Holiday travelogue exploring the Finistère department of Brittany, France. Titles and a commentary provide insight into the various sights and Breton traditions, including St. Michael’s Mount, Quimper pottery manufacture, and the beaches of Dinard and St. Lunaire. Title – A Hallmark Production Title – Finistère 1954 Title – Photographed and edited by J. Eric Hall The film opens with an illustrated map of Brittany followed by the corner of a handkerchief embroidered with the Breton coat of...

Holiday travelogue exploring the Finistère department of Brittany, France. Titles and a commentary provide insight into the various sights and Breton traditions, including St. Michael’s Mount, Quimper pottery manufacture, and the beaches of Dinard and St. Lunaire. Title – A Hallmark Production Title – Finistère 1954 Title – Photographed and edited by J. Eric Hall The film opens with an illustrated map of Brittany followed by the corner of a handkerchief embroidered with the Breton coat of arms. Title – Brittany – Mighty granite wedge, jewel of innumerable facets… Title – …Poised thro’ countless centuries in piquant defiance of its relentless suitor…the sea Waves crash over rocks and onto a sandy beach. Title – Finistère – Land’s end, where ‘twould seem a myriad of these facets crowd impatiently upon each other… A small fabric patch bearing the crests of various towns in the départmente of Finistère, including Brest and Marlaix, is shown. Various items associated with this area of Brittany are seen, such as a picnic basket with butter and eggs, a pottery plate, and a doll in traditional Breton dress. Title – But there is a boundary stone at which our thoughts must start Title – That dream-like pyramid, carved like a cameo…Mont Saint-Michel Mont Saint-Michel is seen from a distance across a beach. On the island, visitors ascend steps up to the monastery. Title – The world sits fair upon the sun-drenched beaches of… Dinard, St. Lunaire The beach at St. Lunaire is covered with striped beach huts, and people play beach volleyball. Title – Perros Guirec, La Baule People play tennis on a court next to a beach, with wind rustling the trees. Another, much busier, beach is covered with people sunbathing. Title – But some must toil to reap the sea’s rich harvest An illustrated map shows the coastal region between Brest and Quimper. Fish caught off the Spanish coast fill wooden crates, as fishermen unload their catch. Barrels are lowered onto boats using ropes, and a fisherman shows off a catch of octopus and crabs. Title – Whilst others sit and wait… Women in black with white caps sit by a wall and knit. Title – Til time no longer counts A horse-drawn hearse waits outside a church. Clergymen exit, followed by coffin-bearers and mourners, and the procession leads off to the graveyard. Title – Softly flow the rivers ‘midst a countryside and people seemingly oblivious of a modern changing world… In Châteaulin, women kneel on the banks of the river and wash their laundry. At the market, older women still wear traditional lace bonnets. Farmers’ daughters and wives offer produce for sale, including eggs, butter, cheese, and live chickens. One woman buys a hen and carries it away in a string bag. At Perros-Guirec, young women sell lace and handmade caps and bonnets. Title – Quimper astride its tranquil river, centre of exquisite ceramic art since before the 14th century By the river in Quimper, goods are unloaded from freight barges. The commentary notes that barges bring sand and clay to pottery and china manufacturers, which have been producing goods for hundreds of years. Craftsmen and women are seen at work, throwing and decorating the pottery. A woman and young man inspect a display of the finished wares. Title – Age-old customs, dolmens and belfries… An elderly man wearing a black hat with velvet ribbons lifts a glass of red wine to his nose. In the street, a man with an easel paints the church tower. A clergyman in rich red robes is seen processing through a crowd. The Finistère motif is seen again. Title – The End