Other titles:MARSHALL PLAN FILMS [Allocated Series Title]
Summary:Technicolour film introducing the "Cave city" of Matera in Italy and building work funded by the European Recovery Programme.
Description:Scenes of the quarrying of tufa open the film, as the narrator explains its abundance and widespread usage as a building material in southern Italy. This usage is then shown in images of plazas, stairways and the architectural detail of churches. The historic architectural development of the city of Matera is briefly described over a panning panorama of its buildings. The city has been dug in to the rockface. Interior scenes suggest the difficulty of domestic living in a home dug in to rock. Following a close up of a sign for VIA SETTE DOLORI, the film depicts light industrial activity, dominated by craftsmen. Children are shown at both play and work. The narrator states that, while much can be produced here, there is no hope. As contrast, the film then moves to the new areas of Matera being built, with modern methods and standards. The exterior of the Palazzo del Governo is shown, as is a traffic policeman directing traffic outside the Camera di Commercio. Though half of the city's population continue to reside in the historical caves, European Recovery Programme funds are being used to build new homes. Tufa is still the primary building material. The film stresses the importance of this work for "a man lives as the house he lives in".
Alternative Title:MARSHALL PLAN FILMS [Allocated Series Title]
