Europe Unveiled: Dewenter 1929

This 1929 silent film, Dewenter Home Movies: Europe 1929, captures Henry and Elizabeth Dewenter’s journey from their oil-rich orange ranch in La Verne, California, back to Europe’s roots. Shot by Henry (b. 1884, Germany) or son Henry Adolf (14), it opens with A Visit to Pilatus, showcasing Switzerland’s Alps and the Pilatus cogwheel railway to Station Pilatus Kulm. Summit views dazzle as women embroider outside a tea room. In Italy, Hotel Excelsior and the Beach at the Lido features swimming and cycle boats, while Venice pans St. Mark’s Square’s pigeons and gondola canals, a personal 16mm treasure of a prospering immigrant family.