Name: Louisiana Territory
Genre: Drama
Released: 1953-10-16
Duration: 1 h 3 min
Rating: 3.3
Cast: Val Winter, Leo Zinser, Julian Meister

Dreadfully cheap looking, but not on purpose

Perhaps this film cost a small fortune, but the print I saw was not in color and certainly not in 3D. Consequently it was altogether shabby looking. Several of the scenes were clearly meant to be viewed in 3D and hence the footage appears blurry in black-and-white. 

The movie's content amounts to an hour-long travelogue for Louisiana, with lots of historical information to make a more 'scholarly' product. I'm not about to run down the fine state of Louisiana or the city of New Orleans, but as drama it's a non-starter. Much of the film is stock footage with narration; other sequences include recreations of state historical figures. As such, it would be better included with educational films for grade-school students rather than as any sort of a dramatic fare. 

The only reason I can suppose it was broadcast on my local station was that the scenes of mid-20th Century Mardi Gras parades was appropriate for the first week of February. Unless you can get it in color AND three-dimensions and intend for it to be shown in an elementary school classroom, then read a fine book about the history of the state of Louisiana and rent a copy of "Girls Gone Wild" to see Mardi Gras.

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

Made by RKO-Pathe, in Pathe color and three-dimension, in observance of the 150th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase from France at a cost of $15,000,000 (more than the annual income of the U.S.A. at the time). After a short narrative showing U.S. Ambassador Robert Livingston (Val Winter) negotiating the purchase with Napoleon and Tallyrand, the rest of the film, guided by Livingston's spirit, visits the 1953 territory of the purchase and shows the growth of such former outposts as Minneapolis, Minnesota; Des Moines, Iowa; St. Louis, Missouri; Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas, and Little Rock, Arkansas. Most of the footage is given to New Orleans, Louisiana and its Vieux Carre, docks, business district and museums, ending with the preparation for that city's annual Mardi Gras.

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Louisiana Territory

Photos

Top Cast5

User reviews1

Related interests

Storyline

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed