Assignment: Venezuela
Assignment: Venezuela is a short film from 1956 released on 16mm. It is held in the Prelinger Archives collection.
Tells the story of an American oil company executive who is about to relocate with his family to Venezuela.
21:00:55:02 Venezuelan airline Linea Aeropostal Venezuela plane taxiing on runway; film title superimposed over shot and production credit; American man steps out of plan at Maracaibo Airport in Venezuela, Maracaibo is the second largest city in Venezuela after Caracas; great shot man reads from Spanish phrase book and tries to asks where his luggage is, airport worker says he doesn t understand no comprende
21:02:40:17 CU 1956 Venezuela license plate number XL-29-23 on back of a Ford Fairlane, 1950s Ford Fairlane drives away from camera through Maracaibo Airport parking lot; VS wealthy neighborhood in Maracaibo, Venezuela, 1956 Ford Fairlane in most shots; modern apartment buildings in Maracaibo, the Vandissel apartment building; Ford Fairlane drives past large department store with huge sign Gran Venta Especial ; used car parking lot full of American cars from 1950s.
21:03:49:16 Government Palace of the Zulia State in Venezuela, Venezuelan flag waves on top of building.
21:04:12:17 1950 convertible Ford Fairlane pulls up to the modern Hotel del Lago; hotel guests relaxing by the pool.
21:04:41:23 CU disembodied hand holding pen writes letter in cursive on white page; letter says man is at the pool relaxing and will write the next day from Lagunillas where he will be visiting the oil fields, signed Jim; cut to mother reading the man s letter to two their two sons, mother pulls out atlas; CU disembodied woman s hand with red painted nails points to United States on map, then points out Venezuela; CU woman points out Maracaibo on map of Venezuala then traces finger over to where the Lake Maracaibo oil fields are; mother tells boys that they are going to move to Venezuela.
21:05:30:15 Man in red and white pajamas sits at desk with two framed BW pictures of wife and kids and writes a letter, audio track disembodied man s voice reading the letter he is drafting Dear Anne, here I am at Lagunillas in the oil fields
21:05:38:23 Pan over Maracaibo over Lake Maracaibo; two American men on ferry crossing Lake Maracaibo; high-angle shot two men in convertible Ford Fairline from 1950s pull out of ferry boat; VS along road to Lagunillas oil wells tracing path of 1950s Ford Fairlane; VS Creole oil company office in Lagunillas.
21:08:23:09 Boat pulls out of pier onto Lake Maracaibo, Venezuelan flag on back of rusty boat; VS oil wells in Lake Maracaibo; rusty boat pulls up to oil well; two men wearing silver hardhats working for Creole oil company climb onto oil well platform in middle of lake; CU gas pressure gauge; boat sails toward Creole oil company floating plant in middle of Lake Maracaibo, 7 miles offshore; VS workers for Creole oil company working on oil rig.
21:11:12:10 Great shot looking up the steel tower of an oil well.
21:11:54:24 Great shot of Creole Oil company s worker and staff housing; houses are nestled between what look like oil wells; man walks up staircase to front door of stilted house, Venezuelan couple shows man around their two bedroom house, two men and woman drink a beer together.
21:13:14:23 LS Quonset Hut, man knocks on door of hut and is let in; VS man shows other man around the Quonset Hut
21:14:07:12 VS worker community around Lake Maracaibo, dozens of oil wells visible in lake; people relaxing by the pool; VS man checking out women by the pool; man dives into pool off high dive; LS Creole dispensary; nurse gives boy an injection in his buttocks, mother watches; boy wincing as nurse gives boy injection; Creole Oil Company school; woman shows man elementary school classroom in session, VS White children learning Spanish.
21:15:57:07 LS Creole Oil refinery in Amuay, Venezuela; VS Amuay residential area.
21:16:57:06 LS Maiquetia Airport outside of Caracas; late 1950s car heads up the Alta Vista highway; car passes through mountain tunnel; VS mountainous highway leading to Caracas; pan up highway leading into Caracas; Simon Bolivar twin towers in downtown Caracas, highways cut between the two large buildings; high-angle shot from inside Simon Bolivar building looking down over highway; VS from car driving through Caracas; Cinzano sign; 1950s modern apartments, mural onside of building; modern private home hanging out over hillside on platform; old Spanish style mansion estates.
21:20:27:05 Pan over Caracas and the university and university stadium; VS huge low-rent apartment buildings clustered on the hillside.
21:21:03:28 Pan over Caracas shop window filled with televisions and other electrical gadgets, audio track the shop windows filled with goods purchased in the United States
21:21:31:10 Plaza Bolivar; CU statue of Simon Bolivar; Casa Natal del Liberatador, the birthplace of Simon Bolivar in Caracas, man enters is the old colonial house.
21:22:32:08 VS 1950s American men enter classroom of Spanish school in Caracas; teacher asks in Spanish where he works, man answers in Spanish that he works for Creole Petroleum Corporation in Lagunilla.
21:23:00:16 Man waiting for plane to arrive at airport, Creole gas tanker on runway, man checks watch, looks up to loudspeaker making announcement in Spanish; CU loudspeaker, announces flight 201 from Miami is arriving; man waves to family exiting Linea Aeropostal Venezuela plane; mother and two boys wave to man as they exit plane; Venezuelan porter brings out bags for White family, father starts to speak Spanish to tell them they have more bags, wife interrupts and speaks Spanish, then little boy says in Spanish the little bag is his then tells father he has been studying Spanish too.
21:24:49:02 LS dozens of oil wells in Lake Maracaibo at sunset.| Assignment: Venezuela | |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Sound Masters, Inc. |
Production companies | Sound Masters, Inc. |
| Distributed by | Sound Masters, Inc. |
Release date | 1956 |
Running time | 24:18 |
| Language | English |
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