The film has inter-titles in French. The audio is music with the occasional sound effect - there is no commentary. The film is b/w until the final five minutes. We open with shots of a train arriving and leaving Derby railway station. A group of parents wave from the platform as the train pulls out of the station. We then see the school boys on board the train as it heads south. They are seen playing cards, looking out of the window and eating sandwiches. The arrival into St Pancras station is filmed from the carriage window. We then see the boys walking across the concourse at St Pancras, descending the steps to the Underground and then walking towards the front of Victoria Station.
Next we see the boys boarding their ferry (the Arromanches) at Newhaven and views on board the ship as it sails across the Channel. We arrive in Dieppe and see the boys leave the ferry. We then see views of their visit to Paris beginning with high angle views over the city. We see the River Seine and Notre Dame Cathedral with the boys looking out over the city. This is followed by exterior shots of the Palais de Justice and the Conciergerie (former prison). Next the boys are seen going onto the Metro station at Saint Mande Tourelle followed by views taken from a moving Metro train on the over-ground part of the system.
The boys are then seen exploring around Montmartre followed by views of the Sacre Coeur including local girls outside wearing communion dresses. The next stop is the Jardin de Luxembourg including views of statues in the Latin quarter. Next we see busy traffic on the Boulevard St. Michel and the boys stopping to sit at a street café. Next we see the Pantheon and views of a policeman directing traffic, exterior shots of the Sorbonne followed by a street market with caged birds and then the boys buying ice creams from a street seller. After shots of the Chateau de Vincennes the boys board a Paris bus. We then see the exterior of the military school followed by the Eiffel Tower. We ascend the tower in the lift and the boys are seen at the top viewing platform. More street scenes follow with the boys looking in shop windows before we see the Arc de Triomphe including views from the top. Next we see establishing shots of the Hotel des Invalides followed by shots inside the Hotel de Ville. A short section (part out of focus) then shows us Paris at night concentrating on neon lights from shops, cafes and cinemas. Colour film is then used for a visit to the palace at Versailles. The final shots show views from a train carriage travelling through France and the pupils boarding their ship at Dieppe and sailing for home.
Derby Education Committee presents
Visit organised and conducted by A. H. Padley
Assisted by T. Kay
Translations by T. Kay
Titles designed by F. & K. Hardy
Directed and Photographed by R.H. Thomas [Richard Hugh Thomas]