Actualities 1894-1920

Lumiere Brothers

Edison: The Invention of the Movies.

Actualities (1897-1910)(Landmarks of Early Film)

DVD 277

Edison: The Invention of the Movies.

Commericial motion pictures were invented at the Edison Laboratory between 1888 and 1893. Perhaps none of the component parts were strictly new, but the ability of Edison and his staff to reorganize them for a specific purpose was an extraordinary cultural achievement. In 1894, Edison was the sole producer of motion pictures in the world. This first disc of a four disc set contains films produced between 1889-1903. DVD 3552

Disc 1. Early Edison camera tests; Dickson greeting; Newark athlete; Men boxing; Blacksmithing scene; Barber shop; Edison kinetoscopic record of a sneeze; Athlete with wand; Sandow; Carmecita; Boxing cats; Caicedo with pole; Annabelle butterfly dance; Cockfight, no.2; Corbett and Courtney before the kinetograph; Sioux ghost dance; Buffalo dance; Hornbacker-Murphy fight; Hadj Cheriff, Arab knife juggler; Glenroy Bros., no.2; Louis Martinetti, Contortionist; Bucking broncho; Annie Oakley; Imperial Japanese dance; Robetta and Doretto; Chinese laundry scene; Band drill; fire rescue. Billy Edwards and the unknown; Dickson experimental sound film; Princess Ali, Egyptian dance; Annabelle serpentine dance; Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots; Amy Muller; John C. Rice-Mary Irwin kiss; Shooting the chutes; Fatima, muscle dancer; mess call; inventor Edison sketched by world artist; watermellon eating contest; Lone fisherman; Interrupted lovers; Feeding the doves; Morning bath; Burning stable; Mounted Police charge; McKinley parade; Going to the fire; Morning alarm; Black Diamond express; American falls; First sleigh ride; Mr. Edison at work in labaratory; Return of lifeboat. Troop ships for the Philippines; U.S. troops landing in Cuba; Burglar on the roof; Firemen rescue; Wringing good joke; Gold rush scenes in the Klondike; searching ruins for dead bodies, Galveston; The kiss; Capture of Boer battery by British; Storm at sea; Old maid having her picture taken; High diving scene; Photographing a country couple; What happened on Twenty-Third Street, NY City; Pan-American Exposition by night; Trapeze disrobing act; Burning of Durland's Riding Academy; Jack and the beanstalk; Electrocuting an elephant; Life of an American fireman; Egyptian fakier with dancing monkey; A scrap in black and white; Uncle Tom's cabin; Gay shoe clerk; Turning the tables; What happened in the tunnel; Great train robbery.

Disc 2. European rest cure; How a French nobleman got a wife through the New York Herald personal columns; Strenuous life or, Anti-race suicide; Ex-convict; Klepto-maniac; Seven ages; Whole dam family and the dam dog; Coney Island at night; Little train robbery; White caps; Miller's daughter; Train wreckers; Life of an American policeman; Police chasing scorching auto; Dream of a rarebit fiend; Three American beauties; San Francisco earthquake; Terrible kids; Kathleen Mavourneen; Getting evidence; "Teddy" bears.

Disc 3. Cohen's fire sale; Rivals; Trainer's daughter or, A race for love; College chums; Laughing gas; Little girl who did not believe in Santa Claus; Suburbanite's ingenious alarm; Rescued from an eagle's nest; Fireside reminiscences; Cupid's pranks; Tale the Autumn leaves told (fragment); House of cards; New York of today; How Bumptious papered the parlor; Thirty days at hard labor; Passer-by; Totville eye; Public and private care of infants; Unsullied shield.

Disc 4. At Bear Track Gulch; The Ambassador's daughter; A serenade by proxy; All on account of a transfer; One touch of nature; The adventure of the hasty elopement; The wonders of magnetism; Black eyes; The lone game; The unbeliever.

Lyrical Nitrate

A selection of silent film fragments, constructed from old black & white and color tinted and toned nitrate films. Reconstructed in an evocative, poetic manner the film features a soundtrack from old recordings, ranging from Caruso to the sounds of a glass harmonica. 50 min. DVD 4523

Moscow Clad in Snow(1909)

Pathe Frères. 5 min. Supplement included on DVD 7620

Paris in the Time of Zola.

Zola, the greatest of the French naturalist writers, gave us detailed and convincing portraits of Paris and Parisian life in his time. This program uses rare film footage from Zola's lifetime to document the Paris of the Second Empire that Zola knew. Dist.: Films Media Group. 26 min. DVD 6114

Paris 1900.

A chronicle of Parisian life from 1900 to 1914, using newsreels, early silent film, and other memorabilia. Sports, recreation, and the arts are emphasized. The end of those halcyon days is suggested by newsreels showing the rise of labor unions, socialism, and new technology. Video/C 1978

Paris: Une Capitale des Arts

Captures Paris at the turn of the century, the end of a major cultural epoch, with archival film by the renowned Lumiere brothers. Shows the World's Fair, Opera Comique, Rodin's Gates of Hell, the work of the Impressionists and Picasso. Dist.: Films Media Group. 1995. 14 min. Video/C 7912

Unseen Cinema 5: Early American Avant-garde Film, 1894-1941: Picturing a Metropolis: New York City Unveiled.

Reveals hitherto unknown accomplishments of American filmmakers from the invention of cinema until World War II. Disc 5: "Depicts dynamic images of New York City and scenes of New Yorkers among the skyscrapers, streets, and night life of America's greatest city during a half century of progress, while at the same time showing changes in film style and the history of cinema experiments." Contents: Early views" -- The Blizzard (1899) / creators unknown -- Lower Broadway (1902) / Robert K. Bonine -- Beginning of a skyscraper (1902) / Robert K. Bonine -- Panorama from Times Building, New York (1905) / Wallace McCutcheon -- Skyscrapers of NYC from North River (1903) / J.B. Smith -- Panorama from Tower of the Brooklyn Bridge (1903) / G.W. "Billy" Bitzer -- "Tricks of the trade" -- Demolishing and building up the Star Theatre (1902) / Frederick S. Armitage -- Coney Island at night (1905) / Edwin S. Porter -- Interior New York Subway 14th Street to 42nd Street (1905) / G.W. "Billy" Bitzer -- Seeing New York by yacht (1902) / Frederick Armitage & A.E. Weed -- Looney Lens: Split skyscrapers (1924) / Al Brick -- Looney Lens: Tenth Avenue, NYC (1924) / Al Brick -- Scenes from Ford Educational Weekly (1916-24) / creators unknown -- 8th Avenue elevated train at 112th Street -- The trellis : work of sunshine and shade -- View of Herald Square Station -- Aerial view of Sixth Ave. train at 28th, 26th, 24th -- Manhatta (1921) / Charles Sheeler & Paul Strand -- Twenty four Dollar Island (c. 1926) / Robert Flaherty -- Skyscraper symphony (1929) / Robert Florey -- Manhattan medley (1931) / Bonney Powell -- A Bronx morning (1931) / Jay Leyda -- Footnote to fact (1933) / Lewis Jacobs -- "Seeing the world," part one: a visit to New York, N.Y. (1937) / Rudy Burckhardt -- The Pursuit of happiness (1940) / Rudy Burckhardt -- Gold Diggers of 1935 : "Lullaby of Broadway" (1935) / Busby Berkeley -- Autumn fire (1930-33) / Herman Weinberg. DVD 4670

