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In the Land of Diamonds (1952) Online

In the Land of Diamonds (1952) Online
1952
Original Title :
In the Land of Diamonds
Genre :
Movie / Documentary / Short
Year :
1952
Type :
Movie
Time :
9min
Rating :
6.0/10

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This Traveltalks short explores attractions in two South African cities including floral gardens and a rare liger at the zoo in Bloemfontein (Fountain of Flowers in English) and the diamond trade in Kimberly, diamond capital of the world.

In the Land of Diamonds (1952) Online

Bloemfontein, South Africa, 750 miles north of Cape Town, is the provincial capital of the Orange Free State, and the judicial capital of South Africa. Its name, which means fountain of flowers, is appropriate due to the many species of flowers that grow in the area, most notably the amaranth. The city zoo houses a liger - a half lion, half tiger - which was bred there. The next stop on this travelogue, a couple of hours travel away, is Kimberley, regarded as the diamond capital of the world. The original diamond mine of the area has since closed, but several others have taken its place. Kimberley is also home to the Kimberley Kennels and its De Beers trained dogs. Beyond performing tricks for the public, the dogs are also used to guard the mines. Among the city's many monuments is one dedicated to Cecil John Rhodes, known as the diamond king and for who the Rhodes Scholarship is named.
Complete credited cast:
James A. FitzPatrick James A. FitzPatrick - Himself - Narrator


User reviews

Bajinn

Bajinn

In the Land of Diamonds (1952)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Decent TravelTalks entry has James A. FitzPatrick heading to South Africa with his first stop in the town of Bloemfontein. We learn that this city was founded in 1846 by some Dutch explorers who took this as their home to fight off natives. We learn that the title translates to "Fountains of Flowers" and this is when we see exactly that. Our final stop is at a zoo where we see the first tiger/lion mate, which is going under the name of a liger. We then move onto Kimberly, which is known as the diamond capital of the world. We see a mine that was abandoned in 1915 and learn that $250 million in diamonds were taken from it. We also visit the Kimberly Kennel where we see a train dog act. Overall this is a pleasant entry in the series that once again benefits from some nice stories being told and of course the Technicolor, which helps bring things to life. The best moments probably deal with the liger simply because it's so strange and especially the way it's presented.