Holiday travelogue by Eric Hall, which takes in the mountains and lakes around Annecy in the French Alps, as well as some peculiarly 1960s visions of future living at the Exposition 2000. Title – Around Lake Annecy Title – By J. Eric Hall The film opens with various aspects of life in the area around Lake Annecy, including a Swiss flag flying, an ornamental fountain, rugged mountains with an ironwork cross in the foreground, people strolling along an urban canal, a castle surrounded by...

Holiday travelogue by Eric Hall, which takes in the mountains and lakes around Annecy in the French Alps, as well as some peculiarly 1960s visions of future living at the Exposition 2000. Title – Around Lake Annecy Title – By J. Eric Hall The film opens with various aspects of life in the area around Lake Annecy, including a Swiss flag flying, an ornamental fountain, rugged mountains with an ironwork cross in the foreground, people strolling along an urban canal, a castle surrounded by forest, cable cars and sailboats on a lake. Mrs Hall, the filmmaker’s wife, dries towels outside her caravan in a sunny campsite. In a town, presumably Annecy, patrons of a pavement café sit under parasols and people stroll along the narrow walkways between buildings and the canal. Swans swim on this waterway, which weaves between the rows of tall buildings. Fruit and vegetables are for sale at a market and Mrs Hall buys some courgettes. Also on offer are nectarines and large trays of figs and peanuts. An older woman wearing a traditional tubular lace hat sells lace work, gloves and embroidery. The Ville d’Annecy Kayak Club building overlooks a lake with mountains in the background. People in red lifejackets sail small boats and paddle kayaks on the calm water, and sunbathers lie on the beach. A sightseeing boat cruises across the lake. A cable car ascends the mountainside, on which are occasional houses and a castle building. From a viewing point, tourists use a telescope to enjoy the view. A group of young hikers pauses for a drink and a rest, before heading off again. The cable car travels back down into the valley. Mrs Hall walks in the grounds of a medieval-style castle with turrets and towers. She looks out over a walled garden at the countryside beyond. In town, the ‘Exposition Annecy 2000’ is underway, with futuristic experimental homes on display. One is an oval shaped pod raised off the ground on small stilts, while another is made from what appears to be white fibreglass with plastic windows and resembles Disneyland’s House of the Future. On a mountainside, a small train enters a tunnel in the rock face. The view from the moving train takes in the peaks of the mountain range. Hikers on a trail pause by a sign for the Glacier de Bionnassay. The trail weaves away round the rocky mountain. Away from the snowy peaks, a solitary white church sits on a forested hillside. At night-time, a variety of floating tableaux depicting scenes from grand operas offer entertainment. The scenes include the swans from Lohengrin, a devil surrounded by flames to depict Faust, and a Japanese cherry blossom scene representing Madame Butterfly. Back in the town, Mrs Hall returns to the car with a shopping bag and a fresh baguette. Outside the city she picks fallen fruit by the roadside and puts them into the caravan. Title – The End