An African Adventure With Attilo Gatti (1947)

[Music] so [Music] so after months of detailed and intensive preparation the gatti helicrafters expedition is on its way to africa some of the members of the expedition enjoy the sunshine on deck [Music] commander attilio gatti is on his 11th expedition to the ever magnetic africa this time on scientific research for shortwave radio and to photograph in color the native people and the spectacular wild animals they stop at port elizabeth and visit the snake gardens venom from the cobra will be used for the preparation of anti-toxin serum members of the expedition will be frequently in danger of snake bites and every precaution must be taken [Music] off the water and on to land at killandini [Music] now the weeks and months of preparation will determine the success of the projected six months in the field every item every camera every piece of radio equipment has its specific function all of it must be hauled over all kinds of roads in all kinds of weather by the fleet of motor trucks in fact trips must be made to some points where there are scarcely roads at all [Music] commander gatti in the center and associates inspect the placing of the expedition's flag on a fender the trucks are all in order and ready for the first leg of the journey [Music] the entire fleet is on its way [Music] crossing the sea between killandini and the mainland [Music] here arab women and children are in the foreground the first base camp at quality is principally to inspect equipment and to perfect organization the expedition's radio station goes on the air and makes its first contact with chicago there will be many of these in the months that lie ahead it's time to break camp and be on the road every man knows his job and the task is quickly accomplished [Music] gary takes a last look whistles and the caravan starts whether the strength of this bridge is sufficient for the heavily loaded trucks is a serious question but all of them pass without mishap the first view of mount meru but there are still many miles to cover camp at the foot of mount meru in british east africa the slopes of the mountain and the planes that surround it abound with game a light task force complete with machine gun camera is off in search of rhinoceroses [Music] first they come upon a buffalo that wanders away harmlessly then a bull rhinoceros he seems to be enjoying a meal of grass a cow and calf are nearby [Music] they become a little nervous then alert and finally decide to leave the place on the way to the plains where the cheetahs are bound a truck baited with meat is driven across a ravine and left to attract the animals one cheetah appears seemingly out of nowhere [Music] then another and finally a third comes bounding in these life animals reputedly the fastest afoot are quite suspicious but also inquisitive the cameramen are located in blinds and use their longest telephoto lenses the cheetahs give the truck a thorough inspection and soon make themselves quite at home [Music] with such cooperation the photographers feel it has been a successful day indeed back at camp commander gaddy distributes cigarettes to the native boys in appreciation of their good work for the day and in anticipation of another heavy day of safari tomorrow on roads that are barely more than trails the expedition moves up to the top of the angoran goro crater the floor of this crater is eight thousand feet above sea level soon they meet the first of the messiah the next day members of the tribe return the visit in full regalia including their lion main headdress expert warriors this tribe has a far-flung dominion that covers the entire area they have a long tradition of successful wars and the pride of their peaceful activity is their herds of many cattle [Music] members of the expedition are invited to a nearby manata where the young men of the tribe are being initiated as warriors by complicated secret month-long ceremonies [Music] [Music] the serengeti plain has bountiful feed and a tremendous number of wild animals there are gigantic herds of zebras and one lonesome little fellow antelope giraffes and oryx truckloads of succulent grass are brought from far away and spread lavishly for several days to attract the zebras and giraffes an albino zebra a very rare specimen [Music] to obtain these pictures it took patience and strategy and again the powerful telephoto lenses [Music] although the young giraffe apparently relishes the imported grass this large giraffe prefers the tender leaves of the acacia tree selecting them one by one with prehensile tongue and lip [Music] these animals are all wild free and suspicious it takes extreme care and patience to obtain pictures where they are calm and natural [Music] [Music] in an almost inaccessible area lives the sonja tribe in the heart of the messiah dominion a special detail of trucks makes the difficult trip [Music] the tomtoms ancient communication system of the jungle relay the news that visitors are approaching so the call is no surprise to the chief who willingly smokes a peace offering and tells of his tribe he's very proud of the elongated lobes of his ears insects are kept away with the zebra tail sentries constantly guard the entrance to the palisade resting