This is a fascinating video for so many reasons. For starters we get an in-depth and inside look at the conception, engineering, and construction of a new car from the ground up circa 1939. We also get to see the inner-workings of an automotive plant and the processes that were carried out by hand in it. The forging of crankshafts, the manual machining of parts and pieces, and the list goes on and on.
All of this is shown with the backdrop of some classic music and no announcer. It is a very artful look at the nuts and bolts, blood and sweat work that goes into creating a car. Today much of what we see has ben automated and there are far less people touching stuff than there are here but all the work still has to get done.
The other thing we have to consider about this film is the fact that in less than two years after it was made, American would be plunged into WWII following the Japanese sneak attach on Peal Harbor, Hawaii. Automotive production would grind to a quick halt and the machines, people, and materials you see in this film would be pressed into the war effort making arms, tanks, airplanes, shells, and whatever else was necessary to take on the bad guys.
We’d say that this video captures a unique moment in time because the rapid advancements in production methods and technology following the war would forever alter the look, feel, and ways a car factory worked.
