[Charles Gilbert--home movies] NHF Reels 34-37

Date1928

Can DescriptionsReel 34: Trip Around the World #4 Reel 35: Trip Around the World #5 Reel 36: Trip Around the World #6 Reel 37: Trip Around the World #7 NHF Cataloguer's notes for Reels 34-37 (Part 1.) 'Trip Around the World (Part II)' Intertitle: 'Tourists now ride as the emperors did. India.' (00:02) Tinted shot caparisoned elephant saddled with howdah or seat for riding. Elephant kneels down. Man mounted on elephant helps Mr. Gilbert up after Mr. Gilbert has put his foot on stirrup. Both men side-saddle astride howdah. Elephant rises and walks. White-clad mahout (elephant-keeper or attendant) walks in front. Intertitle: 'Benares, Holy City of the Hindoos, on the Holy River, Ganges. India.' Stone buildings of Benares. Intertitle: 'Devout millions come to sacred waters to bathe. Benares.' Pan. crowd gathered at river. People in boats. One man rows. Temples near river. Pan. crowd, temples, animals. Intertitle: The burning ghats where the hindoo dead are cremated. Benares.' Ghats (small sections on ground where wood is piled; low box-like device holds sticks of wood, long, vertically places sticks of wood protect individual ghats). Group of people gathered near edge of river. Posts and large, parasol-like devices for sun-protection. Pan. river, people. Cabin cruisers, other boats in water. Stone steps lead into water, people on steps, many disrobe, step into water. (03:02) Two men standing in water. Natives in home-made wooden boats, standing to navigate. C.U. one such boat occupied by white-helmeted passengers. Natives, tourists on stone steps. Rear shot natives, vendors, tourists walking about. White-bearded, elderly man standing on platform with three intricately-carved columns. All open to air. Overhead shot native woman ascending steps to temple. C.U. square colonnade of different temple. Small monkey plays at base. At entrance, native man feeds monkeys. Monkey in front pats man's hand. L.S. of two monkeys copulating. Alley with dark walls dominating frame. Two people enter middle of alley, walking between walls. Oxen drawing passengers down street in cart. C.U. stone structure, domed top, circular base. Turbaned native man. Mrs. Gilbert stands at his right. Stone steps outside temple. Mrs. Gilbert removes helmet, smooths hair, converses with native man. Native man in front of fence carries long stick made from light-hued wood. Holds fold of robe out. Profile of native woman clad in robe. Shot flickers. Pan. white birds above river. (06:01) Freighter or cruiser in background. White birds dominate pan. C.U. freighter. M.S. men in native dress near wall. Asian Indian man draws Mrs. Gilbert in elevated, rickshaw-like device resembling tall highchair. Four men support chair on long sticks. Group of native children. Intertitle: 'This is Colombo, in the land of tea where they say Adam went in Exile from Eden. Ceylon.' Tinted shot of river and sailboat, palm trees on shore. Intertitle: 'Here is a bird store marching past. Ceylon.' Native man carries wooden bird cages attached to pole balanced on shoulder. Car passes in background. Intertitle: 'Native traffic goes by bullock--bandies--never arrested for speeding. Sri Lanka.' Bullocks drawing 'bandies' or small structures balanced on two large wagon wheels. Resembles doghouse. Native man walks beside rear bandie. Man sits crosslegged on front of bandie. Natives with baskets attached to backs gathered in field to harvest tea leaves. Supervisor in white helmet and uniform. Elephant in water. Man mounts elephant. Elephant shoots water out its trunk. (09:02) Elephant walks back to shore. People with white helmets. Mrs. Gilbert mounts elephant. Elephant flaps ears, kneels. Men help Mrs. Gilbert dismount. Elephants bathing in water. Two or three people wading. Mother bathes and dries child. Man with net drifts on small raft. Intertitle: 'The elephant holds its own with power machinery. Sri Lanka.' Elephant stepping down from stone embankment. Elephants, including baby one. Intertitle: 'The elephant garage. Sri Lanka.' Elephants lying in river. Man with stick approaches and scrubs standing elephant. Man with stick rides elephant to shore. Man washes elephant lying in water. Intertitle: 'Watering the rice fields, where labor and time are cheap. Sri Lanka.' Sri Lankans gathering long-grained rice. One wears circular sun-shield hat. (12:02) Sri Lankan drives ox-drawn cart with wicker canopy. Palm trees. Shadowy shot of ox dragging a wagon. Man in white hat, suit walks in street. C.U. ox-drawn cart. Poor shot. Sri Lankans walking in street. Rickshaw. Two ox-drawn wagons. Car passes. Sri Lankan walks beside ox at right of wicker-topped wagon. Coupe parked on right side of road. Sri Lankan musicians gathered in public square. Most beat drums on ropes hanging from necks. Man in center plays flute. Onlookers. Drummers dance. (15:00) Drummers form circle. Helmeted tourist in rickshaw. Cars pass. Mrs. Gilbert drawn in rickshaw. Three rickshaws with passengers. