Home Movies (1954)

MEXICO • Continued from Page 105 when you enter a cab and we found that the meter clicked to the extent of 48c for the first hour. At this price, almost anyone can cover a tremendous amount of sight-seeing in 5 or 6 hours and the cost totals no more than two or three dollars. The cabby will point out the most interesting places to go, but make a list of your own. This can be made from a little booklet called "Esta Semana" (This Week) which lists all the activities for the week and the most interesting spots to visit. You can get it free at any hotel. However, do not hire a taxicab by the hour. Just tell the cabbie that you want to travel by meter. If you don't make this clear when you begin, the cabbie is liable to charge 20 pesos per hour, ($2.40) and this, of course, is a great deal more than the conventional meter rate. And while we are on the subject, do not buy any bargains on the street. We bought a cigaret lighter called a "Rumsen" — and we are still burning although the lighter is not. And the same is true of cameras of any description. Most European cameras are very cheap in the shops and sell for 40 to 50% less than in the United States. You might use the Hotel del Prado as the center of operations. Rates ther are reasonable and vary from $4.00 to $8.00 single. It is conveniently located and offers all the comforts of home. If you are on a tight budget there are other places available, some as low as $1.25 per night, but we thought the hotel was just right from any angle, and here is a suggested schedule, using the hotel as a center of operations. First Day Walk to the Palace of Fine Arts and make a long shot of the building from the street; at 200 yards make another shot to capture the detail of the building which is brilliantly white in the sun. The Palace contains a concentration of much of the best Mexican art to be found on this continent. Just recently returned from a tour of Europe, the exhibits contain everything from ancient Aztec and Mayan figures and bas reliefs to the most modern paintings and sculpture of contemporary Mexican art. We shot at F 1.5 at 8 f.p.s. inside and recorded a great deal of material which we intend to compare pictorially with American art. We noticed that the Colonial painting was very similar to the American art at the time when America was little more than a small colony along the coast of the Atlantic. But where ours is Puritan and austere, theirs is violent and fiery. And this, of course, is not surprising. The Mexican people fought for independence as valiantly and with as much tenacity as we did when we had our own troubles just a few hundred years ago. But let's go ahead with the shooting. After a few hours at the Palace of Fine Arts, walk down Juarez to the point where the street narrows. On the corner you will find a place called Sanborns, where it might be a good idea to drop in and get a cup of coffee. Take it slow and rest for a few moments because walking at that altitude, (Mexico City is 7,000 feet) will tire most people. Continue down the street for eight or ten blocks until you see a large square with the National Palace and Cathedral. Be sure to make a long shot from the collonades, or try a very s-l-o-w pan shot from the same location, (with a wide-angle lens if you have one) and cover the entire square with the Cathedral included in the panorama. If you are interested in Spanish architecture you will photograph the detail of the older part of the Cathedral and compare it with the newer section. You will shoot the wonderful faces of the people who hurry by to Mass or even steal a shot or two of the tortilla vendor. We were there on a Sunday morning and got some wonderful shots of the children promenading on the square with their white dresses and shining faces; a few moments later we got fine footage of a group of Indians who were doing an impromptu dance in the courtyard of the Cathedral. Look long and hard at the architecture. You will find that the Indian, Spanish, and modern architecture has been ingeniously combined. There are buildings which recall the severely modern lines of New York — and there are others which employ the baroque of Spanish-Moorish architecture. And right in the middle of all this you will find a recreational center and indoor jai alai court which is nothing but an adaptation of an ancient Toltec pyramid. After an hour or so of poking around, visit the National Palace and try for a high angle shot of the Cathedral from there. Then get a few more close-ups, (the more the better) and hail a taxi, and tell the cabbie to drive to the University. On the way down you will pass the arch at Plaza de la Republica and the mounted figure at Juarez and Paseo de la Reforma. This is a sweeping avenue on the way to the University; a few shots from the taxi may be worth while. Best angles of this area, though, are from the 10th or 12th floor of any building in that vicinity. While at the University ask the cabbie about the fine residential district which is nothing more than a mass of lava rock with beautiful homes built right on the hard formations. Shoot a few sequences and notice how the dull grey of the lava rock points up the color of the flowers and foliage. After this, get back to the center of town and have a good lunch or dinner as the case may be. You'll be tired and will have covered a great deal of territory in one day. Food is good and plentiful and there is an endless variety of it. If French food is to your taste try "Ambassadeurs," at 12, Paseo de la Reforma. (rather expensive), but excellent. "Marseilles" at Madrid, 35, is a little cheaper, also excellent. Or else try the German dishes at "Bellinghaus-^ en", at Londres 95; Hungarian at the "International" located on Madero and Motolinia St., and Italian cuisine at "Angelo's", Florencia. 39. Then you can get fine sea food at the "Lincoln", Ravillagigedo, 24, and Swiss food at the "Chalet Suizo", Niza, 37. And then, if you know what you like and care for none of the above, there is always "Hamburger Heaven", (so help us) situated at Oaxaca, 33, and they will give you the works ■ — toast, coffee, ham and eggs, and anything American. Finally, if you want to hear Spanish spoken with a Chinese accent go to the "Tibet Hamz" Av. Juarez, 64, for Chop Suey and Egg Foo Yong. And any of this will cost less than $2.00 per meal. Second Day Places of interest within an hour's ride of Mexico City, can be shot on the second day. Here's the list. Check it and refer to the map for exact location : Teotihuacan Pyaramids — (A-6) on the map). This is located north of the city — about thirty miles. These pyramids are reputed to be the largest in America, and the base of the monuments is even greater than some of the Egyptian pyramids. You will find a wealth of Mayan detail there, and these should be shot even if you are merely making a movie record of your trip. Nearby is the Pyramid of the Moon, amongst others and also the • See "MEXICO" on Page 108 107