Review: European Tour ‘73 (2020) a Docu-Short by Ross Munro

I’ve always found home videos interesting to watch, even if they have nothing to do with me or my family. The older the footage, the more interesting it becomes. It is like a time capsule that comes as close to capturing real life as one can get. When you have a formal documentary film crew following people around, the audience will see a somewhat “performative” version of real life. Alternatively, in a “home” footage documentary like European Tour ‘73 (2020) by Ross Munro, you see things — more or less — as they are. More accurately, you see things as they were.

At just over 15 minutes long, Ross Munro covers a lot of territory in European Tour ‘73 — literally and figuratively. The short film chronicles the Munro family’s trip to Europe in 1973. Ross Munro, the second youngest of five brothers (and later one sister), provides narration for images and video footage taken from a variety of sources. However, the vast majority of the film consists of footage taken with his father’s Super 8 camera.

European Tour ‘73 begins with Munro putting the footage into its historical and cultural context. As a young kid living in Manitoba, Canada, Ross Munro grew up in an era defined by political scandal, rock ‘n roll music, and the counterculture that was pervasive in everything from hairstyles to movies and music.

As a self-described film junkie, Ross Munro felt apprehensive to leave his local movie theater and go galavanting across the European countryside. Nonetheless, his father and mother decided to take their five sons on what they hoped would be the trip of a lifetime. So, they packed their bags and boarded a plane to the first stop on their European tour — England.

Throughout the remainder of the film, Ross Munro gives his often comical take on the family’s experiences abroad. After arriving in London, the family acquired a VW camper van, only to get in a fender-bender within hours of hitting the open road (reenacted in an animated clip). Fortunately, the family encountered fewer problems as the trip moved along.

The remainder of European Tour ‘73 follows the Munro family during their six-week trip. After England, the family travels to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. They finish their European tour by visiting England one last time before returning home.

It may sound like I’ve skipped over a lot of key parts of the film, but Ross Munro presents the narrative in a similar fashion. Its pacing and brevity are two of the film’s greatest shortcomings. With footage spanning six weeks and nine countries, you’d think there would be a whole lot more to show. I wanted to see more of the Munro family’s trip and hear about more interesting encounters with the locals. 

With a runtime of just 15 minutes, there’s really not enough time to cover every locale adequately. While the film gives some countries like England and Germany a lot of attention, it hardly mentions others. For example, Ross Munro jokingly skips over Liechtenstein due to its small size. It made me wonder if there simply wasn’t enough footage to dedicate any time to the tiny European country.

In any case, Ross Munro mixes a variety of video clips and images from the 1970s with his family’s own footage. Additionally, European Tour ‘73 features fun animated sequences to help recreate events that they couldn’t catch on film. From a production standpoint, the narration, footage, animation, music, and editing all work seamlessly to give the film the appearance of a higher-budget documentary. 

As someone who wasn’t even born in 1973, I found the footage and overall narrative fascinating. While Ross Munro makes note of some interesting parallels between the past and the present for comic effect, the film itself shows just how much life has changed in the last half-century. 

Munro frequently references the fact that the family had a budget of $5 per day during their trip. Over a six week period, that comes to a total of just $210. Nowadays, it would be hard to afford two or three days in Europe with that amount of money. Of course, this is just one example. Ross Munro fills European Tour ‘73 with moments that make you contemplate aspects of society that have (and haven’t) changed.

Some people may not like the idea of watching someone else’s home (away from home) videos. A lot of people don’t even like to watch their own family’s home movies. However, what sets Ross Munro and European Tour ‘73 apart — in addition to the production value — is the personal and historical significance of the trip. Anyone can document their travels abroad; it doesn’t make them worth watching. However, European Tour ‘73 takes a seemingly mundane family holiday and turns it into something truly remarkable. 

Though much of Ross Munro’s docu-short consists of corny jokes and nostalgic references to a bygone era, the trip takes on a more somber tone in the final act. I’ve avoided using the word “vacation” for this very reason. While the trip certainly was a vacation, it also held a more serious meaning for the Munro family, particularly Ross’ father. To learn more about the true purpose behind their European tour, you’ll need to watch the film for yourself.

In closing, I am still left wanting more after viewing European Tour ‘73. I’m sure that there are only so many memories you can draw from a trip that took place nearly 50 years ago. That said, it would have been nice to see and hear about all of the Munro family’s experiences. A six-week journey across Europe is no small endeavor; to confine the story to a mere 15 minutes feels like an injustice. I hope that one day this short could turn into a feature-length documentary. Despite this shortcoming, European Tour ‘73 provides an entertaining time capsule of one family’s European excursion in the 1970s. So, if you have any nostalgia for the 1970s or simply enjoy fun stories from the past, European Tour ’73 is definitely worth a watch.

Rating: ★★★½ out of 5

If you’d like to watch Ross Munro’s European Tour ‘73 (2020), you can get a glimpse of the trailer here. Additionally, you can watch the full documentary during its American premiere at the 2020 American Documentary Film Festival! To keep up with Ross Munro and his upcoming film projects, follow him on Twitter @rossbrew.

Finally, for more film reviews like this one, check out the Philosophy in Film Homepage! If you’d like us to review your independent short or feature film, feel free to contact Philosophy in Film today!