alternately so that two are always alert inside the huts resemble mounds melting into the landscape like rocks this is part of their plan of protection but goats are the principal reason for their peaceful existence unable to raise cattle because of disease carried by sexy flies they raised goats the powerful messiah tribe were not interested in goats so left the sonja undisturbed girls of the tribe care for the goats and daily take them outside the palisade to feed [Music] inside the palisade the guards are changing there is a definite division of work for women and men the widows care for the pottery [Music] this father may be telling his son how he'll be a hunter or warrior while this elderly man is taking care of the wine situation the women and girls assume all domestic duties [Music] cultivating the corn with a stick is no easy task but it does maintain a slender figure silver bracelets placed on the arms of young girls are not enlarged as the girls grow older the men implore commander gaddy to shoot a zebra for a feast for british authorities allow them no guns on the planes beyond there are zebras by the hundreds but here in the woods they are difficult to shoot [Music] one zebra runs away but another is bagged news of the kill soon reaches the sonja village and everyone prepares for a feast they have no mirrors so men in pairs paint each other's faces this fellow doesn't like the job so he takes it off and we start all over again some paint their bodies like zebras since the zebra is their principle source of meat [Music] the fun goes on for hours and everyone has a wonderful time [Music] regardless of festivity the guard is always maintained for this tribe owes its existence to the vigilance of its centuries and its herds of goats the expedition proceeds on its northward itinerary [Music] one day a station wagon left on the other side of a deep ravine collects a crowd of admirers these ostriches although young ones are about seven feet tall grain thrown up on the ground keeps them occupied while the photographers record the scene [Music] uh [Music] all photography is not so safe for there must be pictures of lions although each cameraman is guarded by a rifleman there's always danger ahead bait is hung in trees to bring the animals within camera range [Music] strange as it may seem this aged lion is one of the most dangerous no longer able to hunt his hunger has overpowered his fear of humans he will attack anything he can reach and he's still strong enough to make short work of a man other cameramen watch the animals in the shadows of the trees out in the open this king of beasts leisurely reclines in the sun while this lioness is out for an afternoon stroll even with the most powerful telephotos and the protection of armed guards photographing lions is still dangerous business there's a special excursion from nairobi to the cavarondo gulf of lake victoria second largest lake in the world the scenery is beautiful wildflowers bloom profusely poinsettia morning glory pekium and bougainvillea the expedition makes camp and the next important thing makes friends with the local chiefs they are shown the trucks and trailers the head chief is taken for a ride in the aluminum boat with outboard motor a new experience for him members of the expedition take to the gulf and find a large hippopotamus [Music] if he chose he could make short work of the fisherman's nets they're made of papyrus the same plants from which the egyptians first made paper other fishermen ply their trade from boats and make a beautiful parting scene on the way again this time over roads scarcely worthy of the name [Music] after several days of travel the expedition reaches its objective lake nakuru the nesting place and feeding grounds of thousands of flamingos after photographing the wild beasts of the mountains and plains for the past five months it would seem simple to photograph birds but there are many problems to solve lake nakuru is nothing but a small crater the bottom of which is filled with semi-liquid mud containing soda and astronomical quantities of microorganisms this soup is both nectar and food for the glamorous flamingos but it's poisonous to humans the slightest scratch may result in blood poisoning the average depth is 22 inches so outboard motors are of little use [Music] [Music] blinds must be built for close-up shots and the cameramen must be patient men especially so in the hot equatorial sun [Music] flamingo's beak is the secret of obtaining food from this water it allows the liquid to pass through and retains the food [Music] these two are stepping high wide and handsome while the other one chooses to start in a skating fashion and then take to the air [Music] [Music] after three weeks in these almost intolerable conditions the flamingo project is complete back at camp commander gaddy personally supervises the crating of equipment the shortwave radio station adds to its hundreds of contacts and will make many more as another phase of the expedition continues to the members of the expedition after more than six months in the field the work the difficulties the hazards and the dangers all seem quite worthwhile in light of the success of this the eleventh expedition an african adventure with commander gatti you