View movie

View thumbnails
Run time: 13:53

Play / Download (help)

(56 MB)512Kb MPEG4
(57 MB)Ogg Video
(160 MB)HiRes MPEG4
(367 MB)MPEG2

Resources

Richie (Robert Yarnall)Desert Venture (Part I) (ca. 1948)

"This is a story of a venture by American capital in a strange and ancient land," says the narrator. Shows the search and extraction of oil in Saudi Arabia, necessary to power the American "nation on wheels."


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Richie (Robert Yarnall)
Sponsor: Aramco (Arab-American Oil Company) / Standard Oil Company of California
Audio/Visual: Sd, C
Keywords: Middle East; Oil industry; Globalization

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

Individual Files

Write a review
Downloaded 5,612 timesReviews
Average Rating:

Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - January 7, 2006
Subject: Hey! I've Got a Great Idea! Let's Drill for Oil in the Middle East!
This 40s film, made by Standard Oil of California, documents the initial search for oil in Saudi Arabia, and how its discovery was so beneficial for Americans, Arabs, starving war victims in Europe, and, oh, everybody all over the world. The film itself is fairly straightforward and unsurprising, but the ironic baggage it carries in light of future events is humongous. Perhaps the most ironic moment is a map that turns arrows pointing from North and South America to Europe, indicating the flow of oil, to a huge arrow going from the middle east to Europe. Point that arrow everywhere and you pretty much have todays oil situation. Beyond that, there are some mildly fun scenes of the totally unassimilated American community in Saudi Arabia, complete with housewives buying convenience foods in supermarkets; and lots of scenes of sand, oil drilling, camels, and Arabs.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - October 14, 2003
Subject: We should be so thankful
If you can get past the Saudis forever smiling to the Americans, this is a highly enjoyable educational film on how of course, the Americans were resposible for Oil in Saudi Arabia. Show with amaying color photography, this film was surpisingly easy to follow along and doesnt really get caught in scientific mumbo jumbo. I liked how the American workers in Saudi Arabia were treated to a health club, swimming pool, nice homes etc but what facilities provided for Saudi Arabian workers were not really explored.

Reviewer: Pedro Lobito - - March 2, 2003
Subject: Colonization
Este filme é um bom exemplo da forma como os Estados Unidos, pela mao de grandes empresas, invadem outros paises de uma forma "pacifica" com a intencao de lhes extrair os seus recursos naturais, sem que para isso lhes de algo em troca, à excepçao de "prendas" aos seus governantes, como Saddam hussein reresenta outros interesses que nao os Americanos toca de bomba ate ele ceder...
Resumindo.. mais um filme de propaganda...bem antigo por sinal..

Shotlist