James Agee

Agee

Reviews the life and career of James Agee, one of the most talented American writers of our time. In his short career, Agee worked as poet, journalist, film critic, screenwriter and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist. His story is told here by those who knew him best, including John Huston, Walker Evans, Robert Fitzgerald, Dwight Macdonald, Father Flye, and Agee's three wives. The film also features the words of James Agee. 198? 58 min. Video/C 2327

In the Street (1941-1952)

An extension of the filmmakers' work on the documentary film The Quiet One which was concerned with the urban environment. this film is a revelation of random behavior filmed in a neighborhood in East Harlem New York during the 1940s. The images are selected to reveal the city street as "theater and battleground." 16 min. Video/C 4427

Saul Bass

Why Man Creates

This production examines why, in all ages of history and prehistory, man has felt the need to be creative and imaginative in solving problems and expressing himself. 1969. 25 min. Video/C 987

Michel Brault

Michel Brault, Works 1958-1974. Disc 1

Les raquetteurs / Michel Brault, Gilles Groulx (1958, 15 min.) [also on Video/C 4663] -- La lutte / Michel Brault, Marcel Carriere, Claude Fournier, Claude Jutra (1961, 28 min.) -- Quebec-U.S.A. ou l'invasion pacifique / Michel Brault, Claude Jutra (1962, 28 min.) -- Pour la suite du monde / Michel Brault, Pierre Perrault (1963, 105 min.). Les raquetteurs: A candid view of participants and spectators at a rally of snowshoers held in Sherbrooke, Quebec. La lutte: Views of some of Montreal's back-street wrestling parlors where well-muscled tyros are drilled, and then to the Montreal Forum for a view of a Carpentier-DeNucci versus Costello-Kalmikoff tag-team match. Shows the grappling, punching, squirming acrobatics of the ring, and the intense involvement of the crowd. Quebec-U.S.A. ou l'invasion pacifique: With an eye to humour, this film shows the people of Quebec taking a look at American tourists who have come to Quebec to take a look at them Pour la suite du monde: The story of the revival of a traditional whale hunt on the Ile-aux-Coudres in the St. Lawrence River. The aging participants attempt to reconstruct the tactics of their forefathers. 164 min. DVD 5869 (Les Raquetteurs is also on vhs 4663)

Michel Brault, Works 1958-1974. Disc 2

Les enfants du silence (1962, 24 min.) -- Le temps perdu (1964, 27 min.) -- Genevieve (1965, 28 min.) -- Entre la mer et l'eau douce (1965, 85 min.). Les enfants du silence: A film about children suffering from deafness, and the importance of early detection. Le temps perdu: A glimpse into the private world of young people. Informal discussion shows that they are involved in the frivolity of youth, but are also concerned with the adult world of religion, sex and interpersonal relationships. Genevieve: Describes the elation and disillusionment of first love as experienced by two girls who are infatuated with the same boy at a Quebec winter carnival. Entre la mer et l'eau douce: Claude is a young man who leaves his small town on the North Shore for the big city, Montreal. He meets Genevieve, a young waitress, and they fall in love. Claude enters a singing contest that launches his music career. As he becomes more famous, he must work out how Genevieve will fit into his new life. 164 min. DVD 5869

Michel Brault, Works 1958-1974. Disc 3

Les enfants de Neant (1968, 44 min.) -- Eloge du chiac (1969, 27 min.) -- L'Acadie l'Acadie?!? / Michel Brault, Pierre Perrault (1971, 118 min.). Les enfants de Neant: Morbihan is one of the poorest regions in Brittany. Joseph, a 33-year-old farmer, can no longer live off the land. He is hired at the fancy new plant that has just opened where he enters a world of rote work. Fortunately he can go home to his farm every evening, far from the large urban centers where workers must usually live. Eloge du chiac: Taking the form of a conversation between a young teacher at a French school in Moncton and her students, the film shows how hard it is for francophones to preserve their language in a society where English is everywhere, and has been for centuries. L'Acadie l'Acadie?!?: A filmed account, day by day, of the uprising of Acadian students in 1968/69 at the University of Moncton, in search of the right to speak French at the University and in Moncton. 189 min. DVD 5869

Michel Brault, Works 1958-1974. Disc 4

Le bras de levier et la riviere (1973, 26 min.) -- Les ordres (1974, 107 min.). Le bras de levier et la riviere: A group of vacationing teenagers decides to find out how the principle of the lever arm is applied in several everyday life situations. Les Ordres: Historical drama based on true incidents which occurred in Quebec during the October Crisis of 1970. Tells the story of over 450 people, who, under the War Measures Act, were taken into custody and jailed without warrants and for no apparent reason. 133 min. DVD 5869

Michel Brault, Works 1958-1974. Disc 5

Le cheval de Troie de l'esthetique / Gilles Noel (2005, 105 min.) -- Le direct avant la lettre / Denys Desjardins (2005, 50 min.). Le cheval de Troie de l'esthetique: Michel Brault reflects on his career, his work with Claude Jutra, Jean Rouch, Pierre Perrault, Roland Barthes, and the beginning of French production at the National Film Board. Le direct avant la lettre: With commentary by Roger Blais, Jean-Claude Labrecque, Fernand Dansereau, Jacques Giraldeau, Michel Brault and others, this film explores the beginning of cinema verite, and traces the history of a movement which had a profound impact on filmmaking in Quebec. 155 min. DVD 5869

Les Raquetteurs(1958)

A film by Michel Brault, Gilles Groulx. 15 min. DVD 5869 [also contained in the anthology The National Film Board of Canada: A History. 4, French film Production at the NFB DVD 5869; Video/C 4663

British Documentary Movement

John Grierson

Humphrey Jennings

Basil Wright

Books and articles about the British Documentary Film Movement in the UCB Library

Benjamin Britten.

