British Pathe

Travelogue looking at winter sports of Czechoslovakia.

Begins with footage of skier making his way though the snowy landscapes. Snow on the trees, snowy water trickling through stones etc.

Czechoslovakian people are seen making their way to church. Narrator gives us a little history...

Travelogue looking at winter sports of Czechoslovakia.

Begins with footage of skier making his way though the snowy landscapes. Snow on the trees, snowy water trickling through stones etc.

Czechoslovakian people are seen making their way to church. Narrator gives us a little history of the Czech people. We are visiting the High Tatra mountains on Slovakia's Polish border. A little girl is seen holding a bible in her hand. "These Czechoslovak people beg westerners to visit them on their holidays notwithstanding the political situation." states the narrator.

Two young women climb out of a van in front of the Hotel Bellevue. They are two English girls who have come to Czechoslovakia for a spring holiday on skis. Interior of the hotel. Man mashes up a desert and smiles at his girlfriend.

C/U of sign for the Kaviaren Ski Club. Various shots of people grabbing skis and climbing on board a train. Glamour shot of a girl in the snow.

Cable car transports skiers to the slopes. Shots from on board the cable car. Holidaymakers admire the stunning views. Other tourists reach the top the hard way - rock climbing amongst the snow. Various shots of two men making their way up a very steep rock face.

Glamorous girl jumps on a ski lift. Shots of skiers passing underneath. Various views of the piste including children playing in the snow. "You would never know up here that there was a fierce political struggle going on" says the narrator over a shot of a man sunbathing propped up against his skis.

A group of young people have a meal in a ski-slope restaurant at the top of the mountain. They eat "cut price sausages and beer" and enjoy it. C/U of girls eating sausages and drinking pints of beer.

More footage of the skiing. One of the skier falls and the Mountain Rescue team springs into action. They ski to the fallen skier and perform emergency first aid. Various shots of them applying a splint to the skiers leg and lifting them onto a stretcher. They enfold the skier in a blanket and then drag them behind them as they ski off.

Woman makes the sign of a cross as she passes one of the many crucifixes to be found at Czechoslovakian cross-roads.

Footage of a night out at a shepherd's mountain refuge which has been turned into a "swinging restaurant" A violinist plays for the diners and they seem to be singing drinking songs and having a great time. Two girls walk up to the night-spot where "whatever the international problems one can still join in international gaiety!"