An overview of three classic clichés of tourism and pilgrimage: Jerusalem, Florence and Las Vegas. The first is barely coping under pressure, the second suggests a "theme-park" world, while the third....Las Vegas has all the answers. Inspired by the quote from St. Francis of Assisi, ?you are what you are seeking,? award-winning filmmaker Randi Steinberger set out to document her observations and those of the contemporary traveler. Shot entirely in the three mythic cities of Jerusalem, Florence and Las Vegas, tourists, guides and experts reveal a subtle contradiction between the modern pilgrims? anticipated expectations and their actual experiences. What we seek can be as profound as a religious epiphany, as superficial as a successful shopping spree, or as life changing as winning the big jackpot. Throughout we are subtly reminded that if we journey to seek change, we should remember to pack our sense of humor.

Photographed at the New York World´s Fair. (The Prelinger Archives are a source of educational material, mainly ordered by theme, giving a vision of the dark side, the underbelly, perhaps naive of the American dream and the America that is often hidden behind the media curtain.)

2 Mostra de Vídeo Independent de Barcelona 1994.

2 Mostra de Vídeo Independent de Barcelona 1994.

For centuries, parents have struggled to usher their children through the magical, often treacherous, journey to adulthood. But in mid-century America, a new form of tutelage was engineered: the classroom film. Suddenly, the prickly issues of sexual development and juvenile delinquency could be addressed in tidy, ten-minute sermons disguised as dramas. To deal with the subtleties of behavior and the importance of fitting in, "social guidance" films were made on such topics as coping with failure (Planning For Success) and teasing (The Other Fellow's Feelings).

As the daughters of the baby boom reached adolescence, the American school system struggled to educate them on matters of sexual and social development‹lessons that were not always being taught at home. To the teacher uncomfortable with such topics, classroom films were a godsend. They depicted the reproductive system in anatomical detail (Growing Girls) or through puzzling symbolism (The Wonders of Reproduction). Beyond sex education, classroom films addressed a wide array of social issues, from the importance of cooking skills (Júdgalo tú misma), to self-defense (Attack) and how to appear more pleasing to others (Improve Your Personality). Often corny, sometimes frightening, these cinematic life lessons - curated and introduced by Skip Elsheimer, founder of the A/V Geeks educational film archive - provide a fascinating window to the hopes and fears of parents and educators in mid-century America.