Zion: Canyon of Colour Review — A Beautifully Dusty 9-Minute Vacation

If you have nine minutes to spare and love the look of old, oversaturated film, yes, this is absolutely worth a watch today. People who miss the days when nature documentaries actually looked like paintings will eat this up. But if you get bored by slow pans of rocks and a guy talking like he is reading a textbook, you will probably turn it off in sixty seconds.

This is one of those old MGM Traveltalks shorts. It is basically a postcard that somehow learned how to move. 🌲

The first thing that hits you is the color. Technicolor back then did not look like real life; it looked better. The reds in the canyon walls are so deep they look like they are bleeding into the blue sky.

There is this one shot of an old 1930s sedan driving through a massive stone tunnel. The way the headlights cut through the dusty air is just... perfect. It made me wish I could jump right through the screen and ride shotgun, even if the roads back then looked terrifyingly narrow.

James A. FitzPatrick narrates the whole thing. He has this incredibly formal, slightly sleepy voice. He talks about the "mighty hand of nature" like he is introducing a royal guest at a party. It is incredibly charming, if a little goofy.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Zion: Canyon of Colour (1934) through its definitive frames.

Honestly, it reminds me of watching something like Circus Clowns from the same era—there is this total lack of cynicism that you just do not see anymore. Everything is just "wonderful" and "magnificent." We do not make things this simple anymore, and that is kind of a shame.

I did notice the camera struggles whenever there is too much shadow. The dark parts of the canyon just turn into pitch-black voids. It is a funny technical limitation that actually makes the bright parts pop even more.

Also, there is a brief shot of some tourists standing near a ledge. They look so incredibly awkward, like they were told to "look natural" but forgot how to stand. One guy is just clutching his hat like he is afraid a gust of wind is going to steal his soul.

Is there a plot? No, obviously not. It is just a nice, warm bath of nostalgia and pretty geology. If you want something with actual drama, you would be better off searching for Women Love Diamonds or something with actual actors.

Odd little details I wrote down:

• The music sounds like it was recorded in a tin can, but it fits perfectly.
• The narrator calls the canyon "a temple of silent grandeur" which is a bit much, James. 🤫
• The yellow flowers at the beginning look almost fake because the color is so bright.
• No one in 1940 seemed to wear casual clothes to a national park; everyone is in slacks.

It is short, it is pretty, and it makes you want to go on a road trip. Sometimes that is more than enough.