White Coal - A French Study (1933)

France. “Water-power, we call it, but on the Continent they have another name - “White Coal.“ L/S of a French village scene, trees in the foreground, buildings in the background. M/S of a river, dam in the background, water runs down a hillside into the river. Various shots of the buildings around the dam. Tilt down showing water cascading over rocks. “This giant dam is over 200 feet in height, and the mass of water held, over 50 million cubic yards.“ High angle shot of part of the dam. A man runs across a flat part of the dam. Various shots of the water crashing over rocks. “The materials used read like a work on Einstein - 30,000 tons of cement 120,000 tons of stone and 80,000 tons of sand, apart from sundry other little “thousands“ of steel, iron, etc.“ High angle shot of the dam. Top shot of a man in a flat cap standing on a metal part of the dam. Three men are seen at work on the dam. “But, there it is, ready to generate over 75,000 H.P. - the “white coal“ of industry.“ Panning sho