Contents: Coal face, 1935 (12 min.) / director, Alberto Cavalcanti; producer, John Grierson; music, Benjamin Britten -- Night mail, 1936 (24 min.) / directors, Basil Wright, Harry Watt; producer, John Grierson; music, Benjamin Britten -- Instruments of the Orchestra, 1947 (20 min.) / director, Muir Mathieson; producer, Alexander Shaw; music, Benjamin Britten -- Steps of the ballet, 1948 (24 min.) / director, Muir Mathieson; producer, Alexander Shaw; music Benjamin Britten. Video/C 5024 (Coal face also on Video/C 9417); Night Mail also on DVD 6240

Britain in the 30's (British avant-garde in the thirties)

Coming from a decade which saw the founding of British realism as well as a flourishing surrealist movement, the thirteen films in this collection reveal a diversity of aesthetics and politics. Different styles and genres jostle each other from Len Lye's magical advertisement of Shell Oil, The birth of the robot, to Norman McLaren's anti-war classic Hell Unltd, while Elton and Anstey's Housing problems points to the future format of the television documentary.

Contents: Song of Ceylon / director, Basil Wright; producer, John Grierson (1934, 38 min.) -- Bread / Kino Production Group (1934, 11 min.) -- Tell me if it hurts / director/producer, Richard Massingham (1934, 19 min.) -- Beyond this open road / director, B. Vivian Braun (1934, 10 min.) -- Coal face / director, Alberto Cavalcanti; producer, John Grierson (1935, 11 min.) -- Housing problems / director/producer, Arthur Elton (1935, 15 min.) -- The birth of the robot / director/producer, Len Lye (1935, 6 min.) -- A colour box / director, Len Lye; producer, John Grierson (1935, 3 min.) -- Camera makes whoopee / director/animator, Norman McLaren (1935, 18 min.) -- Hell unltd / directors/producers, Norman McLaren, Helen Biggar -- Love on the wing / director, Norman McLaren; producer, Alberto Cavalcanti (1938, 5 min.) -- N or NW / director, Len Lye (1938, 8 min.) -- Spare time / director, Humphrey Jennings; producer, Alberto Cavalcanti (1939, 14 min.). Video/C 9417

British Transport Films Collection

On and Off the Rails

In 1948, the British Transportation Commission set up its own in-house film production unit led for 25 years by Edgar Anstey -- a founding father of the British documentary movement. it became one of the largest industrial film units in Britain. In this selection of films the documentary aficionado will recognise the development of traits and innovations in British non-fiction filmmaking. Disc 1: Blue Pullman (1960, 25 min.) / director, Nick Nicholls -- Elizabethan Express / Tony Thompson (1954, 20 min.) -- Train time / John Shearman (1952, 28 min.) -- Rail 150 / Ronald Craigen (1975, 14 min.) -- The diesel train driver / (1959, 7 min.) -- On track for the eighties / John Legard (1980, 15 min.) -- Cybernetica / Peter Sims (1972, 20 min.) -- Disc 2: Under the river / R.K. Neilson Baxter (1959, 27 min.) -- Snowdrift at Bleath Gill / Kenneth Fairbairn (1955, 10 min.) -- This year: London / John Krish, Jack Holmes (1951, 25 min.) -- This is York / J. B. Holmes (1953, 20 min.) -- The great highway / R, K. Nelson Baxter (1966, 20 min.) -- A Day of One's Own / Kenneth Fairbairn (1956, 20 min.) -- John Betjeman goes by train / Malcolm Freegard (1962, 10 min.). DVD 6211

Running a Railway

In 1948, the British Transportation Commission set up its own in-house film production unit led for 25 years by Edgar Anstey -- a founding father of the British documentary movement. it became one of the largest industrial film units in Britain. In this selection of films the documentary aficionado will recognise the development of traits and innovations in British non-fiction filmmaking. Disc 1: Operation London Bridge / directors, Norman Prouting, David C. Lochner (1975, 18 min.) -- Wires over the border / David C. Lochner (1974, 18 min.) -- Groundwork for progress / Bill Mason (1959- 30 min.) -- Making tracks / Tony Thompson (1956, 17 min.) -- E for Experiment / Donald Washbourne (1975, 20 min.) -- Modelling for the future (1962, 8 min.) -- Britannia: a bridge / David C. Lochner (1973, 19 min.) -- Disc 2: Terminus / John Schlesinger (1961, 20 min.) -- Fully fitted freight / Ralph Keene (1957, 21 min.) -- Farmer moving South (a Winter journey) / John Taylor (1952, 17 min.) -- I am a litter basket / James Ritchie (1959, 7 min.) -- The Third Sam / Kenneth Fairbairn (1962, 10 min.) -- People like us (1962, 9 min.) -- Future on rail / Edgar Anstey (1957, 10 min.) DVD 6213

See Britain by Train

In 1948, the British Transportation Commission set up its own in-house film production unit led for 25 years by Edgar Anstey -- a founding father of the British documentary movement. it became one of the largest industrial film units in Britain. In this selection of films the documentary aficionado will recognise the development of traits and innovations in British non-fiction filmmaking. Disc 1: West Country journey / director, Syd Sharples (1953, 26 min.) -- A letter for Wales / Tony Thompson (1960, 25 min.) -- Cyclists special (1955, 16 min.) -- Holiday / John Taylor (1957, 18 min.) -- The heart is Highland / John Taylor (1952, 20 min.) -- Any man's kingdom / Tony Thompson (1956, 20 min.) -- Disc 2: Glasgow belongs to me / Edward McConnell (1966, 17 min.) -- The England of Elizabeth / John Taylor (1957, 27 min.) -- Capital visit / Syd Sharples (1955, 20 min.) -- The heart of England / Michael Clarke (1954, 20 min.) -- East Anglian holiday / Michael Clarke (1954, 20 min.) -- The coasts of Clyde / James Ritchie (1959, 20 min.). DVD 6212

