Busy streets and city life of Jews and Arabs in Palestine
Creator(s)
- Mr. Peter Gessner
- Robert J. Gessner (Camera Operator)
Biographical History
Robert Gessner was born on October 21, 1907 in Escanaba, MI. He obtained a B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1929 and a M.A. from Columbia University in 1930. He started teaching at New York University in 1930. He married Doris Lindeman on May 27, 1938 and had two children, Peter and Stephen. Mr. Gessner was a screen playwright and the author of several books, including "Massacre" (1931); "Broken Arrow" (1933); "Some of My Best Friends are Jews" (1936); "Treason" (1944); "Youth is the Time" (1945). He was a pioneer educator in motion pictures as an art form. Gessner founded the Motion Picture Department (now Cinema Studies) at NYU in 1941, the first four-year film curriculum leading to a B.A. degree in motion picture studies in the United States. He finished his book "The Moving Image, A Guide to Cinematic Literacy" before he died in June 1968.
Scope and Content
Men work near a river to install metal pipe in Palestine. Water flows from the installed pipe and the men celebrate. A tall wooden pole with electric cables running from it. Panning shot of a park on a windy day. A busy city street, in which people mill about, men lead camels loaded with gear, a public bus is parked on the side of the street, the roof of a large estate is visible behind a high wall. The view from the top of a hill onto the white buildings of a port city, probably Jaffa, and the Mediterranean sea beyond. Quick shots of residents as they go about their day: three young children stand in an alley and pose for the camera, while other children play in the distance; a cobbler sits on the curb and mends a shoe; a boy smiles toward the camera as he uses a machine operated by a foot crank; a man rides down the street on a mule; a woman strings laundry to dry along the side of a building. 01:02:54 no picture. 01:02:56 More shots of the city in Palestine and the water from above, with ships visible in the distance. An urban street scene, with cars whizzing by. Religious Jews stand outside a store advertising ice cream in both English and Hebrew. A street bustles with people, bicycles, and cars. A man stands in a darkened doorway and talks to the camera. A city block of burned-out buildings. A tailor's makeshift shop, a man uses a hammer while another looks on. 01:04:11 Sign posted on the side of a building reads "Jaffa Municipal Boundary" in English, Arabic, and Hebrew script. In another part of the city, men carry heavy loads on their backs in the street; in this neighborhood, signs show English and Arabic, but no Hebrew. Very dark shots of children inside a building. A minaret rises above the busy streets. A group of men wearing fezzes sit on a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean. A man shovels in darkened surroundings. Two police officers ride horses through the street. Quick panning shot of a rural landscape with buildings under construction in the foreground.
Note(s)
Film can label reads "Palestine, Russia". The original Kodak film contains a 1934/54 date code [plus/circle] Robert Gessner published a book in 1936 about his overseas travels called "Some of my Best Friends Are Jews"
Subjects
- ARABS
- CONSTRUCTION
- HEBREW
- CHILDREN (JEWISH)
- BUSES
- BUSINESSES
- CAMELS
- POLICE
- WORKERS
- CITIES
- JEWS
- WOMEN
- STREETS
- JEWISH LIFE (PRE-WAR)
- ORTHODOX JEWS
- PALESTINE
Places
- , Palestine
Genre
- Film
- Amateur.