Murray Goldblatt was U.S. soldier who served during World War II in Belgium, France, Czechoslovakia and Germany from 1943 to 1945, most likely with the 15th Finance Corps. Born in Brooklyn to a Jewish family, Murray worked in the family's hardware store before enlisting with the Army on January 23, 1943. After his release on December 27, 1945, Murray returned to New York and later settled in Princeton, NJ with longtime partner Jim Kane. He was an accountant by profession and active in GPP (Gay People of Princeton). Murray rarely spoke of his experiences during World War II even though he documented his travels on five reels of film with his personal movie camera.
This film was preserved with a 2018 National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF) grant.
Refer to Murray Goldblatt's shotlist describing the scenes and places in his five reels of 16mm film (100ft).
Three day pass to Paris. Les Invalides, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, a bridge over the Seine, bouquinistes, more shots of the Seine, Notre Dame again, the Louvre, the Tuileries, the obelisk at Place de la Concorde, Grand Palais, Haussmann-style buildings, Champs Elysées, Arc de Triomphe and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Opera Garnier, Place Vendôme, Rue de Rivoli, Trocadero, the Eiffel Tower, a woman with baguettes, Hotel Bayard (American Red Cross HQ), street scenes of civilians and soldiers.
Soldiers on leave in Paris