Britain at War: The First Days

The first days / producer: Alberto Cavalcanti; directors: Humphrey Jennings, Harry Watt, Pat Jackson (1939, 23 min.) --The front line / director: Harry Watt (1940, 6 min.) -- Squadron 992 / producer: Alberto Cavalcanti; director: Harry Watt (1940, 26 min.) First days: Shows many actual and some reconstructed scenes of air raid precautions, military training and evacuations during the first days of the war. Front line: For three months the town of Dover had been the frontier target for the Reich. There was only one hotel where the American correspondents stayed to record the fall of Britain. Squadron 992: A compelling drama-documentary about the training of a balloon squadron and its first assignment to the Forth Bridge, which had just been unsuccessfully raided. DVD 6218

Chapman, James. The British at war: cinema, state, and propaganda, 1939-1945 N.Y.: I.B. Tauris Publishers; New York, N.Y.: Distributed by St. Martin's Press, 1998. Cinema and society. (Main Stack D743.23.C45 1998)

Britain at War: Under Fire

The story of an air communique / Ministry of Information (1940, 7 mins.) -- Britain can take it (aka London Can Take It) / directors: Harry Watt, Humphrey Jennings (1940, 9 min.) -- Britain at bay / commentary written and spoken by J.B. Priestley (1940, 8 min.) -- Men of the lightship / producer: Alberto Cavalcanti; director: David MacDonald (1940, 25 min.) -- Christmas under fire / director: Harry Watt (1941, 10 min.) Story of an air communique: Made for the Ministry of Information to show how accurately the figures for destroyed enemy aircraft were compiled and checked. DVD 6219

Chapman, James. The British at war: cinema, state, and propaganda, 1939-1945 N.Y.: I.B. Tauris Publishers; New York, N.Y.: Distributed by St. Martin's Press, 1998. Cinema and society. (Main Stack D743.23.C45 1998)

Britain Can Take It (aka London Can Take It)(1940)

Directors: Harry Watt, Humphrey Jennings. American journalist Quentin Reynolds presented this despatch from London that gave Roosevelt the kind of material he needed to swing U.S. popular opinion behind Britain in the war. Britain at bay: Nazi Germany has swallowed Czechoslovakia, invaded Poland and Norway, overrun Holland and Belgium. The French government had given in. Britain was alone, at bay... Men of the lightship: Reconstruction of events surrounding the Nazi bombing of the East Dudgeon lightship and the fate of those who manned it. Christmas under fire: Quentin Reynolds second film despatch from London to America shows Christmas 1940, the year of the blitz. 9 min. DVD 6219; also on DVD 1279; vhs VIDEO/C 5025

Chapman, James. The British at war: cinema, state, and propaganda, 1939-1945 N.Y.: I.B. Tauris Publishers; New York, N.Y.: Distributed by St. Martin's Press, 1998. Cinema and society. (Main Stack D743.23.C45 1998)

Reynolds, Quentin James. Britain can take it; based on the film. New York, E.P. Dutton and company, inc., c1941. (MAIN: D760.8.L7 R48)

Cameramen at War. (1943)

Compiled by Len Lye. A tribute to the cameramen of the British military film units and the newsreel companies that sent back front-line reports. Most of the film shown is of World War II, with special emphasis on the European and North African combat areas. 15 min. Video/C 5027

David. (1951)

Directed by Paul Dickson. This film was made in Wales, in the town of Ammanford. Most of the players are the people of Ammanford--and the story is true. 38 min. Video/C 5028

Desert Victory.(1943)

Directed by Captain Roy Boulting. Documents the British Eighth Army's smashing victory at El Alamein in Nov. 1942, and its triumphant advance across the desert to Tripoli. Academy Award for best feature-length documentary, 1943. 62 min. DVD 5802; vhs Video/C 5027

Diary for Timothy. (1945)

Directed by Humphrey Jennings. Presents an imaginary diary of the last phase of World War II for later use of a child born during the period. 39 min. DVD 1279; also on VHS Video/C 5026

Documentary Masterpieces: Five Documentaries Circa. 1931 to 1960

Contents: Industrial Britain (21 min., 1933) / Gaumont British Picture Corporation -- A Colour Box (ca. 4 min., 1935) / by Len Lye; G.P.O. Film Unit -- Granton Trawler (11 min., 1934)[also on DVD 6061 and vhs Video/C 5023] / New Era Films, ltd. -- The Private Life of the Gannets (10 min.) /A Treasure Chest production by Julian Huxley -- Seawards the Great Ships (29 min.) / produced by Templar Film Studios.

A compilation of documentary films made in Great Britain. Industrial Britain examines Britain's factories and mines during the early 1930's. A Colour Box is an experimental film in which abstract images dance across the screen to lively latin music. Granton Trawler is a documentary about fishermen engaged in dragnet fishing off the coast of Scotland. The Private lives of the gannets is a study of the behaviour patterns and lives of a bird colony of gannets situated on Grassholm Island, Wales. Seawards the great ships is a documentary in which the filmaker visits the Clyde River in Scotland to observe the men who build ships as they assemble materials, construct and launch a great variety of vessels. Video/C 999:925

England in the Thirties

Contents: Granton trawler, 1934 (11 min.) / producer, director, John Grierson [also on DVD 6061]-- Pett and Pott: a fairy story of the suburbs, 1934 (33 min.) / writer, director, Alberto Cavalcanti -- North Sea, 1938 (32 min.) / director, Harry Watt; producer, Alberto Cavalcanti.

Granton trawler is a documentary study of fishermen engaged in dragnet fishing in the 1930's off the coast of Scotland. Pett and Pott is a mock morality tale created to promote telephone use in which the admirable Petts invest in phone service, while the decadent Potts use their money for a maid. The North Sea reenacts the fate of a storm-tossed ship in distress and features the activities of the GPO and its radio stations along the coast. Video/C 5023

Family Portrait (1951)

A film on the theme of the Festival of Britain 1951. Discusses Britain and her people, composed of a wealth of images of placesand people from all over the country, allusively contrasted and combined. Compares Great Britain to a family in the sense that combined. Compares Great Britain to a family in the sense that both exhibit tolerance, courage, faith, and the will to be disciplined and free. 24 min. Video/C 5026

Fires Were Started. (1943)

Co-directed with Harry Watt. Uses reenactment techniques to show the Auxiliary Fire Service in Action during the winter and spring of 1940/41, when the Blitz of London was at its height. 72 min. DVD 1279; also on VHS Video/C 5025

Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database

Colls, R. "Representing the Nation: British Documentary Film, 1930-45." Screen XXVI/1, Jan-Feb 85; p.21-33. illus.

