will be a sequel to the original Bon Voyage show, first presented at Moore in 2005 (and recently reprised at the Hiway Theatre). Bon Voyage II will feature 100% new programming with no repeats from the previous edition.
The assortment of short subjects collected for Bon Voyage II: More 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 $7.00.
Just a few highlights of Bon Voyage II: More Vintage Travel Films are:
In Old New Orleans (1930s, Talking Picture Epics) - Made decades before Hurricane Katrina, with vintage views of Canal Street, a pre-Girls Gone Wild Mardi Gras, and dancing street kids -- all filmed an narrated in a style very much like the travel films of James FitzPatrick.
Sights of Suva (1918, Paramount-Burton Holmes Travel Pictures) - Burton Holmes, dubbed "the World's Greatest Traveler" in a recent Taschen book showcasing his hand-colored photography, was famous throughout the early 20th Century as a prolific travel lecturer, writer, photographer and filmmaker. His films are now the hardest of his works to find and experience. This rare early short takes us to the primitive capital of Fiji, where we see a general store, "coolie" laborers, a "good Indian" porter, and locals referred to as "sons of Fiji cannibals."
Bonus Land (1954, Universal-International Color Parade) - A trip through Venezuela, from bustling downtown Caracas streets to dizzying Angel Falls, all in blazing Kodachrome.
The Mystic East (1935, Ideal Pictures Corporation) - From the series "Quaint People in Queer Places," a look at then-unified Korea, which was under Japanese rule from 1910 through the end of World War II.
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.
Song of Siam (1948, Paul White Productions) - This independent production used vivid color photography to highlight the differences, and similarities, of Siamese culture to our own: "Witness these teenagers -- they could be any high school students from Main Street -- and their favorite dance music is American swing!"
Across the World in Three Seconds (1962, Pan-Am) - Color promotional short from Pan-Am Airlines, showing off a new ease of booking international travel reservations, thanks to their new "Panamac" IBM computer system.
...and much, much more
We last reported being "cautiously optimistic" about Live Nation's announced plans to restore and reuse the Sameric/Boyd Theater. Our caution proved well-founded as Live Nation have now revealed that they are halting all work on the theater's restoration. Anything could happen now, in a city where demolition permits are rather easy to obtain.
The important job of bringing back Philadelphia's last (nearly) intact movie palace still needs to not only be done, but be done right, and joining with this ever-vigilant watchdog organization is the best chance we have to ensure that the right thing gets done.
Official site of the Friends of the Boyd - www.SaveTheSameric.org
Secret Cinema 1999 Annual Report
Secret Cinema 1998 Annual Report
Secret Cinema 1997 Annual Report
Information about the 1998 Secret Cinema "Class Trip" to the Syracuse Cinefest