This World of Oursfilm
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Year Published: 1950s
Format: 16mm
Description: This "This World of Ours" film series was created by Dudley Pictures for classroom use. This film focuses on Cuba, considerably one of the largest and most important islands of the West Indies (:33). It lay about 150 miles south of Florida discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 (:43). The island remained under Spanish rule until 1898. Havanna, a metropolis of three quarter million residents, is the capital (:55). It's harbor was constructed in 1597 as a defense against the British (1:22). It’s streets and architecture are a blend of old and modern (1:29). A street vendor is pictured and the many milling throughout the city sold lottery and coffee among other things. The Columbus Cathedral (1:51) was believed to house the remains of Christopher Columbus for a short period of time. The country's valuable center for higher education (2:08) is the University of Havanna and boasted one of the western hemisphere’s most extensive library's. Cuba’s Congress as well as entire capital were fashioned with some semblance to the American versions (2:34). One of the city's popular streets is Park Avenue and it is pictured lined with Moorish and Spanish architecture (2:54). The avenue ran from the port to the capital. A monument facing the harbor (3:05) was constructed in memory to those whom perished during the explosion of the Battleship Maine. This port is also Havanna’s busiest (3:19). On the eastern end of the island, resides the second largest city, Santiago (3:51). Santiago was once the country's capital (4:04) and two miles east is San Juan Hill. Teddy Roosevelt had led the Rough Riders in an advance that would ultimately aide in the release of Cuba from Spain here (4:31). The original trenches from the battle are shown (4:48). Tobacco being one of the most prevalent exports, the famed Cuban cigars are hand rolled by workers (5:15). Another major crop is pinapples and their thick leafy tissue holds enough water to enable growth even in the dryest of climates (5:41). Coffee beans are harvested by women in a field (6:07). The finest of beans are grown in higher attitudes. The most valued crop is sugar (6:22) as Cuba was the world's largest producer of high grade refined sugar (6:32). Workers cut the stalks with sharpened machetes and these are loaded into oxcarts (6:53), then transported to railroads. At mills that sprinkled the country, cane is crushed and boiled into sugar (7:12). A summary of the tour through Cuba concludes with the notion that it is and has been considered the ‘gateway to the new world’ (8:14). The film concludes on an image of the country's flag (8:46).
Complete Record:
Transcription
the largest and most important island of the West Indies is Cuba 150 miles south to Florida the island of Cuba was discovered by Columbus in 1492 and was under the control of Spain for most of the period up to 1898 when she gained her independence capital and largest city of the Cuban Republic in Havana strikingly picturesque metropolis the three-quarters of a million people Havana is a blend of the cosmopolitan and the natives the ancient and a mother watchdog guff Ivana harbour is moral castle built in 1597 as a defense against the British today it is one of Cuba's main tourist attractions much of Havana is typically old-world with narrow crooked streets with vendors peddling a variety of wares coffee for instance served piping hot and lottery tickets to a chance at fame and fortune Cuba has always been deeply religious center of her religious activities it's Columbus Cathedral so named because the remains of Christopher Columbus are alleged to have rested here before they were taken to Spain in 1898 Cuba's most important center of higher learning is the University of Havana founded more than two centuries ago the university has one of the most extensive libraries in the Western Hemisphere and is well known for its schools of law education medicine agriculture and sugar engineering the Capitol building is patterned after the Capitol building unfortunate likewise Cuba's Congress is patterned after the Congress of the United States being composed of a Senate and a House of Representatives elected by popular vote Park Avenue of Havana is the Prado one of the city's principal streets it's wide tree shaded promenade bordered by buildings of Spanish Moorish architecture extends from the Capitol to Havana Harbor honoring the men who lost their lives in the explosion of the battleship Maine which started the spanish-american war is this monument facing Havana Harbor scene of the ill-fated explosion pride of every Cuban is Havana Harbor by far the islands busiest port both of its traffic is with the United States the import of manufactured goods the exports of agricultural products and the main export crop sugar Cuba's second largest city is Santiago on a landlocked Bay at the eastern end of the island 604 miles from Havana Santiago with a population today in excess of 100,000 was once Cuba's capital and Chiefs it santiago is often referred to as the most Cuban city of Cuba it's narrow winding streets are lined with Moorish colonial houses and occasionally there are stone stairways ascending the steep hillside two miles east the Santiago is San Juan Hill where Teddy Roosevelt led the Rough Riders in the famous charge which helps break Spain's 400-year rule of the island of Cuba the famous battlefields were the original trenches is visited by thousands of tourists each year and there are monuments to honor those who fell in battle do Teddy Roosevelt idle of the Cuban people it's one of the islands most important crops famous the world over for its cigars the Sun grown Cuban tobacco is used for the inside pillar while the shade grown tobacco furnishes the outside wrapper leaf pineapples can be grown in even the driest parts of the island because the plant leaves possessed tissue that stores the water necessary for the growth of the plant Coffee is another of Cuba's many crops the finest coffee beans being grown in the higher elevations Cuba's chief craft is sugar and upon it depends the prosperity of the Republic due to her favorable climate and rich soil Cuba is by far the world's leading producer of high-grade refined sugars the bamboo like cane is grown in every province the cane is tough with broad and sharp machete it is then loaded on to ox carts to be carried to the narrow gauge railroad which transports the freshly cut cane to the mills the countryside is dotted with these mills where the cane is crushed and boiled down to sugar and then sacked for shipments to the four corners of the globe and so there you have Cuba the pearl of the Antilles for capital and largest city Havana combining a once impregnable fortress and time-honored cathedrals with a sumptuous modern capital and fine wide boulevards Havana University prominent educator in law education medicine and sugar engineering and her father Cuba's busiest port of call travel six hundred four miles to the other end of the island to Santiago her name is indelibly written into the pages of history as the scene of the famous charge of Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders at San Juan Hill then there's the agricultural side of Cuba and her number one crop sugar sugar for cuban prosperity sugar for the entire world for cuba is the world's leader in the production of refined sugar for centuries cuba has been the gateway to the new world her nearness to the united states responsible for a great share of her export business and her tourist trade today's her people her products her foreign trade combine to give cuba a position of increasing importance in this world of ours
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