Merida and Campeche (1945) User Reviews

A Tale Of Two Cities

[boblipton · 5/10 · 18 December 2021]

James A. Fitzpatrick sends the Technicolor cameras south of the border and recites the usual set of dull almanac facts to accompany the handsome pictures.

During the Second World War, the Traveltalks series limited itself almost entirely to North America. Usually he offered looks at exotic Michigan and other states, but occasionally he ventured to Canada or as here, to Mexico.

The copy of this travelogue that plays on Turner Classic Movies is in pretty good condition.

This tribute to the wily settlers from Europe . . .

[cricket30 · 6/10 · 18 December 2021]

. . . pays tribute to the Spanish construction engineers who were able to enlist the labor of 300 Mayan workmen to refashion the building materials of a dilapidated Mayan Temple into a Cathedral that would have fit right in on the streets of Barcelona or Toledo. One side benefit of constructing this humongous edifice was the shade it provided ladies from Spain against the otherwise insufferable New World sunshine. However, the narrator reminds viewers that there were not enough females from the Old Country willing to brave such travails to go around among the Conqueror Class, a fact which he illustrates at the close of this documentary by slowly panning across a contemporary group of controversial mixed individuals.

interesting places

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 18 December 2021]

Traveltalks visits these two cities on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. They really should move the camera around when they shoot the different dances. They keep going back to the same wide shot. These are interesting places with interesting buildings. There are some good street shots but all too often, they set up actors in costumes pretending to be locals. This is generally fine.

TravelTalks

[Michael_Elliott · 2 January 2012]

Merida and Campeche (1945)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Another entry in James A. FitzPatrick's "TravelTalks" series takes us to the Mexican Yucatin peninsula where we visit the two cities that make up our title. We start off in Merida and are told that it was founded by the Spanish in 1542 after being a town where the Mayans lived. From here we see the famous windmills, which pump water to the city and we're told there are more windmills here than anywhere else in the world. We see a local theater, the floral displays and hear about a carnival that is held each February and lasts two weeks. From here we go to Campeche where we hear about the first Catholic mass, the 8-ft. thick walls that surround the city and about the various costumes that are handed down from one family member to the next. If you're familiar with the series then you already know that the Technicolor is always the main draw and it certainly works wonders here. This is especially true during the visit to Campeche where we get to see the wonderful stone wall that surrounds the city and that was originally built to keep pirates out. As usual FitzPatrick's narration perfectly tells the stories and overall this is another pleasant entry for fans of the series.