User Reviews

Here is another Technicolor "Ports of Call" entry, Mediterranean PORTS OF CALL ('41), that is not listed under James A. FitzPatrick's credits but was shown today on TCM, not to be confused with "Colorful Ports of Call" from 1934.

It's a Technicolor short, a 9-minute documentary that concentrates on Algiers and Monaco.

The Algiers segment deals mainly with the Casbah (no Charles Boyer in sight), the busy market populated with people from France, Africa and Arabia. Shown is a beautiful war monument celebrating Algeria's part in World War II under French auspices and mention of the French Foreign Legion is made.

Then we switch to the picturesque port of call of Monaco, a principality under France and the palace of the Prince of Monaco that looms over the waterfront even at a distance. A short discussion of Monaco's policies (no income tax) and its economy partially subsidized by France as views of Monaco's port are shown, gleaming in the sunlight. A high cliff overlooking the sea was named Suicide Rock for all those who jumped from it in the past.

The short ends with a shot of Monaco's quaint looking harbor as the suns goes down. Nice entry in the "ports of call" department.

James A. Fitzpatrick sends the Technicolor cameras to various exotic locales around the Mediterranean Sea: Algiers and Monte Carlo. The Traveltalks would occasionally cover two disjoint locales, linked only by a sea voyage, but here it looks a bit desperate. Perhaps the crew wanted to scurry back to the US, what with the Second World War and all, before they could get enough shots to make two travelogues.

Fitzpatrick makes an error in his usual recitation of almanac facts. Monaco wasn't and isn't the smallest state in the world. At a huge two square kilometers, Monaco dwarfs Vatican City, little more than a fifth its area.

TravelTalks goes around the Mediterranean. First they're in Algiers and then they're in Monte Carlo. I love the street life of Algiers with its strange mix of Arab and French. I don't agree with James A. FitzPatrick especially when he calls it "first class jail". I wonder what he's referencing. This is most interesting for when this was filmed, before the American entry into the war. I wonder if there was an ulterior motive. They are skirting around occupied Europe. I didn't spot any Germans. They may also be rushing out of the line of fire. I want to see any extra footage from this 'film crew'.

Not sure how they got permission to travel and film in Algiers and Monaco during World War 2. There's no evidence of the war but the real interest is the look at these 2 cities from more than a lifetime ago. The color seems a little faded but I found the people and buildings interesting.

While most installments in MGM's TravelTalks series are pretty average and only focus on certain aspects of the place in question, this one is one of the most informative. It focuses on some areas located near the Mediterranean sea, namely Algeria's capital city (Algiers) and Monaco's capital city (Monte Carlo). By this point algeria as a whole is a french colony, but its capital kind of resembles one of the great cities of the ancient world. People from all over north africa, france, and even the middle east go there to trade and contribute to society. They also say how algerians were part of the french foreign legion, a world famous military unit which recruits foreigners and lets them fight for france. After a moderately short boat ride to the european side of the sea, we arrive at monaco, a wealthy but extremely tiny country located on france's southeastern coastline. With an area of just over 2 square kilometers, the entire nation can fit inside Central Park. The capital, Monte Carlo, is home to a renowned casino that is undoubtedly responsible for a large part of the country's income. We also get to see a large rock overlooking the ocean that used to be a popular suicide area. I can't imagine why anyone would be suicidal in such a nice looking place right next to the sea. As is the case with most TravelTalks, this one is pretty hard to comment on. It's also strange how this short was made in 1941, which means world war 2 was underway by this point. France, which surrounds monaco on 3 sides, was already defeated in 1940, and it's just weird to think Fitzpatrick was still able to visit europe. It's a well known fact that part of france collaborated with the nazis after the actual french government surrendered, so I'm curious to find out how all this was recorded. I suppose some things are never meant to be known and just disappear into history. In any case, Mediterranean Ports of Call is another interesting (but brief) look at some areas of the world that generate a lot of money. It's also probably the only episode that takes place on two continents.

Mediterranean Ports of Call (1941)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Another entry in MGM's TravelTalks series with this one taking a look at ports in Algiers and Monaco. In Algiers we learn that the place was an original piracy hot spot for various sea thieves until the French government finally got them under control. In the slums we see the various costumes being worn by the people and how women still go around with veils on their faces. We also see a war memorial and in Monaco we see the infamous Suicide Rock and learn that there really aren't too many suicides there after all. Once again this is your typical entry in the series, which means we learn a few interesting things and the Technicolor gives us a lot of great stuff to look at. There are certainly some beautiful images but the stand out would have to be the beautiful waters that we see.