HOME MOVIES: 1948

Genre: home movie

Year Published: 1948

Format: 16mm

Description: This home footage starts with the sights of Tokyo – both untouched and damaged by the war, in the Autumn - probably September 1948. Abruptly starting with the Tsukiji Hongan-ji temple, we then see the facilities of the Judge Advocate General Office and the detention center associated with the War Crimes in the Far East Rrial, several destroyed religious buildings (Anglican or Catholic), and a panorama of the Tokyo city Port District (Minato-ku). The anonymous filmmaker then travels to Manila, Philippines for a holiday. There the footage contains San Tomas University, Santiago fort and the general streets and city life of Manila. The author then returns to Japan, very probably to the conclusion and suspension of the War Crimes trials in winter 1948, where we see a bustling city in the midst of a municipal election, the usual sights of Hibiya park and the Imperial palace, as well as the Nikkatsu studios building. Then we follow him to London, UK and Wiesbaden, Germany, where we see the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and Wiesbaden Spa Park along with a famous café Rumpelmayer. 0:00 Tsukiji Hongan-ji, Tokyo with the announcement of of the Autumn Equinox festival, meaning that it's around 22nd of September. 0:24 A happy man on the bridge of the SS President Wilson, an Admiral Benson-class passenger ship 0:40 White stars and an eagle sign of the American President Line is visible on the funnels0:54 Ship's deck swimming pool and holiday makers basking in the sun 1:25 Covered walking deck for the passengers to take in the sea air by rough weather. 1:31 The same jovial man, preparing a game of a deck shuffleboard 1:53 The view of the open sea from the upper deck. 2:13 Many burnt shipwrecks, on approach to the port of Tokyo. 2:25 The port 2:35 Bombed-out passenger terminal building. 2:42 The National War Crimes office. 2:47 A man looking out of the titular building. 2:50 National War Crimes Office JAGO (Judge Advocate General Office) HNDF (Host Nation Defense Forces) War Crimes Trial 2:53 Guard house with a notice "Act Accordingly" 2:58 Entrance to the detention/trial zone and building with a Military Police checkpoint, sign: Army uniform regulations are strictly enforced. 3:06 Ruins of bombed-out or burned down stone buildings 3:17 A church ruin and a bell tower, possibly Asenuno church (Minato-ku) 3:18 Ruined entrance to the church, possibly Saint Alban's Anglican Cathedral (Minato-ku). 3:44 Panoramic shot of the sea and the city. Ships in port. Many hangars, and presumably the War Crimes Office. 4:22 Looking south towards Shinagawa, a tower in the distance 4:22 Panorama of Tokyo 4:35 Philippines, Manila. Donkey carriages, moto-rickhaws and tuk-tuks. Signs: Universal Drug Store, Princeton electronics A-l-Bazar, Mangho's Books, Filipinas Bazaar. The area is all high-rises now. 4:55 A street in Manila, kids looking at the cameraman 5:02 Posing as a wagon driver 5:07 cart with bamboo 5:09 A boy and two toddlers look at the cameraman 5:17 Parents. Sign: "Maradolo Fashion lane" and "for rent" 5:23 Parents with children on the shaded porch 5:25 Santo Tomas University Hospital. Signs: "Dental Clinic X-Ray Lab" 5:33 Main building of the university of Santo Tomas 6:06 Posing with the guards 6:10 Manila slums. 6:18 Pigs in mud 6:25 Toddler on a porch 6:26 Playing shuffleboard. Tourists sunbathe. American flag waving on the roof. 7:22 On the seaside, with cameraman's wife 7:26 The beach, Fort Santiago (?) 7:52 Wife, throwing a pebble into the sea 8:14 Tokyo, Japanese Imperial palace walls 8:23 Wife sitting on an unfinished snowman 8:35 Schoolboys playing in the snow at the Hibiya park. 8:42 Taking a bicycle rickshaw 9:01 Tokyo in winter. Sign on the light pole for politician "Tateyama Rintarou 9:04 Man in beret stares with a mocking grin. Advertising: "Perfect taste European Cuisine", "Lumière" , Picadilly Theater, "Kanemaru" bar. Portraits advertise municipal elections. 9:13 Street criers. 9:18 Sign "Tokyo Grill", "Soldier! Most enjoyable and comfortable place in Ginza" , open until 2 a.m. 9:31 Japanese imitation food samples 9:42 Talking to a woman carrying a baby, 9:47 Taking a photo 9:59 Nikkatsu International building – the oldest Japanese movie studio 10:08 United Kingdom. A social event at a hotel. 10:43 Overexposed footage from the Thames river. 11:05 Tower Bridge , The Thames Embankment 11:12 Tower of London 11:34 Posing with the Royal guard 11:53 A Beefeater 12:00 This is where the Queen Anne was beheaded 12:12 Rumpelmayer Café, Wiesbaden. 12:20 A traffic control policeman waving cars through  12:41 Wiesbaden Spa park

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