VIDEOS : Realistic Tour of Former Soviet Cities

KIEV AND ST. PETERSBURG (World Travel Marketing, 60 minutes, 1992).

Anyone considering a package-tour visit to the cities of Kiev and St. Petersburg in the former Soviet Union will find this video to be an hour well-spent.

Producers Barry and Corinne Smedley’s film, in spite of its frequent home-video quality and amateurish dubbed-in narration, succeeds in providing a realistic idea of what to expect on such a tour.

The camera follows the couple from their early planning stages through their departure from New York on Aeroflot. There are scenes at the stopovers in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada; Shannon, Ireland, and Moscow, where the couple changes planes for Kiev, capital of the Ukraine.

Throughout the video, the Smedleys offer opinions, impressions, travel tips and views of hotels and rooms.

For viewers who have been on organized tours, the bus rides will bring a feeling of deja vu as the camera shoots through the windows at the passing scenery while an enthusiastic tour guide gives her spiel.

At major tour stops in Kiev, viewers follow the group as they straggle from the bus to the Golden Gate, the opera house, St. Sophia cathedral, St. Vladimir’s church, the Monastery of the Caves, street scenes, markets and parks. There are also visits to the Kiev Circus and the collection of restored old buildings that make up the open-air Ukranian museum.

The bus tour in St. Petersburg offers scenes of the Lenin Monument, shopping areas, churches and museums, with stops at the great summer palaces of Petrodvorets, Pavlovsk and Catherine, huge St. Isaac’s Cathedral, and the historic Peter and Paul Fortress. A highlight is a tour of some of the fabulous art collections in the Hermitage Museum.

Part two of the Smedleys’ journey to the former Soviet Union visits Riga, Latvia. Both videos are available from World Travel Marketing, P.O. Box 124507, San Diego, 92112-4507, (619) 560-7687. Price: $9.95.

THE GREEK SPIRIT (International Video Network Video Visits, 30 minutes, 1992).

This is another in the series of videos by IVN, in association with Rand McNally, for release to the budget-minded viewer. Originally released as “Athens and the Greek Spirit,” this edited and condensed version is sprinkled with history and legend, offering viewers alluring--if brief--visits to Athens and three of the Aegean Islands. The film quality is first-rate. Viewers explore the narrow streets, shops and tavernas of the Plaka (Old Town) in Athens, and watch the changing of the guard and view the Aegean from the magnificent Temple of Poseidon. A cruise then goes to Rhodes, where scenes include the old Knights’ Quarters, shops, beaches, the ruins of the Temple of Apollo, and a donkey ride up to the Acropolis at Lindos.

The other islands visited are touristy Skiathos, with its vast olive tree orchards, and Santorini, for scenes of the ancient Minoan city at Akrotiri and the town of Thira, which legend connects with Atlantis.

On returning to Athens, there are scenes of the port city of Piraeus, the Parthenon, the Temple of Erechtheion, Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

A tape is available from International Video Network, 2242 Camino Ramon, San Ramon 94583, (800) 669-4486, Ext. 301. Price: $9.95.

QUINTANA ROO (UAU Productions, 28 minutes, 1992).

This short, award-winning video explores some of the historical contrasts found in the state of Quintana Roo on the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula--from the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Coba to the modern resort area of Cancun.

UAU stands for Underwater Adventure Unlimited. The video examines the role that freshwater has played in Quintana Roo’s history.

Rare film shows daring divers exploring the cenotes, the vast system of underwater rivers, tunnels and caves that lie beneath the limestone surface. Viewers see colorful fish and stalactites, stalagmites and other limestone formations. Less dangerous but reward- ing are the underwater scenes from the snorkeling haven at the aquarium-like Xelha Lagoon.

Much of the video, however, deals with earthly sights such as Mayan ruins, including the Temple of the Jaguar, the jungle and animal life and the lifestyle of the natives.

Also featured is film of the giant sea turtles that come up on the beach to lay their eggs at Xcacel. The narration describes efforts to protect the ecology and save the area from development, and also provides some of the history and legends of the Mayans.

For viewers interested in Mexico, this is an intriguing glimpse of a fascinating corner--if the price of $39.95 is no object.

A tape is available from UAU, P.O. Box 370836, San Diego 92137, (619) 296-4469.