CZECH PRESIDENT NOVOTNY VISITS NORTH VIETNAM & BURMA / MYANMAR 1963 GG47715f

This fascinating 8mm home movie shows images from a diplomatic visit to Asia by Czechoslovakian President Antonin Novotny. At the time his official designation was the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Czechoslovak Communist Party. It's not exactly clear what year these images were captured, but we believe it is almost certainly 1963 as he is known to have visited Cambodia and North Vietnam in January of that year. Apparently in North Vietnam he met with Hồ Chí Minh. (Note: we do not know who shot the film, but whoever they were was probably in the entourage of the President, and might have been a Western journalist as the film originated from an American collection.)

This film begins in Hanoi, North Vietnam, with a visit to the Temple of Literature, originally built in 1070 under Emperor Ly Thanh Tong. At :28, President Novotny's Ilyushin Il-18 turboprop aircraft is seen at the airport. At :39, probably shot in Burma, a sculptor creates a buddha figure, followed by shots from a moving vehicle. At 1:13, images of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar (at that time known as Burma), followed at 1:25 by shots of the guardian lion statues. At 1:34, another shot at an airport, crowds wave Burma flags followed by shots of a temple at Mingun, Myanmar. At 2:13, Novotny and his entourage proceed barefoot, out of respect for local religious tradition. At 2:35, soldiers in ceremonial dress, possibly part of President of Myanmar U Ne Win's bodyguard. Novotny is seen at the temple, accompanied by a figure that is probably President U Ne Win and some monks.