Looking at London (1946) User Reviews

Postwar England

[nickenchuggets · 8/10 · 7 April 2024]

While many people would say New York is the most varied and impressive city in the world, I would think London deserves the title more as it has stood alone against the Nazis, been attacked in numerous wars, and still manages to remain a hub of trade, culture and vibrancy even to this day. This Traveltalks (which is more interesting than usual) goes over London right after World War II is concluded, and shows some of the landmarks that have survived the biggest war humanity has ever seen. For centuries, the city has been inhabited by such illustrious men as Henry VIII, Shakespeare, Oliver Cromwell, and countless others who have contributed to making Britain arguably the mightiest country in history. We start by looking at the Bank of England, then at a marble arch that serves as a gateway to the famous Hyde Park, where brits gather to enjoy diversions. Buckingham Palace, probably the most well known building in britain, comes into view. Before being bought by King George III, it was made by the Duke of Buckingham all for himself. A monument outside is dedicated to Queen Victoria. At the western side of Trafalgar Square, we see Admiralty Archway, which is also part of the memorial to Queen Victoria. Dominating the square is a monument dedicated to Horatio Nelson, the esteemed naval commander whose victory over French and Spanish forces during the time of Napoleon allowed britain to have total control of the seas for another century. Next, we see evidence of bomb damage at the London Port of Authority Building, which has a huge tower on its top story, the latter having every one of its offices destroyed (except one). Another place badly hit by bombs was The Temple, best known as the former headquarters of the Knights Templar. Since the 1300s, it has mostly been used by lawyers. Near Saint Paul's Cathedral, entire city blocks were destroyed, but the church itself is perfectly fine. Strangely, a species of flower that apparently hasn't been seen since the 1600s has been sighted near the cathedral, which is symbolic since London will eventually heal from the scars of war. Marching through the streets are members of the First British Expeditionary Force: First World War veterans who participated in the Battle of the Marne in 1914. They inflicted such losses on Germany that Kaiser Wilhelm called them "contemptibles." In keeping with british humor, members of the force started referring to themselves as that ever since. Fitzpatrick gets on a double decker bus to go to Picadilly, which summarizes the postwar feeling more than anywhere else, and then visits Westminster Palace. Big Ben stands beside the House of Parliament, which boasts 1100 rooms and 2 miles worth of passages. Something unexpected lies closeby, where we see a statue of Abraham Lincoln. I say unexpected because during the Civil War, britain came close to declaring war on the US following an incident which involved Confederate diplomats being seized from a british ship. Britain moved troops to Canada and threatened to attack America, but Lincoln backed down and ordered the diplomats to be let go. I think it's important how Fitzpatrick showed some of the devastation caused to britain during the war, and while he shows much, there were much worse incidents. The germans had a type of bomb during the war that had an explosive force capable of leveling more than 200 houses in one blast, though it was rarely dropped on britain. It's frankly pretty sickening when you think about it. It's hard to believe we're now out of the era of ww2 Traveltalks, as Fitzpatrick says with the war over, things can only improve for London. Overall, I thought this one was more interesting than most others in the series, especially since it's so soon after the war.

No one really knows how many people have been slain . . .

[tadpole-596-918256 · 6/10 · 25 March 2018]

. . . in your own backyard, favorite picnic area, or on your local ball field during the past million years or so. LOOKING AT LONDON is narrated with the attitude that normal people WANT to know that this small pile of ashes was "Bill Shakespeare's" original draft of TWELFTH NIGHT, or that those smoking embers were once the final resting place chopping block for the noggins of "Annie Boleyn, Walt Raleigh, and King Chuck I." There's way too much historical stuff and famous art work still around for any one person to view it all in even a dozen lifetimes (largely because a few parochial nations insist upon making the "Kodak Moment" process highly expensive, time-consuming, and inefficient by REFUSING to move their most important relics to Arizona for safe-keeping: London Bridge has been kept from falling down ever since it was relocated to near the Grand Canyon decades ago--what are The Great Pyramids, Notre Dame Cathedral, and that Tower of Pizza waiting for, an engraved invitation?) LOOKING AT LONDON strives for a melancholy tone likely to cause viewers to vow NEVER to set foot in England. But the fact of the matter is that if you're the first one in a couple centuries to dig down 10 feet virtually ANYWHERE on this globe, you're simply bound to unearth a few human skeletons before working up a sweat.

This could have been much cheerier . . .

[charlytully · 6/10 · 23 July 2011]

. . . if credited producer\director (and probable uncredited writer) James A. FitzPatrick would have put London's WWII bruises in some sort of historical context. I'm not planning to re-dub this short, but even dispensing with thousands of dollars worth of fact-checking, it is clear from the 10 minutes of footage shown here that the Nazi V-rocket attack achieved nowhere near the level of destruction of total city infrastructure as the Great Fire of London (1666, give or take 500 years). Further, several waves of bubonic plague and small pox epidemics wiped out a much more substantial percentage of Londoners than Hitler managed with all his marks worth of rocketry and Luftwaffe bombing runs. Though I saw this short in color, the memory of it lingers so grimly I could swear it was a black & white piece. If rival travel commentary pro Paul Harvey had tackled this "it's safe to see Big Ben again" piece, I'm sure he would have been much less of a gloomy Gus than Mr. FitzPatrick acquits himself as here. Since being upbeat seems the whole point of this LOOKING AT London, it is too bad the narrator miscast himself thus.

