Classic 1932 Argentina Travel Video
Sometimes it’s good to remember – because it’s all too easy to forget – that 70 years ago Argentina was on top of the world. It was one of the richest countries on the planet and was far ahead of its time compared with many of the world’s other nations.
My father, who is 82 and grew up in Texas during the Great Depression, tells me of an expression he used to hear as a boy. He says that when you needed to describe someone as really wealthy, you’d say they were “rich like an Argentine.”
Watching this classic travel video is a like stepping into a time machine and traveling back to the bygone days of Argentina’s glorious past. The images and commentary are stunning. Even back then the world was captivated by Argentina and its people.
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Nowadays, Benito would have been persecuted by PETA.
This video has struck me in many ways. At school I’ve studied argentine history and know all about our golden era. Yet I was never able to imagine it seeing how I was born in the 80s and experienced nothing but economic and social chaos. My great grandparents and grandparents used to tell me stories about an Argentina that no longer exists. I wonder what went wrong. Someone should show our President this video (but with subtitles).
It´s great to see how the city looked back then. This is unbelievable. Thanks!
Taos, this is great! I was mesmerized by this film. What a heyday, huh? Thank you so much for sharing this.
Fantastic! Thank you for that.
Ah, those were the days: Men wore coats, women were untroubled by virile notions and cruelty to pigeons made all the children your friends.
Very funny, Daniel. Very funny.
Oh, the 30s. A 70% poverty rate, 55 years life expectation, 80% of the population disenfranchised, rampant electoral fraud, Buenos Aires was the center of the white slavery (Read about the Zwi Migdal), per capita income looked good mostly because the world was going through the FREAKING GREAT DEPRESSION and a huge income disparity, but hey, the racetrack looked neat and you could swim in the costanera.
The myth of the 1930s as a golden era in Argentina really, really sucks. It’s stupid, it’s pink-coloured glasses of the worst kind.
That actual argentines fall for it (and they fall all the time, see the comments in youtube) makes me sick. Specially those who should know better.
Roberto, its a 75 year old travel film. It wasn’t trying to show all of the good and bad about Bs. As. but rather persuade people that they ought to visit. Look at similar films about other cities from that period, they all ignore the bad. I agree that its stupid for people now to fantasize about how much better things were in the past, Argentinians aren’t the only ones, a lot of Americans do the same thing. Look at the tea baggers and right-wing protesters who’ve been going to recent town hall meetings. Many of them fear they are ‘losing America’ and they want things to return to the way they were. Do they mean they want to go back to when women couldn’t vote? When 10 year old children worked 80 hours a week in factories? When black people were slaves? Back to what exactly? They really have no idea what things were like when in any historical period.
Well, the “glorious past” part kinda sells it that way
Thank you for posting this video. It brought a tear to my eye.
LOVED this! Thanks for posting! I recognized places that I have visited & makes me even more anxious to return to visit again.