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert and two women standing at wall. Mrs. Gilbert gestures. Mr. Gilbert smokes cigarette. Jerky shot people assembled around canvas chairs. Men in bathing attire. One has on Napoleanic hat. Another sports Lincoln style hat, beard. Others dressed as women. Variety of costumes. Man beating drum leads costumed group across ship deck. Two men clown. One puts something around the other's neck. (18:00) Some men have wooden panels. Women who sit in chair are immediately overturned. [Cataloguer's note: May be an equator-crossing ceremony, an initiation by Neptune of those who had never 'crossed the line' before. It used to be observed in navy and merchant marine. Those who went through the ceremony were then 'shellbacks.'] Men given 'chair' treatment. Brawl as ceremony ends. Intertitle: 'Batavia--which seems to be one vast hand laundry. Java.' Batavian women doing laundry at river's edge. Women wear sarongs, long skirts. People in native boat. Roof made of sticks. Long stick supports front of boat. Mrs. Gilbert near flowers, shrubbery. Lake, tropical foliage. Intertitle: 'Batik making where the art was born. Java.' Javanese woman sewing fabric on wooden frame. (21:04) Woman sewing quilt-like fabric. Two women doing needlework on individual wooden frames. Two tourist women hold rug-like batik fabric between them. Intertitle: 'Singapore, the 'Key to the East' and 'the City of the Lion.' Straits settlement.' Singapore Harbor. Native boats with wooden frames, canvas covers. Men pushing boats with long wooden poles. Building in city square. Intertitle: 'In Raffles Square, named after a famous governor. Singapore.' People dressed in white, carrying wares on heads, in city square. Man stands beside parked car near open iron gate. Group of young men. Long boats with passengers on river. Shot overexposed. Cruise boat with three decks. Boat loaded with cargo. (24:00) Boats with tall masts in harbor. Buildings at river's edge. Boat rowed into center of river. Boats at dock. Land foliage, buildings. Woman holding child. Child wears white sun helmet. Trees, building in background. Naked child supported on each side by a parent. Mother waves at camera. Pan. long Singaporean wooden homes. One structure with three sloping pointed roofs. Soldiers at attention outside wall protecting homes. Military exercises in formation. Mrs. Gilbert outside elegant stone building. Stone or iron elephants decorate columns and yard. (27:02) Mrs. Gilbert pats head of decorative elephant. Soldiers marching forward in formation. Officers astride horses. Soldiers marching in background. Mounted officer leads marching soldiers. Mrs. Gilbert astride a horse and accompanied by a mounted officer. Soldiers march forward. (30:05) Pan. mounted officers, soldiers with two flag bearers. Horse-drawn cannon wagons. Officers in horse-drawn wagons. White-uniformed soldiers. Crowds in Singapore streets, rickshaws. C.U. boy with object attached to his back. Two people carry long stick with circular ring in its center as they walk down street. Crowds, wagons, rickshaws. Ocean liner with three smoke stacks. Mrs. Gilbert sitting in chair-like transportation. Man draws her down street. Mr. Gilbert in another chair. Transportation chair held by men in front and back. (33:06) Men transporting Mrs. Gilbert. Singaporeans in market place with [bamboo canes] before them. Vendors wear wide-brimmed, peaked straw hats. Two men handle large wooden box bound with metal bands. C.U. people poling, rowing wooden commercial boats. Ocean liner. Men ascend wooden, platform. Crowd. Mrs. Gilbert, other tourists in crowd. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert observe skeleton of large prehistoric [animal?]. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert with another woman tourist. Dancing bear on street with keeper. Cars in background. Bear dances around. Keeper gives bear food. Bear sits on ground. Intertitle: 'Manila, where Malay, Spanish, American cultures mingle. Philippines.' (36:00) Buildings, crowd in Manila street. Pan long building, second-story balcony crowded with people. Crowd moves up gangplank from water to building. Film tinted pinkish yellow. Man vigorously rows long boat loaded with wood under bridge. Man in stern rows moderately. Pan. Manila Harbor. Ships in harbor. Philippine marching band. Man with professional movie camera. Group of native women dressed alike entering building. Man astride long-horned water buffalo. C.U. water buffalo. Man in white suit, helmet watches water buffalo graze. Water buffalo plowing field with man standing on plow. Thatched huts. Man in white suit. Intertitle: 'Hong Kong, the commercial capital of southern China. China.' Tinted shot Hong Kong Harbor, buildings, ocean liner. Pan ocean liner as seen from street. Stone columned commerce buildings in Hong Kong. (39:01) Business man conveyed down street in chair-like conveyance by four coolies. Hong Kong street. Hong Kong Harbor with native boats, junks, sampans. Pan. harbor, western vessels. Large, intricately carved Chinese boat. Mr. Gilbert