Venezuela " Oil Builds a Nation " (1972)
1972 · Short film · 16 min
Synopsis
Distributed by Encyclopedia Britannica Educational Corporation, this 1972 film opens with footage of aspects of the Venezuelan oil industry including oil rigs, various parts of the South American landscape, and natural wildlife including snakes and native flowers. At 01:05, a map of the country is shown, followed by some narrated history of Venezuela's colonial roots and crop-growing origins. Merida, Barquisimeto, Valencia, and Caracas are major Venezuelan cities shown on the map, followed by a brief narration of primitive agricultural methods. The country's Great plains, or Llanos, are described from 02:35 as vast, infertile lands bordering the Orinoco River at their edges. The Orinoco River is one of the longest rivers in South America and floods often. Guayana, the jungle region nearby containing the highest waterfall on earth - Angel Falls - was uninhabited and mostly unused before an oil well blew out for a week at nearby Lake Maracaibo on December 14, 1922, and changed the region forever (04:02-04:47). Venezuelan workers drill and service the wells and barges for North American owned oil companies around the clock (04:50-05:30). One such worker, Juan Ramirez, is profiled in the film along with his large family. Footage of Juan at work on the oil barge, as well as his children and his comfortable, nicely built home are depicted, emphasizing the middle-class life his oil wages afford him (05:09-06:48). At 06:51, schools and other staples of Venezuelan life are shows to…
Uploader's description on archive.org
Details
- Running time
- 16 minutes
- Collection
- Ephemeral Films
Subjects on the Internet Archive
- Venezuela
- Oil
- nation
- Builds
- 1972
- Petroleum
- Stock Footage
