Family explores Northern Slovakia

The Brust family visit Slovakia from their home in Budapest. A man with a cane walks on uneven terrain (some damage to film). Emblem in concentric circles on the front pediment area of a building roof. Camera pans right, showing trees and the mountains behind. A waterfall flows. 00:00:39 pans left to show a man sitting in front of a larger waterfall. He smiles and poses for the camera. CU of water rushing down the river. More views of the river, the waterfall, and the rushing water. 00:01:12 A woman and the man with the cane attempt to step down a rocky path away from the river. River and the waterfall. A bridge stretches across the river, and four people walk across it. They then climb on top a rocky hill.Pan left to the waterfall, and even further to a smaller waterfall. More of the waterfall, rocks, and the river.

00:02:14 “Oh feledhetetlen Dunajec”. Men unload bundles from a wooden raft on the side of the Dunajec River, which runs through the north of Slovakia and the south of Poland. Two other men sit in a traditional wooden raft and two men stand on the dock next to them. A dog and two other men and Lilly get on the raft. 00:02:37 CU of a man. Views of the Dunajec River and the Penny Mountains alongside the river. Many different shots of the river and surrounding mountains from the raft. KODAK SAFETY FILM logo

00:03:29 A man is fly-fishing knee-deep in the water. Another man wades in the water with a fishing rod. More of the river, and the camera tilts up to show the trees on the mountains above. On a road on the side of the river, a horse pulls a wagon with a man. Road, river, mountains. Man sits in front of the camera, the long wooden pole juts out on the side of the raft for pushing it along.

00:04:58 The man and woman exit the raft, climbing up the river bank. The man holds a plaid blanket under his left arm. Ttwo other rafts float down the river. The raft guides use the long poles to propel the raft down the river. Pans right on the riverbank, showing a small shack. A different part of the river from the side. Two men and a woman stand along the fence, looking out at the river. Pans right on the trees. One of the men standing along the fence swings his cane. A man paints a landscape canvas painting of his view of the river. He looks back towards the camera twice and smiles. Multiple buildings partially covered by trees on the river bank. Two people walk through the woods.

00:07:09 The woman and man help another man (older brother?) as he walks with two canes, jokingly sticking out his tongue. Camera tilts down on his feet as he steps over a large rock. Brief shot of the hilltops, dotted by just a few buildings. The two men now walk up by themselves, wiping their faces with handkerchiefs. They stop to sit down. 00:08:05 “De nehéz az elef!!!” The man slowly lowers himself to the rock, and then stands up again, grabbing the other man by the arm. People walk on the path. The man walks by himself along the trail without support or canes, grabbing on the rocks for balance. His wife follows behind. Trees. KODAK SAFETY FILM logo.

00:09:27 Four women walk up the stairs from a dock.The friends talk. One perches on top of a traditional wooden raft. Gently moving river, and the mountains above, and power lines.

00:09:58 “Grand Hotel” Façade of the Grand Hotel in Stary Smokovec, Vysoké Tatry, in northern Slovakia. They are in the front gardens of the hotel. A car passes. The men walk, arm in arm, down the steps, and the camera pans right to show other people sitting in the front garden, people walking and riding bikes. Another building façade with a barely visible diamond shaped sign that says “Agfa”. A car slowly drives up the road. Elek Brust on right 10:25.

00:11:06 “Kraszna-horka vára”. Shaky view of the Krászna-Hôrka castle on a hilltop in Slovakia. Three men stand in the grass. A car drives past. A motorcycle parked by a tree. Two cars. CU of one of the men speaking. View from the castle of the land below. White text on a hatched background “Anyáék és Vilmáék érkezése repülõvel Bécsbõl.” Planes at an airport. Plane on the runway with “00-AFA” on the side. Plane in the sky above, lands, propellors spinning, side of the plane says “K-L-M KONINKLYKE LUCHTVAART MAATSCHAPPY PH-AKJ” (Dutch plane) People disembark. The camera focuses on four people, the women wave to the camera. Building with cars parked in front.

