Trips to Washington, Rocky Mountain Park

“Washington, D.C.” (Rand McNally Video Trips, 50 minutes, 1989).

This is a fast-paced run-through of the nation’s capital. Stops are brief, little is overlooked and TV personality Willard Scott’s narration is pleasant, informative and sprinkled with colorful anecdotes.

Impressive scenes of the Mall and Reflecting Pool, the Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Vietnam memorials and the Washington Monument begin the film, followed by a tour of the Smithsonian Institution (Arts and Industries Building, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and Air and Space Museum), Bureau of Engraving, National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History and National Gallery of Art.

A visit to the Capitol building includes a history and scenes of its interior, with stops afterward at the Supreme Court and Library of Congress for a look at the Gutenberg Bible.

Then it’s down Pennsylvania Avenue, from the Capitol to the White House, to the National Archives to see the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. A tour of the FBI building, the Willard InterContinental Hotel and nearby Ford’s Theatre and the Petersen home, where Lincoln died, follows. At the White House, the narrator offers little-known highlights, some history and information on various types of tours.

Other stops are the historic Decatur House Museum, the restored Octagon House, Corcoran Gallery of Art, National Geographic Explorers’ Hall and Capital Children’s Museum.

The shopping and residential area along Connecticut Avenue and Dupont Circle, including private art museums, Phillips Collection and Textile Museum, are shown. After that, the film continues along Massachusetts Avenue, near Dupont Circle, where Embassy Row, Woodrow Wilson’s home and the Washington National Cathedral are prominent.

The pandas and white tigers at the National Zoological Park, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Georgetown, the C&O; Canal, Arlington National Cemetery, the home of Robert E. Lee, the Pentagon and the Iwo Jima Memorial are also filmed.

A segment features day trips to Alexandria, Va., and Mount Vernon, Annapolis, Chesapeake Bay and the maritime village of St. Michaels, plus Williamsburg and Gettysburg.

The end of the video gives travel information, including transportation to and in the Washington area, weather, accommodations and phone numbers and addresses for more information.

A tape is available from VCRI, P.O. Box 1179, Gillette, Wyo. 82717, (800) 248-7477. Price $19.95.

“Rocky Mountain National Park” (International Video Network, Video Visits, 55 minutes, 1990).

A tour of this national park gives viewers panoramas of some of the most magnificent snow-covered peaks that straddle Colorado’s Continental Divide, some of which soar more than 12,000 feet. Below the peaks are the alpine tundra, glaciers, lakes, streams and much flora and fauna.

The camera has captured scenes of many species in their natural habitat, including bighorn sheep, mule, deer, elk, black bears and mountain lions, along with some of the birds and small animals that inhabit the park.

In winter, the park is covered with a mantle of snow, and the high peaks are at times buffeted with hurricane-force winds. There are skiing scenes and some people study how animals survive the cold.

In spring, along with the first flowers there is film of the animals returning to the new vegetation and of rangers preparing for the summer season.

When summer arrives, so do the tourists. Activities include rock climbing, hiking, riding and fishing. An unusual nighttime hike led by a ranger demonstrates how the animals make use of the darkness.

In fall, when the sun is warm and the shadows are cool, viewers see the aspens change color and late flowers bloom. There are scenes of deer with racks of antlers and of the mating ritual of elks.

The video also offers some park geology and how it relates to the forests of ponderosas, spruce and fir trees. A ranger leads a group to study the plants that survive in the tundra.

There’s a brief tour of Estes Park, including a visit to the old Stanley Hotel.

A challenge to mountain climbers is 14,255-foot Longs Peak, where the video shows some of the spectacular scenery that lured a group of climbers to battle snow and wind in an unsuccessful effort to reach the top.

There are no travel tips or recommendations.

A tape is available from International Video Network, Video Visits, 2242 Camino Ramon, San Ramon, Calif. 94583, (414) 866-1121. Price: $24.95.

“Letters Home From the South China Seas” (Wish You Were Here Film Productions, 90 minutes, 1990).

Rick Ray has filmed his leisurely journey through Singapore and Borneo in the style of a home video, in which he not only produced, narrated, composed and performed the musical score, but makes cameo appearances as well.

It’s an unusual treatment for a commercial video. Although occasionally hokey, it provides a first-rate tour of thriving Singapore and the land of the ex-headhunters of Borneo.

Ray travels by trishaw in Singapore through the contrasting cultural areas of the city--from Hindu, Muslim and Chinese to the British influences that are highlighted by cricket matches and a Scottish Highland fling performed by the Chinese. Viewers also get to see modern Singapore, with its high-rise buildings and the old Raffles Hotel and Long Bar.

Much is made of how clean Singapore is and how rigidly enforced are the littering laws ($500 fine for a tossed cigarette) and drug abuse, which can carry a death sentence for a first offense. There are visits, too, to food parks, acupuncture centers and craft shows.

A survey of the various religious temples and mosques includes detailed explanations and history, plus film of some of the exotic rituals performed. Another trip goes to an apothecary shop, where some unusual medical treatments and aphrodisiacs are discussed.

Borneo, where Ray concentrates on Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei, is “a journey back in time” and a vivid contrast to Singapore. After landing in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, viewers go through the palace of explorer James Brooke, who was said to be the model for Joseph Conrad’s “Lord Jim.” There’s also a trip to a night market and a local wedding.

Since rivers are the highways of Sarawak, Ray takes viewers on a boat journey to a remote village and long house (built on stilts), in which villagers share a communal life style. Skulls hang from the ceilings--relics from headhunting ancestors--and while elders mend their nets, children watch “L.A. Law” on TV.

By hitching a ride on a supply plane, Ray takes viewers even farther into the rain forest and unmapped interior to meet more primitive tribesmen, who hunt with blowguns and darts and eke out a living along the rivers.

The trip north to Sabah concentrates on a study of orangutans and efforts to preserve them in sanctuaries.

Brunei, a small country between Sarawak and Sabah, is shown as one of the richest in the world, with scenes of the sultan’s 1,800-room palace and its gold domes. Brunei’s history is discussed, as is the high standard of living of its citizens. A story points out the largess of the sultan, who once bought up the entire inventory of Harrods in London and had it shipped to Brunei as a gift to the people.

There are no travel tips or recommendations.

Tapes are available from Wish You Were Here, 514 Thompson Ave., Glendale 91201, (818) 243-7043. Price: $29.95.