John Vincent Tillman (1907-1956) was on a fellowship at the University of Munich studying German opera between October 1935 and the summer of 1936. Tillman recorded his travels across Germany (some via motorcycle), from small towns in the Alps to Berlin, Dresden, and Munich, on 16mm film and kept a diary. He later received a doctorate from the University of Chicago and chaired the German department of St. Louis University.
In the mountains (Alps?). A man and a woman talk before a tree and look at the camera. Several young men smoke and pose for the camera at the foot of a ski slope. Guesthouse. Visiting the traditional frescoed facades of the Bavarian village Oberammergau and the Ettal Monastery. Pan across the mountain landscape and small towns below. Three men pose near the summit mount with their skis. People ski and ride in cable cars. Large church. 01:02:07 Pan and LS of an ice rink. A villager herds his sheep. Cut back to ice skating, mountains and people hiking. More aerial views, the ski slopes, and a hockey game. Quick shots aboard a train and of Nazi flags flying from a building in town.
Touring Germany