The Day is New: Dawn to Darkness in Mexico City

Year Published: 1942

Description: Directed by Agustín P. Delgado and narrated by Sheldon Dick, “The Day is New: Dawn to Darkness in Mexico City ” (1942) is a black-and-white short film that allows the viewer to experience a typical day in Mexico City from dawn to dusk. Distributed by the University of California Extension, the film features scenes of famous Mexico City sights from the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral to the Excelsior Newspaper Building on Bucareli Avenue. Film opens, image of UCLA Royce Hall (0:06). Title page and credits, text overlaid image of Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral (0:14). Only one streetlamp illuminates city at dawn, camera closes in on two men singing in Spanish in a graveyard, start of a new day (0:24). Women wearing aprons use brooms, water hoses to sweep the street in front of their houses (1:06). Street cleaner uses big broom to sweep up trash (1:17). Copies of Mexico City-based newspapers “El Universal” delivered to homes (1:26). Milk man delivers milk jugs to homes by bike (1:28). Shopkeepers open up businesses for the day i.e. Atilxco butcher, bakeries, dairy store (1:48). Church bells ring, churchgoers sit in rows of Spanish Catholic church, traditional Catholic Church alter (2:03). Young siblings walk through neighborhood to bus stop, 1941 Wilkinson bus approaches corner (2:56). POV as bus drives along, picks up more passengers, some young men hang off the back of bus (3:17). Equestrian statue of Charles IV of Spain by Tolsá (3:46). Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral (3:50). Plaza de la Constitución (El Zócalo) and the National Palace (3:56). Shop mannequins with latest fashions, store windows as seen from street (4:22). Aerial view of outdoor market, market goers roam different stalls steeling fruits, enchiladas, cotton dresses (4:38). Peddlers offer unique goods: Puppies, lottery tickets, (4:55). Palacio de Bellas Artes, mariachi band of kid performers plays music for onlookers (5:12). Industry and Infrastructure: Montage clips at industrial factories, foundry; Factory workers on lunch break (5:56). Excelsior Newspaper Building on Bucareli Ave; Paper boys run out of building into city with papers fresh off the press (7:16). Alameda Central Park (7:31). Tea time, lunch for chic diners at cafe of Sanborns Department Store (7:55). Rush hour traffic in El Zócalo as commuters head home after work day finishes (8:28). Sun sets behind Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral (8:35). El Zócalo by nightfall turns into a Times Square-esque scene of elaborate LED light displays (8:57). Closing credits (9:49). Film ends (9:54).

Complete Record: Directed by Agustín P. Delgado and narrated by Sheldon Dick, “The Day is New: Dawn to Darkness in Mexico City ” (1942) is a black-and-white short film that allows the viewer to experience a typical day in Mexico City from dawn to dusk. Distributed by the University of California Extension, the film features scenes of famous Mexico City sights from the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral to the Excelsior Newspaper Building on Bucareli Avenue. Film opens, image of UCLA Royce Hall (0:06). Title page and credits, text overlaid image of Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral (0:14). Only one streetlamp illuminates city at dawn, camera closes in on two men singing in Spanish in a graveyard, start of a new day (0:24). Women wearing aprons use brooms, water hoses to sweep the street in front of their houses (1:06). Street cleaner uses big broom to sweep up trash (1:17). Copies of Mexico City-based newspapers “El Universal” delivered to homes (1:26). Milk man delivers milk jugs to homes by bike (1:28). Shopkeepers open up businesses for the day i.e. Atilxco butcher, bakeries, dairy store (1:48). Church bells ring, churchgoers sit in rows of Spanish Catholic church, traditional Catholic Church alter (2:03). Young siblings walk through neighborhood to bus stop, 1941 Wilkinson bus approaches corner (2:56). POV as bus drives along, picks up more passengers, some young men hang off the back of bus (3:17). Equestrian statue of Charles IV of Spain by Tolsá (3:46). Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral (3:50). Plaza de la Constitución (El Zócalo) and the National Palace (3:56). Shop mannequins with latest fashions, store windows as seen from street (4:22). Aerial view of outdoor market, market goers roam different stalls steeling fruits, enchiladas, cotton dresses (4:38). Peddlers offer unique goods: Puppies, lottery tickets, (4:55). Palacio de Bellas Artes, mariachi band of kid performers plays music for onlookers (5:12). Industry and Infrastructure: Montage clips at industrial factories, foundry; Factory workers on lunch break (5:56). Excelsior Newspaper Building on Bucareli Ave; Paper boys run out of building into city with papers fresh off the press (7:16). Alameda Central Park (7:31). Tea time, lunch for chic diners at cafe of Sanborns Department Store (7:55). Rush hour traffic in El Zócalo as commuters head home after work day finishes (8:28). Sun sets behind Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral (8:35). El Zócalo by nightfall turns into a Times Square-esque scene of elaborate LED light displays (8:57). Closing credits (9:49). Film ends (9:54).

Transcription

[Music] [Music] [Applause] man [Music] the day is new the dawn comes down into the valley of anaak into the city of Mexico the streets freshen and are made young again like the face of a young girl the face of the city gets a scrubbing behind the ears and on the nape of the neck let the face shine with cleanness the day is new the new Day brings thoughts to the minds of the old ones and food to the mouths of children these are the first things food to make the people grow the shops open their eyes they raise their Lids they're filled with oranges and bread and meat and now they await the morning h [Music] wife now 60 churches open their hearts and take the faithful to their breasts again for the pure in heart and for the lofty in mind there is a cleansing of Souls [Applause] [Music] face of my father face of my mother face of my children's Mother perum dominum nostrum now come the children on their way to school [Music] n [Music] the streams of people pass along their way the cars push on the street unwinds ahead the buildings at our sides must drop behind here is Charles I 4th and here the churi gues cathedral here the National Palace and the government and here the hurry the feet hurry the Mind hurrying on the brink of anxiousness to the clock to the clock to the hurry to the clock to the office and the door and the desk and the time the errand which is here and the people who are there which are waiting for the feet and the hands and the face and the stores which are waiting for the shutters to rise and the mannequins are waiting for the millionaires the Petrified mannequins with time on their hands and dresses on their bodies dresses in Yard Goods and the market the place for all the people to come and buy and sell and roam around and go away and come back the sweets and the melon seeds and the fruit and the enchiladas and guacamole the clothes the rosos theiles and sarapes all of that and the live things the puppies right here for the kids and the lottery tickets for the grown-up kids the men and women who play the great game of the national lottery year in and year [Music] out [Music] foreign foree [Music] Mexico is an old country which is new a poor country which is Rich a country with more freedom than it has ever known Mexico is a strong country with farms and mines and oil and Industry and a strong people to work Mexico was proud under Nai kokoma and montazuma Mexico's proud today Mexico has work to do and is building for a new world to [Music] come lunch for the factory workers lunch for [Music] you lunch in the noon paper extra extra and if you have time a stroll in alamea park a dream of your own In the Heat of the day and even if you haven't time it's still possible that this might happen at 5:00 there is tea and tea tea at sburns with crisp to topus or a cocktail out in chaput [Music] park at 7:00 all work is finished the shops close down the offices close their doors the mine turns over the back straightens the feet turn in the direction of [Music] home the city's hard in the zoko pumps slowly [Music] now the sun too turns away from the city the bell ringer puts his brass bells to bed the shuttered after Twilight it runs its [Music] course the night is here all's well my friend all's well in Mexico this night all's well [Music]

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