Educational Media Reviews Online

This video is comprised of two chapters, one for Canton and one for Calcutta, each approximately seven minutes long. Each chapter presents a snapshot of these cities in modern times with some commentary of their time under British rule. Both chapters use narration and interviews to tell their stories.

These segments show broad views of the town with some facts about population, economics, and construction, with information specific to the interviewees to illustrate the points. For example, scenes of a construction site and modern office building and apartments are shown to allow the viewers to see western influences on everyday life in the Canton chapter. In the Calcutta chapter, scenes of a crowded urban park support the commentary about overpopulation.

The color and sound are good in both chapters. In the Canton chapter, the narration is in English with both English and French subtitles. The end credits scroll too fast to be read except with slow motion. The Calcutta chapter is in English with French subtitles only and the end credits scroll at an acceptable speed.

If you have never seen what these two cities look like, this video will be interesting. It would also be useful in classroom settings for junior and senior high school students where a fifteen minute film would allow time for commentary before and afterwards. Those interested in more facts or details must look elsewhere; seven minutes on either city is insufficient. This film is recommended as an introduction to either city or as a travel video.