3 out of 5 stars (average)
Thank you to Ross Munro and Maria Munro for reaching out to me for this review.
European Tour ’73 is an interesting short. The film is a 15-minute documentary and travelogue detailing one family’s trek across Europe in 1973 and the deeper meaning it had for the patriarch of said family. It’s quick, engaging, and manages to convey the emotional resonance of the trip in a brief but breezy runtime.
Ross Munro recounts his family’s 1973 trip to Europe and their visits to various important and historical landmarks. Utilizing footage shot on his dad’s Super-8 camera as well as bits of animation, Munro reveals his likes, discoveries, and ultimate understanding of the importance of this trip to his father and their family at large.
European Tour ’73 packs an admirable amount of information in its 15-minute runtime. While we don’t get to know the family members deeply, Munro emphasizes their familial bond and ensures we grasp the meaning this trip had to his father by the end. The ever-present score goes between bouncy and solemn when appropriate, the animated bits are solid, and the Super-8 camera footage combined with a rundown of important events happening globally around that time gives audiences a decent taste for the feel of the early ‘70’s. More than anything, this feels like a deeply personal project for the Munros that they’ve chosen to share with the general public. You can hear the enthusiasm and nostalgia for this trip in Ross’s voice, and he injects quick bits of humor to keep things from becoming dry. European Tour ’73 is a quick yet clearly personal project that I’d recommend checking out. See European Tour ‘73.
Likely would be Rated PG-13 for Some War Images.