Summarizes characteristics of aristocratic and poor families and makes comparisons with the U.S. The film shows that on the large estate and the small farm, the family rather than the individual is the laboring unit. Exploring the roles of each member, the film stresses family pride and self-sufficiency. It also discusses the impact on rural family life caused by migration to the city. (Jane M. Loy, Latin American Research Review, vol.12 no.3, 1977) Another of Julien Bryan’s productions, in which American people are given an understanding of the fundamental likenesses and differences between our North American culture and that of the people of South America. As a result of the aristocratic, European, and the deeply religions influence of the Spanish conquerors, most families in all classes of society have tended to follow the "pater familias," closely knit family-group pattern which has been largely outworn in the highly industrialized life of North Americans. With great insight and understanding, we are given a portrait of the Latin-American family - the peon, the machine worker, and the haciendado. It is strikingly demonstrated that changes in family relations will inevitably come with greater industrialization. (1950 NYU Film Library catalog)

Sponsored Film; Cross-Sectional (Adamson-Seaton Film Classifications)