Impressive TravelTalk

[Michael_Elliott · 6 March 2009]

Looking at London (1946)

*** (out of 4)

Another entry in MGM's TravelTalk series this time taking a look at London with such sites as Buckingham Palace, the Bank of England, Hyde Park, the various bridges and much more. This series paid quite a few visits to England so the sites here aren't anything new but what is new is that this was filmed just years after WW2 so we get to see some of the destruction caused by the war. We get to see various buildings that were involved in bombings and this includes the birthplace of Charles and Mary Lamb. While the documentary does look at many bombed sites, it also wants to make clear that the British people are very strong and moving out in repairing their cities.

The London Blitz and the Buzz Bomb Rockets . . .

[oscaralbert · 6/10 · 3 December 2019]

. . . of World War Two ACTUALLY instigated a badly-needed urban renewal program, LOOKING AT LONDON reveals. As one specific example of this, the narrator notes that St. Paul's Cathedral was shielded from many pre-war tourists' view by clusters of towering "derelict" buildings. But just as Bob McNamara's fire-bombing of Tokyo enabled that Modern Metropolis to rise from its ashes like a Phoenix, Der Fuhrer's improvement of St. Paul's sight lines makes the Blitz a win-win for London: It leveled blocks and blocks of ungainly serf housing, and it was all paid for courtesy of Germany. The artistic Austrian corporal even managed to promote the preservation of some endangered species, observes LOOKING AT LONDON's urban explorer, by unleashing the rare "Fire Flowers" for the first time since 1666. No doubt this self-proclaimed "Voice of the Globe" is related to that dude who asked Mrs. Lincoln "Other than that, how did you like the play?"

Battered But Unbowed

[boblipton · 7/10 · 3 December 2019]

James A. Fitzpatrick sends the Technicolor cameras to London under the supervision of Virgil Miller and S.D. Onions. It's the first Traveltalk shot away from the Americas since before the War, and surprisingly for the series, it's not a bunch of picture postcards intended to lure the tourist with the pretty sights. Although it is bookended by normality, more than half of it recounts the destruction that war had wrought on the cities, with St. Paul's standing amidst ruin, and a gutted government office building, with one window showing a typist, still at work.

It's practically the first acknowledgement in the series that there was a war at all. Still, after the tough, proud documentaries like LONDON CAN TAKE IT and THIS IS LONDON, there was no point in claiming that things were normal.

The copy of this that plays occasionally on TCM is one of the best preserved and presented of the series.

Scenes & Views In Old London Town

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 20 March 2002]

An MGM TRAVELTALK Short Subject.

While LOOKING AT LONDON in this little film we are shown some of the major sights of this mighty capital: Buckingham Palace, the Bank of England, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus.

After gazing at bomb damage left from the Blitz, we are left to contemplate majestic St. Paul's Cathedral.

This is one of a large series of succinct travelogues turned out by MGM, beginning in the 1930's. They featured Technicolor views of beautiful & unusual sights around the globe, as well as vivid, concise commentary. These films were produced & narrated by James A. FitzPatrick.

fascinating time capsule

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 21 June 2023]

TravelTalks returns to London after the bombings. Most of the rubble have been cleared, but the destroyed buildings are still standing in testimony to the war damage. There are plenty of men in military uniforms. There is no obvious signs of a large scale reconstruction yet.

TravelTalks episodes are not always great time capsules. Old buildings are often the same despite the era. This one is unique in taking a snapshot at a specific time after the war. I would love to know the exact dates of these footages. The most compelling shots are snippets of bombed out buildings. Those buildings are gone forever. This may be the last image of what was. This is also important to show the American public that London still stands after all the destruction.

A look at London after the WWII blitz...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 14 August 2008]

The narrator is quick to point out that although the blitz during WWII did destroy many buildings in London, many did survive intact. And, of course, the British spirit never died. Once the war was over, the renewal began with the building and reconstruction of the city. This is a typical James A. FitzPatrick TravelTalk short subject.

We get a glimpse of London sites--the Thames, the bridges, the Bank of England, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, and monuments to Queen Victoria and Lord Nelson. All of these buildings and Piccadilly Circus survived.

Then we're shown some of the damaged buildings, foremost among them being the birthplace of Charles and Mary Lamb and some ruins surrounding St. Paul's Cathedral. The cathedral itself was miraculously undamaged and stands proud and tall above the ruins.

A closing section deals with the British spirit to survive the scars of war and the assurance that the rebuilding will soon begin.

Aside from the monuments for Queen Victoria and Lord Nelson, we're also shown a statue of Abraham Lincoln near Buckingham Palace, proof of the good relationship Great Britain has with the United States.

essential viewing for historians

[skiddoo · 7 August 2011]

Views of damage in London are hard to find in postwar movies. Passport to Pimlico is a rare exception, as is this travelogue. Still to come for plucky peacetime London are additional years of rationing and the killer smog of 1952. The effect of coal smoke is clearly evident in the dark cast to all the buildings. (Yes, I know they also had fires from bombs.) It's no wonder one reviewer remembered this as black and white. Between the condition of the buildings and the fading of the film, it nearly is! :)

Looking at this as an opportunity to rebuild on better lines with more appreciation for the landmarks is of course the right way to view the devastation. Sometimes it takes a disaster to put things on a better path.

I doubt I would have appreciated these travelogues when they first came out but as history, wow, they are sensational. They went all over Europe right up to the start of war and went back right afterward. Incredible. I hope they are restored some day and kept in an archive for future historians.