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United Nations Mekong River Project (1964)

1964 · Short film · 24 min

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Synopsis

Shell Mekong River Project” was produced in 1964, exploring the cultural and geographical significance of the Mekong river. It explains how Shell’s project intends to protect the region from seasonal flooding and drought. A man standing, praying, on banks of the Mekong. Title card overlaid (:16-:41). Map showing passage of entire river through Asia. Credits overlaid (:42-1:00). Aerial shots of mountains of Tibetan plateau (1:01-1:17). Close ups on small streams and a waterfall, the source of Mekong (1:18-1:35). Aerial shots of narrow Mekong, and wider Mekong in the ‘lower basin’ (1:36-1:46). A man paddles a fishing canoe down rapids. Close ups on rapids. Shots of mountains surrounding river (1:47-2:15). Man steers canoe into calm main watercourse of river. Various aerial shots of Mekong, now very wide. Camera zoom out over shoulder of a Buddha sculpture (2:16-2:55). Shots of various parts of a temple (2:56-3:06). A group of musicians accompany a masked figure in a public ceremony (3:07-3:17). Men throw themselves into the river. People wash the feet of a monk, carried in a litter. Water spills over the head of a Buddha statue (3:18-3:36). Long shot of winding stretch of Mekong, then closer shots on river rapids (3:37-4:11). Aerial shots of a rural area. Shots of river passing various Cambodian cities (4:49-5:04). Aerial shots of Phnom Penh (5:05-5:26). Rows of long canoes gathered at banks of river. The teams begin to race one another (5:27-6:10). Goods unloaded from a port…

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Details

Running time
24 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

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