Richards, Jeffrey. "'Fires Were Started.' (portrayal of World War II by film director Humphrey Jennings)." History Today 45.n4 (April 1995): 29(6). UC users only

Sansom, William. "The Making of Fires Were Started." Film Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 2, Special Humphrey Jennings Issue. (Winter, 1961-1962), pp. 27-29. UC users only

Stansky, Peter. London's burning : life, death and art in the Second World War / Peter Stansky and William Abrahams. Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press, 1994. (Main Stack NX650.W3.S73 1994)

Instruments of the Orchestra (1947)

Directed by Muir Mathieson. Each section of a symphony orchestra, the woodwinds, strings, brass and percussion, is broken down into its component parts. Differences in instrument construction and sound are explained and demonstrated. In conclusion the orchestra is reconstructed for a performance of Benjamin Britten's a performance of Benjamin Britten's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Purcell. 20 min. Video/C 5024

Listen to Britain and Other Films

Contents: London can take it (1940, 9 mins.) -- Words for battle (1941, 8 mins.) -- Listen to Britain (1942, 18 mins.) -- Fires were started (1943, 70 mins.) [also on VHS Video/C 5025]-- A diary for Timothy (1943, 39 mins.) [also on VHS Video/C 5026]-- Family portrait (1951, 26 mins.)[also on vhs Video/C 5026] -- Myra Hess, playing the first movement of Beethoven's Sonata in F Minor No. 57 (Apassionata) (1945, 9 mins.)

A collection of six films (and one bonus film) by one of the greatest figures in the celebrated British Documentary Film Movement. Humphrey Jennings is most remembered for the way his work reflects the concerns and conditions of the World War II era in the United Kingdom. These pictures document how Jennings's impressive aesthetic arsenal helped to expand the scope and vocabulary of documentary films. DVD 1279

Colls, R. "Representing the Nation: British Documentary Film, 1930-45." Screen XXVI/1, Jan-Feb 85; p.21-33. illus.

Richards, Jeffrey. "'Fires Were Started.' (portrayal of World War II by film director Humphrey Jennings)." History Today 45.n4 (April 1995): 29(6). UC users only

Sansom, William. "The Making of Fires Were Started." Film Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 2, Special Humphrey Jennings Issue. (Winter, 1961-1962), pp. 27-29. UC users only

Stansky, Peter. London's burning : life, death and art in the Second World War / Peter Stansky and William Abrahams. Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press, 1994. (Main Stack NX650.W3.S73 1994)

Listen to Britain (1942)

Written, edited, and directed by Humphrey Jennings and Stewart McAllister. A poetic treatment, using no narration, of the British people during World War II. A vivid tapestry of sound and image intersperses scenes of British preparedness and tranquility. Perhaps Jennings' most outstanding film, Listen to Britain celebrates the perservance of everyday behavior in the face of total war. 19 min. DVD 1279; also on VHS Video/C 5026

Humphrey Jennings bibliography

Vaughan, Dai. Portrait of an invisible man : the working life of Stewart McAllister, film editor London : BFI, 1983 (MAIN: TR849.M39 V38 1983)

London Can Take It (aka Britain Can Take It)(1940)

Directed by Humphrey Jennings and Harry Watt. Shows how people behave under stress and how World War II called forth the most positive and worthwhile aspects of life in Britain. 9 min. DVD 6219; DVD 1279; also on VHS Video/C 5025

Humphrey Jennings bibliography

New Earth (1934). Directed by Joris Ivens. Documentary on the reclamation of the Zuiderzee in the late 1920's and early 1930's. Video/C 999:524; also Video/C 7811

Night Mail (1936)

Follows the nightly journey of the "postal special" from London to Glascow. Producer, John Grierson; directors, Harry Watt & Basil Wright; music, Benjamin Britten; verse by W. H. Auden DVD 6240; and vhs Video/C 5024; Video/C 102; Video/C 999:524

Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database

Crothall, Geoffrey. "Images of Regeneration: Film Propaganda and the British Slum Clearance Campaign, 1933-1938." [Housing Problems] Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television 19:3 [August 1999] 339-358

Seton, Marie. "Basil Wright's Song of Ceylon." In The Documentary Tradition / edited by Lewis Jacobs. pp. 101-104. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 1979 (Main Stack PN1995.9.D6.J3 1979; Moffitt PN1995.9.D6.J3 1979)

Crothall, Geoffrey. "Images of regeneration: film propaganda and the British slum clearance campaign, 1933-1938." Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, August 1999 v19 i3 p339(2) UC users only

The Song of Ceylon (1935)

Produced by John Grierson, directed by Basil Wright, 1935. The Song of Ceylon is a documentary showing traditional culture and primitive economy of the Ceylonese contrasted with the influence of modern commerce. Video/C 5022; Video/C 9417; Video/C 999:524

Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database

Guynn, William. "The Art of National Projection: Basil Wright's Song of Ceylon." In: Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video / edited by Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski. pp: 83-98. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, c1998. Contemporary film and television series. (Main Stack PN1995.9.D6.D58 1998; Moffitt PN1995.9.D6.D58 1998)

Steps of the Ballet (1948)

Directed by Muir Mathieson. Documentary showing how a ballet is made, beginning with a brief demonstration of ballet steps, followed by rehearsal andbackstage scenes, culminating in the performance of a ballet based on a story of a girl who must choose between three suitors. 24 min. Video/C 5024

Target for Tonight. (1945)

Released by the British Ministry of Information. Written and Driected by Harry Watt. This exceptional British film was given special recognition by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the 1941 Academy Awards presentations. In documentary realism, it shows a British bomber attack deep into Germany and reflects the concerns and support for that attack. This film is the true story of themen and women who planned and executed the nightly bombing raids on Germany during World War II. 39 min. DVD 5802; vhs Video/C 5026