in rickshaw drawn by coolies. Man pulls wide wooden cart loaded with goods. Rickshaws. Chinese soldiers. Man pushes heavily laden commerce cart. Rickshaws. Mrs. Gilbert and another woman walk down street. Heavy load of sacks hauled down street. Rickshaws. Man on commerce cart. Cart loaded with rolled, raw wicker. Sampans, junks, Chinese rowing craft in Hong Kong Harbor. Large cargo or passenger craft powered by waterwheel. (42:04) Intertitle: 'The Bund at Shanghai, a world renowned waterfront. China.' Crowded Shanghai street. Intertitle: Millions, crowded off the land, live in these sampan cities on the river. China.' L.S. sampans. C.U. sampan. Intertitle: 'Shanghai's business streets look western and efficient. China.' Streetcar. Cars. Rickshaws. Intertitle: 'Peking, the old imperial city of the days of the Empire. China.' Street. Man driving horse-drawn carriage. Rickshaws. Tinted yellowish pink. Tall, sparsely-foliaged trees. People walking in street. Chinese business signs. Kneeling Bactrian or one-humped camels. Vendors in marketplace. Steam ascends from something cooking in one section. Rider on horse. Mrs. Gilbert in rickshaw. Two mules, harnessed in succession, draw empty wagon. Crowd in square. Mrs. Gilbert handles small square box. Chinese man inverts similar box to create scene in box like snow scenes known in U.S. Man wheels large loaded wheelbarrow in street. Mother with child in arms ascends steps, enters stone home. (45:00) Man cleans street by shoveling, throwing water from large bucket. Rickshaw passes with two passengers. Two men lift and move water bucket. Man carries produce on long pole across shoulder. Man pulls loaded wagon. Bicyclist passes. Rickshaws pass. Car passes. Two men clean street. Coolie wheeling Mrs. Gilbert in rickshaw. Loaded horse-drawn wagons. Horses. Three soldiers marching in street. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert ride in separate rickshaws. Mr. Gilbert waves. Man wheels wheelbarrow full of bamboo. Man runs past fleet of unmanned rickshaws. Pan. rickshaws. Intertitle: 'The Great Wall, near Peking, 2500 miles of frontier protection. China.' Tinted, yellowish pink pan. Great Wall. C.U. path on Wall. Intertitle: 'The Forbidden City, once sacred to the Emperor--for 1000 years no foreigner entered. Peking.' (48:02) Pan. buildings with wooden bridge pathways leading to them, pointed roofs. Trees, pagoda. People walking in street. Intertitle: 'An athletic fete is staged for cruise. Tourists. Beppu.' Chinese people fencing. Intertitle: 'They call it 'fencing' but it suggests a Donnybrook 'free-for-all.' Beppu.' Chinese fence with wooden swords. Pan. spectators waving flags of many nations. Procession of Chinese bearing banners with Chinese writing. Man beats drum in procession. Mrs. Gilbert sits by rickshaw. She holds, pets Pekinese puppy. Two Chinese women walk down street. One carries infant on her back. Men in black capes walk down street. Chinese women walk down street. Woman with parasol stands in street. Two Chinese women, one with Pekinese puppy, walk down street. Child wearing white apron. Policeman or soldier behind child. Man in robe with child secured in back. C.U. child hugging white rabbit. Crowd of flag wavers. People walking down street. Mrs. Gilbert grabs flag and waves it. Mrs. Gilbert talks with child wearing flowered robe. (51:02) She takes child's hand. Mrs. Gilbert and child walk. Passengers boarding streetcar. Woodland scene, trees, small waterfall. C.U. stone frog fountain. L.S. cruise ship. Pan. small fleet Chinese boats. Intertitle: A call at Kobe. Japan. Fleet Japanese rickshaws with tasseled roofs. Intertitle: The geishas and the parasol, symbols of the storybook Japan. Japan.' Tinted shot geishas with parasols walking in garden. Intertitle: 'A land of temples and ancient gods. Japan.' Intertitle: 'The great bell of Nara. Japan.' Man rings bell by swinging on clapper. Intertitle: The golden-eyed Buddha of Kamakura. Japan.' Foliage, people walking by Buddha. Two people ascend steps. C.U. Buddha. Cascading fountain shaped like an urn. (54:01) Waterfall, foliage. Japanese children waving national flag. Children in street. Three dance. Two children sitting on street. Shot flickery. One child rises, runs away. Japanese woman in flowered dress walks down street. Children walking. Woman with infant tucked in back of kimono approaches pigeons. Japanese boat with one large sail and low sectioned sail in back. Another Japanese boat. Man walks down street. Ox drawing loaded cart. Bicyclist passes wagon. Man carrying long stick with produce at each end on shoulders. Group of Japanese women walking down street. Another group of women and children follow. (57:03) Mrs. Gilbert observes group. Mrs. Gilbert walks. Woman who has infant secured on back of kimono stands in front of stone temple. Group of policemen. Non-Japanese men in business suits. Gilberts walk through center of group of policemen and businessmen. Three Japanese school girls sitting cross-legged on ground. One girl opens book and reads. (End of reel)