Laughing with Medbury in Ethiopia is a bizarre, dusty relic

Is this thing for you?

If you have a weird fascination with 1920s travelogues that have no idea what they want to be, sure, watch this. If you are looking for a cohesive look at Ethiopia, stay far away.

Actually, most people will probably find this painfully slow and just a little bit confusing. It is definitely not for anyone who likes their documentaries to actually, you know, inform them about the place they are visiting. 🌍

Watching John P. Medbury here feels like sitting next to a guy at a bar who won't stop showing you photos of a trip he barely remembers. He has this way of talking where every sentence feels like he’s trying to be the funniest person in the room, but the room is empty.

The pacing is… well, there isn't really any pacing. It just drifts.

Oddly Specific Notes

• There is a shot of a horizon that lasts for an eternity, and I think I saw a goat blink three times.
• The audio quality sounds like it was recorded inside a tin can that was also underwater.
• Medbury seems genuinely convinced that the world is a big joke, which makes his tone feel weirdly detached from the actual beauty of the landscape.

It’s not quite as charming as A Gym Dandy, which at least had a bit of kinetic energy to it. This just feels like a guy walking around, looking for things to make fun of. Honestly, it's a bit exhausting.

The way he frames the locals feels dated even for the era, and there were moments where I just wanted him to put the camera down and let the scenery speak for itself. He doesn't, though. He keeps talking.

Sometimes he just stares into the lens and smiles like he’s waiting for the audience to laugh back at him. It’s a bit eerie. It makes me wonder if he actually enjoyed any of this or if he was just fulfilling a contract.

If you want to see how travel films used to be handled, maybe look at Call of the Desert instead. It’s got a bit more heart. This one is just… dusty.

I found myself checking my watch, not because I was bored exactly, but because I wanted to know how much longer Medbury intended to keep up this performance. It’s a very weird, specific kind of nothingness.