Checking out the newsreels of 1937: The March of Time

Is this worth your time?

If you have a thing for historical artifacts, sure. If you’re looking for a plot, you’re in the wrong place. This isn't exactly Reno or Fear—it’s journalism on celluloid.

You’ll probably hate this if you need a story to hold your hand. It’s dense, talky, and feels like a lecture from a very intense man in a suit.

Belgium and the big picture

The segment on Belgium is honestly pretty haunting. They talk about the looming threat of war like it’s a storm cloud on the horizon that everyone is just trying to ignore. It’s weird seeing 1937 through their eyes when we already know what happened in 1940.

There’s a jittery energy to the editing. It’s like they were trying to shove as much information into twenty minutes as physically possible.

The theater and the water

The Federal Theater bit is surprisingly charming. You see these actors just trying to make a living, and you realize how different the world was back then. It’s a total 180 from the high-stakes drama of The Fourth Horseman.

Then they switch to the St. Lawrence waterway. It’s basically a long argument about dirt and boats. I kept spacing out, but then they’d show a map and I’d be pulled back in. Why are old maps so hypnotizing? 🗺️

• The narrator sounds like he’s shouting at you from across a crowded room.
• Some of the footage of the docks is genuinely beautiful.
• It’s way less fun than watching The Nitwits, obviously.
• The transitions are so fast you’ll get whiplash.

It’s not a movie, really. It’s a fever dream of mid-thirties anxiety. Sometimes it feels like they’re trying to sell you a bridge, and other times they’re trying to scare the life out of you. It’s a weird mix.

I wouldn't watch this on a Friday night, but for a rainy Sunday morning? It’s perfect. It feels like digging through an old attic and finding someone’s discarded diary.