30's Britain. Vol 1

Granton trawler / producer and director, John Grierson (11 min., 1934) [also on vhs Video/C 5023; vhs Video/C 999:925]-- Coal face / producer, John Grierson; director, Alberto Cavalcanti (12 min., 1935) [also on vhs Video/C 9417; vhs Video/C 5024]-- A job in a million / director, Evelyn Spice (18 min, 1937) -- Spare time / producer, Alberto Cavalcanti; director, Humphrey Jennings (14 min, 1939) -- The city / producer, Alberto Cavalcanti; director, Ralph Elton (19 min, 1939) Granton Trawler: About a trawler fishing on the Viking Bank. Coal face: An experiment in sound in a coal mine. A job in a million: A young cockney lad trains as a messenger boy with the Post Office. Spare time: Films of workers in the steel, cotton and coal industries during their leisure time. The city: Shows the growth and development of London, and how the Post Office helped ease congestion with its own underground railway. DVD 6061 (PAL)

30's Britain. Vol 2

The saving of Bill Blewitt / producer, Alberto Cavalcanti; director, Harry Watt (25 min., 1937) -- North Sea / producer, Alberto Calvalcanti; director, Harry Watt (32 min., 1938) -- The islanders / producer, J. B. Holmes; director, Maurice Harvey (17 min., 1939) -- A midsummer day's work / camera, Jonah Jones, James E. Rogers (13 min., 1939). The saving of Bill Blewitt: An early fiction film made in a documentary style, about two fishermen whose boat is wrecked but who manage to save up enough to buy another. North sea: Dramatically reconstructs an actual incident in which an Aberdeen trawler in trouble gets assistance from Wick coastguard radio station. The first successful example of the now familiar drama-documentary. The Islanders: Shows how life on the island of Eriskay, Guernsey and Inner Farne are linked to the mainland by the Post Office. A Midsummer's day work: About the laying of an 18-mile underground telephone cable in the Chilterns from Amersham to Aylesbury. DVD 6062 (PAL)

Waverley Steps. (1948)

Directed by John Eldridge. Like Walther Ruttmann's Berlin Symphony of a Great City (which it quotes in its opening shots), Waverley steps is an ode to the spirit of a city--in this case, Edinburgh. "It touces on such themes as life and death, romance and divorce, work and entertainment, which were staples of the city \y genre. It's highly controlled and polished cinematography, as well as its carefully arranged and acted vignettes, pull this film away from the genre's documentary impulse." (from container) 31 min. Video/C 5028

Luis Buñuel

Books and articles about Bunñuel in the UCB Library

Land Without Bread (Las Hurdes) (1937)

Documents the improvished district of Las Hurdes in Spain. There are few natural resources in the area and physical barriers have tended to isolate it. The film captures the poverty, illiteracy and disease which frame the lives of the peasants. Scenes of malnutrition, death, despair and pestilence pile upon one another. The film makes no political comment but simply portrays the lives of the people. 27 min. Video/C 8742; another print Video/C 999:173

Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database

Frank Capra

Books and articles about Capra in the UCB Library

Here is Germany. (1945)

Presented Army Pictorial Service Signal Corps. A propaganda film created by the U.S. government during World War II traces Germany's development as a military power from the time of Frederick the Great to the end of the Third Reich. Dramatically presents the threat of German militarism through scenes of goose-stepping soldiers, armies in combat, and victorious parades under the leadership of Bismark, the Kaiser, and Hitler. Originally produced in 1945 by the Frank Capra unit. War Department orientation film, official G.F.-11. 52 min. Video/C 5089

Know Your Enemy - Japan

Producer/director, Frank Capra; co-director, Joris Ivens. Performers: Walter Huston, Dana Andrews. Produced in 1945 as a motion picture by the U.S. Army Pictorial Service, Signal Corps. Propaganda film made during World War II which was intended to acquaint the American with his Japanene counterpart. 63 min. DVD 5802; DVD 613; DVD 1090; also on vhs Video/C 2906

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Blakefield, W.J. "A war within." Sight & Sound Vol LII nr 2 (Spring 1983); p 128-133

Fujitani, T. "Go for Broke, the Movie: Japanese American Soldiers in U. S. National, Military, and Racial Discourses." In: Perilous memories : the Asia-Pacific War(s) / edited by T. Fujitani, Geoffrey M. White, and Lisa Yoneyama. Durham [N.C.] : Duke University Press, 2001. (Anthropology DS777.53.P44 2001; Main Stack DS777.53.P44 2001)

Waugh, Thomas; Pappas, P. "Joris Ivens defended." Cineaste Vol X nr 4 (Fall 1980); p 48

The Negro Soldier (1943)

Supervisor, Frank Capra; director, Capt. Stuart Heisler. Traces the role of the Negro soldier in American history from 1776 to 1944, and shows the accomplishments of Negro troops. Written by Carlton Moss. 49 min. DVD 8798; also DVD 8711; vhs Video/C 2176

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Tunisian Victory(1944)

British Film Unit, U.S. Army Signal Corps; director, Frank Capra; with Burgess Meredith and Bernard Miles. 76 min. DVD 5802

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Why We Fight

Note: all DVD versions contain special features: Challenging triva questions and answers, biographies, chapter search, 2 war postures (including background on the poster itself, and the artist who created it), film reel: Inside the Nazi concentration camps.

Prelude to War (1942) Producer and director, Frank Capra. Photography, Robert Flaherty. Reviews events from 1933 to 1939, including the Japanese conquest of Manchuria, the Italian conquest of Ethiopia, and the rise of Hitler. Also discusses the Axis plan of World conquest. 54 min. DVD 37; Video/C 5434

Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Watch this movie online (via the Internet Moving Image Archive)

The Nazis Strike (1943) Producer, Frank Capra; directors, Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak. A documentary film record of Germany's preparation for war, the conquest of Austria and Czechoslovakia, and the attack upon Poland. 41 min. DVD 37; Video/C 5435

Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Watch this movie online (via the Internet Moving Image Archive)

Divide and Conquer (1943) Producer, Frank Capra; directors, Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak. A documentary film record of the German attack upon and conquest of Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, and France in 1940. 58 min. DVD 38; Video/C 5436

Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Watch this movie online (via the Internet Moving Image Archive)

The Battle of Britain (1943) Producer, Frank Capra; director, Anthony Veiler. Presents a documentary film record of the bombing of England by the German Luftwaffe in 1940 and the defense offered by the Royal Air Force. 55 min. DVD 38; Video/C 5437

Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Watch this movie online (via the Internet Moving Image Archive)

The Battle of Russia (1944) Producer, Frank Capra; directors, Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak. Shows the Russian defense against the Nazi invasion during World War II, focusing on the Battle of Stalingrad. 83 min. DVD 39; Video/C 5438

Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Watch this movie online (via the Internet Moving Image Archive)

The Battle of China (1944) Producer, Frank Capra; directors, Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak. Depicts Japanese aggression against China during World War II and describes Japan's plan for world conquest. Recalls Chinese development of the compass, printing, astronomy, gunpowder, and porcelain. 65 min. DVD 39; Video/C 5439

Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Watch this movie online (via the Internet Moving Image Archive)

War comes to America (1945) Producer, Frank Capra; director, Anatole Litvak. Briefly reviews the history of the United States and describes the characteristics, habits, and beliefs of the American people. Explains the events from 1931 to 1941 that caused the United States to enter World War II. 65 min. DVD 40; Video/C 5440

Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Watch this movie online (via the Internet Moving Image Archive)

D-Day and the Normandy Invasion (1945). Producer, Frank Capra; directors, Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak. Reviews the events of D-Day on the night and day of June 5-6, 1944 when the invasion of France occured by the Allies against the Axis powers. 51 min. DVD 40

Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database

The World at War (194-?).

Producer, Frank Capra; directors, Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak. A pictorial record of a decade of war that led to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Western hemisphere. The material is taken from newsreels and captured enemy films. 44 min. DVD 41

Appointment in Tokyo (194-?).

Producer, Frank Capra; directors, Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak. Against General MacArthur were 1,000 miles of Japanese held islands and Japanese controlled seas. Follows the American World War II campaign in the Pacific. 55 min. DVD 41

Your Job In Germany

Directed by Frank Capra; written by Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) Bitter, angry view of the Germans designed to halt fraternization between U.S. troops and German civilians. Paris 1945: Postwar newsreel presenting resistance efforts by Parisians. DVD 2065

Alberto Cavalcanti

Barsam, Richard Meran. "The Western Avant Garde: Alberto Cavalcanti." In: Nonfiction film : a critical history / Richard M. Barsam. Rev. and expanded. Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c1992. (Main Stack PN1995.9.D6.B38 1992; Moffitt PN1995.9.D6.B38 1992)

Coal Face. (UK, 1935)

Heroic documentary on the life of work of British miners. 12 min. DVD 6061 (PAL); vhs Video/C 5024; also on Video/C 9417

North Sea(UK, 1938)

Alberto Cavalcanti, producer. Directed by Harry Watt. The North Sea reenacts the fate of a storm-tossed ship in distress and features the activities of the GPO and its radio stations along the coast. 32 min. DVD 6062 (PAL); vhs Video/C 5023

Pett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs. (UK, 1934)

Pett and Pott is a mock morality tale created to promote telephone use in which the admirable Petts invest in phone service, while the decadent Potts use their money for a maid. 33 min. Video/C 5023

Rien que les heures (Nothing But Time). (France, 1926)

An early quasi-documentary depicting the passage of time during one day in Paris, showing the same characters reappearing at different tasks. The film was the first attempt to express creatively the life of a city on the screen and to dramatize familiar things in familiar surroundings, giving birth to a popular genre. It returned to Lumiere's free-flowing naturalism and outdoor locations but with the added dimension of effective and rhythmic montage. 36 min. Video/C 999:2989

Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack

Vaz, Mark Cotta. Living dangerously: the adventures of Merian C. Cooper, creator of King Kong. New York : Villard, c2005. (MAIN: PN1998.3.C6697 V38 2005)

Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness(1927)

Tells the story of a farmer and his family living in the jungle of northeast Siam, and their struggles for survival against the many wild animals around them -- boars, tigers, leopards and even ... changs! (the Siamese word for elephant). The climactic elephant stampede is still considered one of the most exciting scenes in cinema history. 70 min. DVD 3874; also VHS Video/C 999:2691

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Description from Milestone Films catalog

Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life(1925)

A documentary in which Merian C. Cooper, Ernest Schoedsack, and Marguerite Harrison travel through Asia Minor and Iraq to reach a tribe of nomads in Iran known as the Bakhtyari. They follow the tribe on its forty-eight day trek across deserts, streams, and mountains to reach pasture for their flocks. These three people were the first Westerners to cross the Zardeh Kuh Pass and the first to make this migration with the tribes. Supplementary feature: Film historian Rudy Behlmer audio interview with producer-director Merian C. Cooper. 71 min. DVD 1931

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Description from Milestone Films catalog

Naficy, Hamid. "Lured by the East: ethnographic and expedition films about nomadic tribes: the case of Grass." In: Virtual voyages : cinema and travel / Jeffrey Ruoff, editor. Durham : Duke University Press, 2006. (Anthropology PN1995.9.T73.V57 2006)

Edward Curtis

Books and articles about Curtis in the UCB Library

Coming to Light: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indians

Edward S. Curtis was a driven, pioneer photographer who set out in 1900 to document traditional Indian life. He became the most famous photographer of his time and created an enormous body of work. This film tells the dramatic story of Curtis's life, his monumental work, and his changing views of the people he set out to document. American Indians who are using his photographs for cultural preservation respond to the pictures, tell stories about the people in the photographs and discuss the meaning of the images. A film by Anne Makepeace. 2000. 86 min. DVD 3194; also VHS Video/C 4380

American Library Assn. Video Round Table Notable Videos winner

Description from Bullfrog Films catalog

In the Land of the War Canoes: Kwakiutl Indian Life on the Northwest Coast (aka In the Land of the Headhunters)(1914)

Presents an epic saga of Kwakiutl Indian life on the northwest coast of America as filmed in the summer of 1914 at Kwakiutl villages on Vancouver Island, Canada. The photographer, Edward S. Curtis, who devoted his life to documenting the disappearing world of the American Indian, spent three years with the Kwakiutl to meticulously recreate their way of life before the white man came as depicted in this film. 47 min. DVD 373; also on VHS Video/C 3395

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

The Shadow Catcher: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian

A profile of photographer, anthropologist and filmmaker Curtis, who spent 34 years recording the American Indian tradition. Between 1896 and 1930 Curtis collected interviews and original Indian stories, recorded some 10,000 songs and took 40,000 pictures many of which are used in the production. Film retraces his journeys from the pueblo regions of the Southwest, north to British Columbia and Alaska. 89 min. Video/C 353

