1960’s AIR FRANCE TRAVELOGUE FILM

Year Published: 1960’

Format: 16mm

Description: This French travelogue film guided by Air France (:24) takes viewers on a tour through the country with notable sites as tourists arrive at the airport and head out to explore the country. It features a score by Paul Mattei and was shot by Michel Gallon.. The film covers areas including along the French Riviera; the Mediterranean coast of southern France, as well as the Loire Valley in central France, and Limousin; a historical region in south central France (:50). The film opens with an Air France, Boeing 707 passenger plane (1:14). Guests are seen in flight as a steward rolls out the in-flight meal (1:22). A white convertible arrives at the Paris airport as guests unload from the plane (2:03). From here the car passes by the Eiffel tower (2:22) and heads up a long road to Mont St. Michel Castle (3:23) which is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy. Within the castle, tourists enjoy food prepared by chefs including an omelet cooked over a fire (4:23) and the completed gooey and fluffy omelet is zoomed in on (4:40). The castle’s outer walls and inner courtyard follows (5:04) as well as a high view looking down upon the castle and road leading into it (5:26). The Lampaul-Guimiliau Parish is shown next which is a monumental churchyard belonging to the Eglise Notre-Dame of the town. It is located in north western France and locals are seen enjoying religious festivities (7:38). Beautiful and colorful small boats bob in a small harbor (8:02) as a woman nearby collects snails for the French delicatessen of escargot (8:22). Fishing is a prominent industry here as carts of crustaceans are wheeled by (8:31). Tourists enjoy plates of shrimp, oysters, clams and crab legs (8:35). A commercial fishing boat and its crew heave in a heavy fish catch by drag net (9:18). The Loire Valley is looked at next which houses Leonardo da Vinci’s residence known as the Chateau du Clos-Luce. The Chateaux of the Loire Valley are located in the historic towns along the Loire River and footage of these include the Chateau de Chinon (11:18) which is located on the bank of the Vienne River in Chinon as well as the Chateau de Chambord (11:34) which was built in 1519 and is one of the most recognizable chateaus. An aerial view of the later sitting on the river follows (11:58). The Chateau de Villandry (12:42) is also shown and it is known for its intricate and beautiful gardens (13:03). A road map takes the tourists to caverns with prehistoric wax cavemen inside (13:57) as well as a large prehistoric statue outside of the site (14:11). A plate of truffles (14:54) as well as fois gras; made with goose or duck liver (15:00), are presented to dining tourists. Basque countryside is toured next which lay in the French department of the Pyrenees-Atlantiques and the Pont Valentre (15:40) is shown which is a 14th century six-span fortified stone arch bridge which crosses the Lot River. The tourist’s vehicle passes by stretches of the Basque countryside (15:48). Basque natives are seen celebrating in dance in red, black and white costume (15:56). Hasparren (16:00) is a commune in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques department in south west France. White mansions of the area follow (16:14). The Arcangues village in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southern France is viewed at (16:18). A picturesque shot of the Basque coastline shows waves licking at stones along the shore (17:02) as well as sun bathers enjoying sandy beaches (17:08). A colorful fishing port follows (17:25) with a plaque dedicated to Marquis de Lafayette who partook in the American Revolution in 1775 (17:29). The popular sport of Jai Alai is similar to racketball except that the players wear baskets clamped to their hands to catch and toss the ball (17:54). Basque dancers are seen parading down a stairwell (18:50) and they are followed up by the Pyrenees Carcassonne which is the largest medieval fortress in Europe (18:55). The white car then heads down a road lined by palm trees in Nice; located on the shores of the Baie des Agnes (19:17). A span of the Cote d’Azur (the French Riviera) follows with palms waving along the shore in Cannes or Nice (19:40) as well as stone buildings in Monaco (20:13). A U.S. Navy ship is spotted in the waters (20:50) and a small boat brings in the white uniformed sailors (20:56). Beach goers enjoy the sun and sand and a few take to water skis (21:20). A span of large white boats and yachts in the harbor (22:01) lead into a young couple enjoying a romantic view of the waters while sitting among rocks (22:19). The tourists’ trip and the film begins to wrap up as they arrive back at the airport and board an Air France, Sud Aviation Caravelle aircraft (22:49).

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