Gessner returns to ruins in Egypt

Identifier
irn553833
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2014.534
  • RG-60.1828
Dates
1 Jan 1934 - 31 Dec 1934
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • Silent
Source
EHRI Partner

Creator(s)

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 rowing a boat along a river. A young boy stands on rocks, looking at the camera. Other boys float along in small boats. Some swim through the water. People on the banks of the river walk past, looking at the camera. A boy jumps from a wall into the water and swims towards the boat. 01:07:19 A man looks at the Aswan Dam from ground level. Water forcefully runs through the dam. Gessner’s friend on top of the dam points outwards. Another boy jumps into water. Young children use hand paddles to move their small boats along in a line formation through the water. 01:08:17 Gessner? rides a donkey. He hits the donkey, whipping it with its reins in an attempt to get it to move. Adults spar using large metal bars. One falls on the ground and the others pull him out of the way. People stand around in town. Gessner? now rides a white donkey lead by a local man. 01:08:29 “Agfa 1935” 01:09:31 Great Pyramid of Giza. Two men stand on a rock at the base of the pyramid. The head of the Great Sphinx of Giza. WS of the Pyramid of Giza with the Sphinx in the foreground. A man stands looking out over the Nile River. Sailboats move through the water. 01:10:55 Nazi flag flying next to the flag of Egypt. Man looks out from the tower of a mosque next to the Temple of Luxor. Pans right to the ruins of the temple featuring two standing statues, one of which is missing its head. CU of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on the side of the stone chair for the Colossus of Ramesses II. Camera tilts up on the Colossus above. ECU of the hieroglyphs. INT ruins. Avenue of sphinxes outside of the Temple. Road leads into the avenue of sphinxes. INT ruins shot. Aerial view of the avenue of sphinxes, taken from the top of the temple. Palm trees, with the Nile and a mountain range beyond.

Note(s)

  • Robert Gessner published a book in 1936 about his overseas travels called "Some of my Best Friends Are Jews"

Subjects

Places

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.