Weird Wide World, Volume 3

CITIES OF NORTH AFRICA: TUNIS, ALGIERS, RABAT (1936): "The Screen Traveler" introduces us to the Muslim peoples of Tunis and Algiers, and then takes a tour of the crowded marketplaces in Morocco's capital city, Rabat.

INDIA (1930s-1940s): An incredibly rare look at India before it was decolonized, in color. The birthday celebration of the Maharaja of Patiala and the extravagant wedding of the granddaughter of the Maharaja of Bikaner are both shown.

BELLES OF THE SOUTH SEAS (1944): This parade of scantily-clad natives from the South Pacific isles was sold by Castle Films for the home movie market. It was one of their most popular offerings, most likely due to the vivid picture of three bare-breasted women on the box. Some of the film's commentary has not held up so well, however, such as "The women wear civilized clothes...they want to be like the white women in picture books!"

INSIDE INDIA (1948): A film from Encyclopedia Britannica on conditions in the newly-decolonized India, also made for the home movie market. "Poverty and toil is the lot of the millions of India" the commentary tells us, "Moslem or Hindu – they scrape a bare existence out of the sun baked soil."

BUSHLAND SYMPHONY (1949): Kangaroos, koala bears and a variety of exotic birds (including the long-beaked Ibis) inhabit the Australian bushland in this short from Academy Award-winning documentarian Ken G. Hall.

BURMA: PEOPLE OF THE RIVER (1957): Directed by prolific Croatian filmmaker Milan Herzog, this Encyclopedia Britannica short explains how important tribes in the Burmese jungles are to the economy of Southeast Asia. It also highlights their unique customs, including dances in which they wear costumes representing birds and animals, and "The Knife Dance, performed by only the most skilled and respected men of the village."