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00:00 From the windswept plains of Montana
00:03 to the sun-baked banks of the Rio Grande,
00:06 over countless miles of mountain and prairie,
00:09 untouched and unsullied by the mercenary hand of civilization,
00:14 roams a tough, hardy, and heroic breed of men,
00:18 the North American cowboy.
00:21 Strong, silent, and weather-beaten.
00:24 Howdy, strangers!
00:28 This colorful cowhand of the Great West
00:31 has his counterpart in the South American gaucho.
00:34 Over land and sea, over rugged mountains and dense jungles,
00:39 down across the equator,
00:42 to the lush, grassy pampas of the Argentine,
00:45 the home of the gaucho.
00:48 Now, the cowboys of both Americas have much in common.
00:53 Although their costume differs in a few minor details,
00:56 we substitute "bombachos" for chaps,
00:59 the sombrero, then there's the saco,
01:02 the tirador, the chiripá, and the paruela.
01:06 Botas y espuelas.
01:09 Then finally, we have the poncho,
01:14 which just about covers everything.
01:17 The gaucho's closest friend and inseparable companion
01:22 is his horse, or pingo.
01:26 Quickly, the gaucho reaches for his lasso.
01:29 Twirling the rawhide above his head,
01:32 he deftly tosses the noose about the horse's neck
01:35 and easily subdues the spirit of the animal
01:38 with the help of the snubbing post, or palenque.
01:42 Thanks to the palenque, or snubbing post,
01:45 the horse is soon brought under control
01:48 and is ready for the saddle.
01:52 While it appears complex at first glance,
01:55 the recado, or saddle, is really simplicity itself.
02:00 In saddling the horse, or pingo,
02:04 the gaucho simply lays a foundation of suaderos and rosaderos,
02:08 adding the cinchas, pastos, sheepskin, pigskin, bridle, bit,
02:11 and finally, the gaucho.
02:15 When riding the range at night,
02:19 the saddle may be quickly converted into a bed, or catre.
02:23 "Bed?"
02:26 [horse whinnies]
02:29 One of the gaucho's favorite sports is the asado,
02:32 or Argentine barbecue.
02:35 Over an open charcoal fire,
02:38 thick, juicy, tender steaks are prepared.
02:41 And amigos, it barely melts in your mouth.
02:47 "What a noodle!"
02:50 The gaucho's method of eating looks quite simple,
02:53 yet requires a certain amount of practice.
02:56 The bread and meat are held in one hand,
02:59 the knife in the other.
03:02 Note the action of wrist and elbow as knife and food
03:05 synchronize in deft, graceful rhythm.
03:08 One, two, bite, cut, chew.
03:11 One, a two, a bite, cut, chew.
03:14 One, a two, a bite, cut, chew.
03:17 Yes, it is this wholesome diet that builds the gaucho's nerves of steel and muscles of iron.
03:23 "Oh?"
03:25 And now the boleadoras, or bolas.
03:28 The bolas consists of three lead weights covered with rawhide,
03:32 and is often used for sports such as capturing that swift-moving bird of the compass,
03:36 the Argentine ostrich, or avestruz.
03:39 "A what?"
03:40 Unlike most members of the ostrich family,
03:43 the avestruz is not equipped with ornamental tail flutes.
03:46 Its slender legs make excellent targets for the bolas.
03:49 "Did he say bolas? Caramba!"
03:53 Dashing at breakneck speed, the gaucho whirls the bolas round and round,
03:58 faster and faster, and then the throw!
04:01 Straight and sure it flies until it finds its mark,
04:03 and the swift bird is captured and tied, all in one operation.
04:09 Now, to fully appreciate this remarkable feat,
04:13 let us study the action through the eye of the slow-motion camera.
04:17 Note the grace and beauty of this light-footed creature in startled flight.
04:25 With delicate balance and clock-like precision of timing,
04:31 man and beast, moving as one,
04:35 display a minimum of waist motion.
04:39 As the whirling bolas are unleashed...
04:43 Faster and faster, on and on they spin closer and closer.
04:52 Here they come! Be careful! Get all the way ahead!
04:54 Watch it! Look out! Look out! Here it comes!
04:56 Ah! Ah! Ah! Too late! Too late!
04:58 (squealing)
05:00 (rumbling)
05:02 (horn honking)
05:07 And one night...
05:09 (clears throat) One night falls,
05:11 the lone gaucho oftentimes finds himself far, far out on the pampas.
05:16 Listen to the melancholy strains of the triste,
05:20 a sad, romantic ballad.
05:22 (singing in Spanish)
05:26 (singing in Spanish)
05:54 But the gaucho is not always sad.
05:57 Come, let us dance to the lively beat of the chacarera,
06:01 the dance of the farmer's daughter.
06:03 (whistling)
06:05 Combining the minuet,
06:08 the bunny hug,
06:11 and the dash of jumping jive.
06:13 The pampas version of cutting a rug.
06:16 And el malambo,
06:20 the solo number in which the dancer swings out with utter abandon,
06:24 often described as perpetual motion below the equator.
06:28 (gasps)
06:34 El palapala.
06:36 (barking)
06:38 (whimpering)
06:40 Traditional dance of the rooster and the hen.
06:44 (music)
06:46 (whistling)
06:54 And now as he sways to the gentle undulations of el malambo,
07:02 we gently waft our transplanted cowboy back to his prairie homeland.
07:08 Here we leave him with warm and tender memories
07:11 of his visit to the gay, romantic land of the gaucho.
07:15 Hasta la vista! Adios, amigos!
07:19 And now from the pampas to Brazil and Rio de Janeiro,
07:31 a city of amazing beauty in a perfect setting.
07:34 (music)
07:36 (upbeat music)