Amalfi Way

Travelogues evolved from old-time photo and slide presentations, narrated live by a raconteur-travel host. In the 1930s, few working people had the opportunity to travel for pleasure, a fact that MGM and James A. Fitzpatrick leveraged into a long-running series of filmed travelogues that from 1934 on featured color images of exotic destinations around the world. With the decline of the studios, independent producers got a chance at big screen exposure. Hamilton Wright Productions found that interested parties would sponsor his travelogue films The Golden Equator (1956), which offers a look at the far-off country of Ecuador, but its underlying message is that the undeveloped country is a lucrative opportunity for foreign developers and industrialists. Directed by Richard Wright, 1955's Amalfi Way is blatant advertising for foreign tourism sponsored by the Italian State Tourist Office. Unlike the older Fitzpatrick travelogues, Wright uses a very light story structure. The camera follows a pair of attractive female tourists down the Amalfi Coast from Naples, through the idyllic seaside town Sorrento and photogenic destinations like the Emerald Grotto and the Villa Ruffalo Gardens. Narrator John P. Costello offers historical facts and classical references amid the expected travel-speak: "First stop is Sorrento, a fairy tale town as Italian as pizza." The glamorous 'ordinary tourists' carry no luggage or even handbags. They join in the dancing on the island of Ischia and admire the wares in a ceramics store. And of course, they're shown purchasing postcards to send to envious friends back home.