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Hello.
Up for sale is 2000 feet of 16mm Kodachrome Home Movies shot in 1959 and
1960. This camera original silent film (double sprockets) documents the
historic Capetown to Cairo Airstream caravan led by Airstream founder Wally
Byam. The film is in excellent condition with no warping, no shrinkage, and no
VS. The color is absolutely stunning. The cinematography is superb. All
shots are all incredibly solid and there is almost no panning. The few panning
shots you’ll see are nice and slow and expertly performed. All of the original
glue splices are tight and the film runs perfect from start to finish. At
18fps, this amazing film runs about an hour and ten minutes.
Please
note I have not copied this film. This is a one-of-a-kind item that has
never been copied. I purchased this film from a relative of the cinematographer,
Joe Bos. Joe and his wife “Toots” traveled on several of the Wally Byam
caravans – this being the most famous. Since purchasing this footage I have had
numerous requests for copies. I’ll let the new owner of this incredible film
decide its fate.
To
view nearly 200 screen shots taken from this reel of film, click these links.
You won’t be disappointed.
http://webpages.charter.net/philnorm/wally1.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/philnorm/wally2.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/philnorm/wally3.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/philnorm/wally4.jpg
For
those of you unfamiliar with Wally Byam and his caravans, I suggest you
research him on the internet. There is a lot of information on this amazing
man. Also, there was a professional film crew that documented the Capetown to Cairo
year-long adventure. That one hour show, narrated by Jose Ferrer, can be seen
in its entirety (in four parts) on YouTube. Simply go to YouTube, search for
“Wally Byam” and you’ll find the show. Please keep in mind this film is not
that show. These are original Home Movies taken during that caravan.
Joe
Bos left notes on this film and they are included with this sale. Although they
don’t cover all of the sequences you’ll see, they hit the major events. There
are many, many dance sequences that aren’t mentioned. Here are the
photographer’s notes:
“Leaving
home; Fire drill on the boat; Unloading at Capetown; Around Capetown and
Helderberg College; Begin Caravan; Safari Ostrich farm at Outshorn; Natives on
way to East London; Bethel College at Butterworth; Shembe religious dances at
Umtata neat; Durbin; Barbeque at Ladysmith; Voertrekker dance at Mazelspoort,
Bloomfontaine; Gold mine dances at Johannesburg; Pretoria; Natives in village
near Pretoria; Swaziland; Kibo Falls; Victoria Falls; Monastery and Bro Henry; Chief
Welcomes us; Cotton market and natives along road in Congo; Kisemyi or Goma on
Lake Kivu; Rwankeri Mission
Native
dances by Watusies in camp; Pygmies at Mt. Hoyo;
Camel trains northern Kenya; Isiola Bore well; Wajir British outpost; Begin
Ethiopia; Mega hill; Mud holes; Massaua; Red Sea salt flats; Sudan; Desert; Loading
trailer on flat cars Khartoum to Wady Halfa; Loading on barges Wady Halfa to
Aswan Egypt; Down the Nile.”
For
the most part, I’ll let my screen shots do the talking. I’ve seen this film
five times and can truly say it becomes more amazing each time it is viewed.
Not only is the photography excellent, but the imagery is nothing less than
spectacular. And Joe Bos was not afraid to position himself in the midst of the
action. For some of the dance sequences, he was standing elbow to elbow with
the dancers. His sense of composition and his capacity for capturing action
sequences was phenomenal. Joe was nothing less than a consummate professional.
On a scale of one to ten for Home Movie makers, Joe Bos was a ten. Joe also had
the good sense to let the camera roll. You won’t see any quickie 5-second shots
here. Nice long shots with little panning makes this reel of film a pleasure to
watch.
Keep
in mind that these Airstream travelers were treated as visiting Royalty
wherever they went. Tribes went all out to welcome them and give them a show
they’d never forget. The dance sequences in this film (and there are many!!)
are nothing short of fantastic.
When
I purchased this film, it came on two 16mm reels, each reel containing about
1100 feet of footage. Both reels had canisters, and both reels came in Compco
film boxes. Joe’s notes are taped to the inside of the canisters, and
hand-written notes adorn the outsides of the Compco boxes. All of these reels,
canisters, and boxes will be included with the 2000-foot reel that now holds
the film. This reel also comes with a 2000-foot canister. The reason I combined
the two reels is that I wanted to screen this film for a local Airstream Club
here in Wisconsin, and one reel
was easier than two. I also wanted to make the film as close to an hour as I
could, which is why I removed three long sequences from the original films. All
three of these sequences show various animals – most seen from a distance. This
footage, about 300 feet, will also be included in the sale. I made notes as to
where it was removed from the original reels so you could, if you so desire,
replace the shots in sequence. In other words, every single frame of film shot
by Joe Bos on this African caravan will be yours.
This
film is not only historic, it will become one of the most (if not the
most) spectacular films in your 16mm collection.
The
winning USA
bidder will receive free Media Shipping with Delivery Confirmation and full
insurance. For Canada and Overseas bidders, unless you want to pay full
price for all of the metal reels and canisters (along with the 2300 feet of
film), I suggest splitting the 2000 feet of film in half, and mounting each half
on a core. The additional 300 feet of animal footage will also be put on a
core. All of the film, and the photographer’s notes, will then fit into a Flat
Rate Priority box that can be shipped at a cost of $40. And because this film has never been copied, I cannot accept returns (sorry). I have no way of knowing if the film has been copied once it leaves my hands. The film is, however, everything I say it is. Thanks and good luck!By the way, even before listing this film, I received an extremely generous offer. However, I am posting it on eBay so that all interested parties may have equal chance to own this film.
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