Tour de Saigon (14/8/1955)
Source: NARA (National Archives and Records Administration)
http://research.archives.gov/description/66629
http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/vietnam-22665-tour-de-saigon
Summary: Film shows three military personnel, Army, Navy and Air Force, touring Saigon, Indo-China on their day off. (Shot list to follow.) Starts at 11': SLATE: TOUR DE SAIGON. SAIGON, INDO-CHINA. CAMERAMAN: KESSINGER. 14 AUGUST 55. 16' MCU Air Force, Army and Navy men sitting at a table in a sidewalk cafe -- small shoeshine boy comes in frame left and starts shining the Air Force man's shoes. 27' CU shoeshine boy putting polish on shoes. 43' CU shoeshine boy's face. 56' MCU three men sitting at table at sidewalk cafe -- boulevard with cars and bicycles passing can be seen in bg. Navy man points up in the air. 70' Reverse angle of the same scene. Camera pans up to show three monkeys in large tree in bg. The three men then get up. 85' MS reverse angle showing the three men getting up from the table and walking toward camera -- they stop and look upward. 100' MS showing monkey climbing around in tree, camera pans slightly right to show another monkey climbing in tree. 112' MS showing the three servicemen walking toward the camera in grassy area between two streets. Balloon vendors in fg try to get servicemen to buy balloons. 133' Sidewalk scene of the Viet-Nam people in native clothing walking by. 139' MLS traffic policeman in center of street standing on what appears to be a half barrel. 150' MS four Viet-Nam people walking by. Camera pans left with two girls, one girl in dark clothes hides her face. Camera stops on the three servicemen, girls go out frame left. 162' MS car parked in street, the three servicemen walk into frame left and get into car -- car pulls out frame left. MLS doly, taken fram car, showing various shops and markets along the side of the street. 210' Car parked at the curb, the three servicemen get out of car and walk toward a large white building in bg. This is the Independant Building, or the Dinh Doc Lap. 233' MS back of two guards, one has a rifle -- three servicemen can be seen across the street as they walk toward the guards, stop and spea,k to the guards. CU faces of the guards as they give directions to the men. 277' MS pan of the three servicemen as they talk to the guards -- the servicemen walk left toward a gate. 290' MS iron gate, three servicemen walk away from guards and walk up and look through entrance. 300' LS the Dinh Doc Lap to the Independant Building. MCU three servicemen -- the Air Force man picks up a tea set, looks at it, then places it back on stall. Several scenes as the three servicemen walk down narrow street in the central market -- then walk out of the market and back to the car. 404' SLATE: TOUR DE SAIGON. INDO-CHINA. CAMERAMAN: KESSINGER. 14 AUGUST 55. 408' LS from the sidewalk cafe showing a number of potted flowers -- in the fg chairs and tables, in bg tree with three monkeys climbing around. The servicemen walk in scene; car with the three servicemen drives into view and parks at curb at frame left. 488' MS SV three servicemen getting out of car as a pedi-cab goes by. 505' SLATE: TOUR DE SAIGON. SAIGON, INDO-CHINA. CAMERAMAN: KESSINGER. 14 AUGUST 55. 510' LS flagpole with several flags -- main flag appears to be the French tri-color, lower down is a cross bar with three flags, tied on the right is the American flag -- the other two are unidentifiable. Camera pans down the flagpole to show the Navy and Air Force men standing at the base of the flagpole -- Army man is in fg taking picture of the other two men. 545' CU street sign with initials TRIM, which stand for Training Relations Instructions Mission -- the same words are spelled in French. Camera pans down to show the three servicemen walking down street toward car parked underneath the TRIM sign -- they enter car. 581' LS street scene in Saigon, in medium bg is one of the largest churches in Saigon. The three men enter from frame left, walk across street, dodging traffic, walk directly toward the front of the church. Camera then pans upward to show two steeples. 625' LS directly down the avenue showing the entire church. 632' Shot of men walking on the gravel walk toward the camera, walking up to a statue in front of the church and looking at the inscription on the stone.
