Havana Holiday

Havana Holiday is a short 1930s silent film, part of Castle Films’ The World Parade series, that gives viewers a quick look at the vibrant Cuban city of Havana. The film opens with a shot of Havana from across the bay, where a passenger liner moves in front of El Morro and into the bay. There is a good aerial shot of El Morro, followed by footage inside the old fortress. The film shows the lighthouse in front of the fortress. There is footage of Havana from the point of view of being on the water (01:57), then the film cuts to a sailboat where men hoist a sail. Several boats appear to race. People play on a beach and lounge on the sand (02:40). The film then shows viewers some of the famous sights of Havana, including a coastal avenue (02:55), the Battleship Maine Monument, Hotel Nacional (03:31), an aerial view of the Capitol Building, and the Presidential Palace. A man pushes a cart in front of Havana Cathedral, also known as Catedral de San Cristobal (04:43). Viewers are then taken to Pardo, Havana’s noted shopping district (05:12), the Old Business district (05:58) where linens are sold, and a Spanish neighborhood (06:35). Men roll cigars in one of Havana’s cigar factories (07:04). Traveling along a rural road, the film shows a donkey pulling a cart before arriving at a beautiful estate. A couple dance the Rumba (08:26) in the courtyard; women wave to the camera from the outer steps of a building. Next, viewers see cowboys riding horses, and men crowding around a cock fight (09:44). A woman washes clothes in a wooden wash basin (10:02). Another woman uses a pestle and mortar to mash something. Two people dance what appears to be the Son (10:45). Oxen pull an empty cart along a sugar cane field on a plantation (11:12). Men load cane onto the cart, and then the oxen pull the loaded cart down a road. Men play a game of Jai ali on a court (12:00), while spectators watch the game. The film concludes with a shot of Havana’s skyline and a sunset.