Checking in on the old newsreels: The March of Time, Vol. 2, No. 7

Is this worth your time?

If you have a thing for historical curiosities or just want to see how people in the 1930s were being fed their daily dose of panic, then yes. It’s a fascinating, if slightly exhausting, watch. If you’re looking for something light or nuanced, maybe skip this. It’s about as subtle as a brick through a window.

There is this segment on horse race fixing that feels weirdly personal. The narrator sounds like he’s personally offended that someone would dare trick a betting man. You can almost hear him sweating in the booth. It’s honestly kind of funny.

Then we jump to the "American dictator" bit. It’s a real trip. They really leaned into the dramatic lighting here. It feels less like a news report and more like a scene from The Struggle, minus the actual narrative flow. It’s all bluster and shadow.

The pacing is just wild. One minute you're at the track, the next you're dodging a potential coup in Paris. It reminds me of the chaotic energy in Wild Poses, but with more suits and fewer laughs. The transitions are non-existent, just a hard cut to the next disaster.

Some random notes:

• The narrator’s voice is so deep it probably rattled the original theater speakers.
• The French revolt footage looks like it was filmed through a thick layer of dust.
• I kept waiting for a punchline that never arrived.
• The way they talk about "the common man" is just a little bit condescending, don't you think?

It’s not as polished as the stuff you see in America Is Ready, but there’s a grit to it that I kinda dig. It’s flawed, sure. Sometimes the editing feels like it was done with a pair of rusty garden shears. But it feels real.

It’s definitely not a movie you’d sit down to watch with popcorn on a Friday night. It’s more of a "let's see how weird the past actually was" kind of project. I’m still not sure if they really believed half the stuff they were saying or if it was just about selling papers. Maybe a bit of both.

Watch it for the tone. That weird, urgent, 1930s-style panic that they just don't capture anymore. It’s weirdly comforting in a strange way. 🕰️