The Moving Image Archive is always looking for IU- or Bloomington-related projects like this to take on, but they're also available as a resource for faculty, staff, students and the community. 'Ten years ago, it would have been much more difficult for us to make these accessible,' Kellams said.īecause of current technology, the film archive and IU's commitment to film digitization, the reels could be brought to life. And while the reels have been stored at the archives since Wells' passing, this was the perfect time to discover them. These films are a perfect accompaniment to the written reflections, speeches and interviews in his larger collection. 'He was holding the camera, so we are seeing exactly what his eye was seeing. 'We think of Herman B Wells as the president who helped IU become an international university, but to actually go along with him on those trips is really fascinating,' Kellams said. Presumably, his love for people is why he stayed behind the camera and focused on others around him, like his mother, who was often his travel companion. And while he used his time abroad to recruit international students and faculty, the many shots of locals and beautiful architecture indicate his interest in the people and the culture of every place he visited. It's clear from the three minutes of footage on one reel that Wells loved his dog, Red. The films uncover who he was as a person and what interested him most. 'We started from a box of reels that gave very little information, and we used visual clues along with what was known already about Wells' travels to find out the extra information we needed to understand the movies fully,' said film archivist Andy Uhrich.īut the movies tell more about Wells than just where he traveled and what he saw. We know that he stopped in Florida on his journey home to Indiana from South America and that he toured Hitler's mountain retreat 'The Eagle's Nest' while on his Germany assignment.

1' were the pyramids at Teotihuacan, and this trip to Mexico was the first time the university president traveled outside the country. By comparing to present-day images on Google Maps, she discovered that the pyramids visible in 'Mexico Train No.

Tucker, who has since graduated, watched the films over and over, looking for clues that would tell her more about Wells and his travels.

B movies from 2017