The Brust family on winter holiday before the Holocaust

Film

“Kékestetõ 1940. Február 12~23-ig”. People holding skis walk across a snow covered ground. Ski lodge and the surrounding snowy area. A car is parked. Another drives past. The branches of trees are weighed down with snow. 01:01:04 A man faces the camera and smiles. People on the snow covered road get their skis down from the top of the van parked in front of the building. A man (Elek) walks through a snowy path, and his wife Lilly and daughter Eva skate around a cleared path of ice. The lodge. Eva skates up to the camera, hair in braids. ECU of her smile, with gaps from two missing front teeth. The family throws snowballs playfully at each other. Eva falls in the snow and her mother picks her up. More ice skating, Eva and her mom hold hands while skating. A man uses a broom to sweep off the ice. Eva continues skating, dancing around on her ice-skates. She skates towards the camera, arms extended out at her shoulders. She throws snow at the woman, and the woman throws it back. CU of Lilly smiling. 01:04:01 Eva sleds down a snow covered hill, slowly nearing the camera. Then together with her mother she leads the sled back up the hill, followed by a young boy on skis, and a man on skis. Theyl ride the sled down together. Eva and another child pull the sled through the snowy forest, followed by Lillyon skis. WS of Brust family in the forest. Lilly and Eva ride the sled together again, Lilly uses her heels to push them along. A woman skis down an open clearing in the woods, followed by a man. People stand around outside of a building surrounded by mounds of snow. 01:06:46 Eva ays on a lounge chair fully bundled up in her jacket, mittens, and blanket. She waves to the camera. CU of her with her eyes closed, still waving. Then she stands on the porch wrapped in the blanket, smiling and walking towards the camera. She then plays in the snow with a young boy. The young boy throws snowballs at her. They continue playing, the girl throwing large amounts of snow at the boy. 01:08:17 Elek throws snow at his wife, who is holding skis. She in turn throws snow at the young boy in front of her, and then at the children. Elek takes a shovel and starts to heave snow with it. Eva climbs up one of the snowy mounds. Lilly with skis on her shoulder looks at the camera. Eval walks with her mother towards the camera, moving her arms and skipping in a dance. a man emerges from the ski shop with skis and poles, followed by a woman with the same. CU of the woman’s face. She walks through the snow. CU of her face. A group of people on skis in a clearing in the forest on a hill. A man skis down, opening and closing his legs to gain momentum. Then a woman goes, and other people take their turn to ski down the hill. Eva sledding again. People stand outside of the ski lodge. Others exit a car parked in front. Skis and poles lean against the side of the building. 01:13:06 A man waves, hat in hand. He speaks to the camera and gestures with his finger across his chest. He walks to the pile of snow and grabs and handful, chucking it towards the camera, and then waves the camera operator along. Outside of the lodge, people sit in wicker chairs, enjoying conversation. Eva and her mother build a snowman. She puts a stick in its hand, then glasses and a hat. Eval wears the hat for a brief moment. She smiles. The snowman with a different cap. CU of Eva posing with the snowman. Brust family and friends stand outside the lodge, camera pans left on the forest. The young girl and boy walk hand in hand. The girl carries a baby doll. She stands with a woman outside of a restaurant. 01:16:00 There is a sign that reads “VASÚTI VENDÉGLÕ-ÉTTEREM BAHNHOF-RESTAURANT”. They walk through the fence towards the restaurant entrance. Two men unload skis and luggage from the top of a van. 01:16:26 INT Eva and her parents sit at a table inside the restaurant. She smiles. ECU of her baby doll. Camera does not focus. Eva gives the doll many kisses. ECU of her taking a sip of water, and holding the glass up to the baby doll’s mouth. She holds bread up to the doll’s mouth. EXT people stand along the side of a train. People stand by a different door. The locomotive begins, giving off smoke. Very dark shot of a woman and a bright light.