Spain - The Land and The People (1949)

[Music] [Applause] [Music] big buildings busy streets crowded with vehicles and people this is Madrid capital of Spain the Spanish signs we see in the city may look a little strange to us but these Spanish people TR about a Subway entrance look as familiar as City dwellers in our own country of course they speak the soft musical language of Spain and in appearance they are of many different types for the Spanish people are descendants of iberians Moes Arabs and SS on the Avenue Jose Antonio people work in the stores and offices that help to make Madrid one of the Chief business centers of Spain the people of Spain are noted for their Devotion to the Catholic faith the church has played a leading role in Spain's history an exciting history that helped to shape the destiny of the new world this Royal Palace belongs to the days when Madrid was the capital of a great Spanish Empire the people of Madrid are proud of the prto museum and its Priceless collection of Fine Arts part of the culture that Spain has contributed to the world centuries ago the University of Madrid opened its doors to students and it is still the leading School of modern Spain modern times are changing historic Spain once a great sea power Spain today is air-minded and great PLS link it to other countries around the globe travelers from the new world span the Atlantic now in less than a day Madrid is one of the chief ports on the air routes of the world and a center of air traffic in Spain Madrid is also the railway center of Spain and any one of its stations is a good place to see workers and Farmers from all sections of the country it is easy to understand why Madrid is the transportation center of Spain when we see that the city is located almost in the exact center of the country a natural cross Cross Roads for most of the traffic across the Iberian Peninsula the bulk of Spain consists of a massive Plateau or table land this Plateau reaches from the Pyrenees Mountains on the North to the fertile river valleys in the South let's go from Madrid in central Spain to Seville in the south of Spain Le leaving Madrid we see a wide sweep of Open Country the plateau which extends in every direction this region is in many ways like the Western Plains of the United States the land is too aid for most crops and so the people here use it for grazing the Spanish Plateau is one of the greatest sheep areas of Europe wool from sheep and leather from the hides of cattle are two important products of Spain cattle are raised chiefly in the Foothills on the rim of the plateau looking South we see the Highland sloping down to the low valleys in the fertile Valley of the guad quiver River more than 300 mil south of Madrid is Seville one of Spain's oldest cities the tall Spire Rising high above the city is the Old moish Tower of the geralda it is an Historic Landmark of sevil a city whose older sections have not changed for centuries old houses R iron balconies and narrow streets are part of old Spain the people of Seville can trace centuries of Spanish history in their Town their cathedral was being finished when Columbus was discovering a new world long before that the Moors had built the alkazer palace in C bill in the days when most of Spain was part of the moish Empire among their many contributions to Spanish culture the Moors left a rich and colorful architecture and centuries before the conquest by the Moors Spain came under the latin influence of the Romans this ruin of a Roman Theater near Seville represents their contribution to Spanish culture this Motion Picture theater is part of modern sevil a city which is not only one of history but of business and commerce as well with access to the sea sevil is one of the chief outlets for Spanish products from these docks go oranges and raisins veils of wool and leather and barrels of wine here are minerals from Spain's mines and veils of cork from her trees various kinds of pottery are exported also but two of the leading products are olives and olive oil Spain leads the world in the production of olives and sends many of them to American tables let's see where the olives come from these are olives both green and R just as they are being picked by Felipe iara and his son Pedro in their Olive Grove near Seville olive trees thrive in the warm Mediterranean climate of southern Spain everyone is busy during the Harvest Time which is in November and December the family mule used to carry the full baskets is brought by Pedro's younger sister Rosa machines are scarce in rural Spain and most families use donkeys or mules for work and for transportation close to the Olive Grove is the farmhouse on neat whitewashed building that gleams in the bright Sun while Pedro helps his father put the mule away for the night Rosa will help her mother take in the clothes Spanish children are taught obedience and courtesy and are expected to be helpful members of the family mother Ibara prepares the evening meal in the kitchen she does most of her cooking on the big Open Hearth over a fire made of olive wood she uses age-old methods of working that are part of the simple life in rural Spanish homes the supper will be a simple meal with a main dish of shellfish rice and tomatoes flavored with olive oil the next morning Rosa walks to the Village School with two of her friends the olive Groves through which they pass stretch for miles in every direction in the town Rosa and her friends walk between rows of whitewashed houses like most houses in Spain these are built with thick walls and tile roofs to keep out the hot sun the girls pass The Village Church where they and their families come regularly to worship at the schoolhouse the teacher greets the children with Buenas Dias good morning inside we see maps Blackboard and desks familiar things in any classroom now Rosa is called on to write a sentence in Spanish the sentence is Elbo and the donkey walks can she do it correctly well we all make mistakes even with our own language at recess the children play games this one is called laua the wheel it is played to the words of an old Spanish folk song later in the afternoon noon father and Pedro who have spent most of the day in the Olive Grove bring their olives to the village where father will sell them in the village Pedro likes to wander Along by himself today father has given him one PES to spend he greets the scissors grinder with a friendly buis good afternoon he knows the proprietor of the basket shop too and here's the Candyman Pedro decides to spend his Pisa for almond down the street some musicians are playing for a dancer and Pedro goes to watch them there in the crowd is Rosa who is stopped and away from [Music] school but father thinks it's time for all of them to return home on the way home Rosa tells Pedro and her father what she learned in school today we have learned something today too something about the Spanish people and their land a land of romantic history and culture a land of contrast between City Life and Rural Life a land of yesterday and today the country of Spain