Soldiers relax at the French Riviera

Identifier
irn562927
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • RG-60.0159
Dates
1 Jan 1945 - 31 Dec 1945
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • Silent
Source
EHRI Partner

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Murray Goldblatt was U.S. soldier who served during World War II in Belgium, France, Czechoslovakia and Germany from 1943 to 1945, most likely with the 15th Finance Corps. Born in Brooklyn to a Jewish family, Murray worked in the family's hardware store before enlisting with the Army on January 23, 1943. After his release on December 27, 1945, Murray returned to New York and later settled in Princeton, NJ with longtime partner Jim Kane. He was an accountant by profession and active in GPP (Gay People of Princeton). Murray rarely spoke of his experiences during World War II even though he documented his travels on five reels of film with his personal movie camera.

Scope and Content

In color, the coast of the French Riviera comes into view from the plane. Street scenes on the Riviera. Murray poses in front of the beach. People sunbathing on rock beaches. “Positively no whistling or stamping allowed.” Various shots of the Riviera from different perspectives. American flag waving. Murray on a boat. More coastline scenes on the beach. Murray in a canoe. Street and beach scenes of civilians. Grass. Planes take off. View from mid-flight on the return to Pilsen.

Note(s)

  • Refer to Murray Goldblatt's shotlist describing the scenes and places in his five reels of 16mm film (100ft).

  • This film was preserved with a 2018 National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF) grant.

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.