SKU: LIZ/D

This fine program offers two rare 16mm sound films depicting two of the world's largest ocean liners.

GETTING THERE IS HALF THE FUN features the original Queen Elizabeth, built in Scotland in 1938. At 1,031 feet long with a displacement of 83,637 tons, this magnificent Cunard flagship was the largest ocean liner afloat for more than 30 years. This full-color film produced by Cunard takes you on an exciting tour of the great ship, where you'll see passenger accomodations, recreational and dining facilities, and various types of passenger entertainment. In 1972, after being sold to a Chinese entrepreneur who intended to convert her into a floating university, the former Queen Elizabeth, renamed Seawise University, was set ablaze by saboteurs and sank in Hong Kong harbor. This film, therefore, is a poignant reminder of her glory days as a classic transatlantic liner.

BUILDING OF THE SS FRANCE describes the construction of this famous ship at the Chantiers d'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France. Laid down in 1957 and launched in 1960, the France was 1,035 feet long and displaced 66,343 tons. She was the longest ocean liner in the world until surpassed by the new 1,132-foot-long Queen Mary 2 in 2005. In 1979, she was sold to the Norwegian Cruise Lines and was renamed SS Norway. After her reconstruction into a mammoth cruise ship by NCL, her displacement increased to 76,649 tons. Her last passenger-carrying voyage was a cruise out of New York in September, 1999. As of 2006, the once-great liner is now beached off India awaiting possible scrapping, while various groups battle over her fate.