Peter Davis

Generations of Resistance (1980)

Uses archival photographs, newsreel footage, and interviews to chronicle the quest by Black South Africans for economic viability and individual freedom. 52 min. NRLF B 4 175 547

Hearts and Minds (1974)

Co-produced, directed, photographed, recorded and edited by Joel DeMott and Jeff Kreines. Examines the American consciousness that led to involvement in Vietnam. Includes interviews with General William Westmoreland, Robert Kennedy, former Secretary of Defense, Clark Clifford, Senator William Fulbright, Walt Rostow, and Daniel Ellsberg, as well as American Vietnam veterans and Vietnamese leaders. Presidents Eisenhower, Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon are shown in rare footage. 112 min. DVD 1184; Video Disc 189; Video/C 875

Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database

Middletown: Seventeen (1982)

This documentary follows a group of Muncie, Indiana seniors through their final year at Southside High School. The film provides a participant/observer perspective on the lives of the teenagers, both in school and out of school. 120 min. Video/C 4879

The Rise & Fall of the Borscht Belt (1988)

A documentary work of social history comprising reminiscences of the longtime patrons and proprietors in the Borscht Belt. Includes original footage, vintage photographs, and home movies dating back to the area's earliest days. 90 min. Video/C 2001

Selling of the Pentagon

Focuses on major areas of public relations activities of the Pentagon and questions the use of the taxpayers' dollars to provide extensive financial support for apparent propaganda purposes. Produced and written by Peter Davis. 1971. 51 min. Video/C MM361

Description of program from the Encyclopedia of Television

Rogers, Jimmie N. and Clevenger, Theodore, Jr. ""The Selling of the Pentagon": Was CBS The Fulbright Propaganda Machine?." Quarterly Journal of Speech 1971 57(3): 266-273.

Emile de Antonio

Books and articles about de Antonio in the UCB Library

In the Year of the Pig (1968)

Follows the history of the Vietnamese struggle from the 1930's to the 1960's. Trace the growth of American involvement and suggests possible consequences. Includes interviews of participants and observers. 105 min. DVD 4431; also VHS Video/C 1052

Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database

Painters Painting (1968)

Illustrates and examines the work and ideas of modern abstract expressionist painters, including Willem de Kooning, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Robert Motherwell, Helen Frankenthaler, Barnett Newman, Kenneth Noland, Hans Hoffman, Larry Poons, Jules Olitski, Philip Pavia and Frank Stella. 116 min. Video/C1448

Point of Order (1964)

Documents the 1954 Army-McCarthy hearings through excerpts from the television footage shot during the six weeks of hearings. Includes an introduction by Paul Newman, who places the excerpts in historical perspective. 102 min. DVD 4684; also VHS Video/C 1918

Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database

Underground. (1974)

The film introduces each member of the Weathermen Underground Organization in a group discussion/interview made on May 1st, 1975 in a secret location. The era of the 60's and 70's is vividly bought to life by interweaving the stories of the "Weathermen's " personal political development with the significant events and personalities of the two decades. 88 min. Video/C 3219

Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database

Walt Disney Studios

Grand Canyon(1958)

Academy award winning short. Directed by James Algar. DVD 2220 (supplement on disc of Sleeping Beauty)

Tomorrowland: Disney in Space and Beyond.

Through six television shows from Walt Disney's Tomorrowland series this compilation examines Disney's vision of space exploration and how it helped build strong public support for the government's space explorations. Contents: [Disc one] Man in space / produced and directed by Ward Kimball (1955) -- Man and the moon / directed by Ward Kimball (1955) -- Mars and beyond / directed by Ward Kimball (1957). -- [Disc two] Eyes in outer space -- Our friend the atom / directed by Hamilton Luske (1958) -- "EPCOT" -- Bonus material. 240 min. DVD 3605

Article about Walt Disney the Encyclopedia of Television

Mechling, Elizabeth Walker; Mechling, Jay. "The Atom According to Disney" The Quarterly Journal of Speech, vol. 81, no. 4, pp. 436-53, November 1995.

Telotte, J. P. "Disney in science fiction land." Journal of Popular Film & Television, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 12-20, 2005

Telotte, J. P. "Stories of Fact and (Science) Fiction" In: Disney TV Detroit : Wayne State University Press, c2004. (MAIN: PN1992.92.W35 T45 2004)

True Life Adventures: Wonders of the World.

Disc 1. Introduction by Roy Disney -- White wilderness (1958, 72 min.) -- Water birds (1951, 31 min.) -- Beaver valley (1950, 32 min.) -- Prowlers of the Everglades (1953, 32 min) -- Disc 2: Mysteries of the deep (1959, 24 min.) -- Wonders of the water worlds (50 min.) -- Crisler story (19 min.) -- Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Birds (9 min.) -- Filmmakers' journal (22 min.) -- Collectors' Corner (3 min) -- Original theatrical trailers (6 min.) Disney's acclaimed, groundbreaking nature series captures the wonder of animals and nature. White Wilderness looks at the daily lives of arctic animals such as polar bears, walruses, goldenyes, wolverines and lemmings. Water Birds focuses on the behaviors of water birds filmed in various islands across the globe. Beaver Valley looks at the life of beavers and their neighbors, squirrels, otters, coyotes and blue herons. Prowlers of the Everglades follows creatures living in the Everglades, focusing on alligators, snakes, otters, raccoons and birds. Mysteries of the Deep examines exotic and rare fish and sea life around the world. Wonders of the Water World tracks the course of a body of water from brook to lake to sea, featuring the lives of animals that inhabit in or near it. The Crisler story is a look at the life of True-Life Adventures filmmakers Herb and Alice Crisler. 318 min. DVD 6708

True Life Adventures: Lands of Exploration.

Disc 1. Introduction by Roy Disney -- Living desert (1953, 69 min.) -- Vanishing prairie (1954, 71 min.) -- Seal Island (1948, 27 min.) -- Disc 2. Islands of the sea (1960, 28 min.) -- Nature's strangest creatures (1959, 16 min.) -- Prairie (1954, 23 min.) -- Behind the True-Life cameras (1955, 24 min.) -- Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Desert insects (4 min.) -- Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Snakes (5 min.) -- Filmmakers' journal (37 min.) -- Collectors' corner (3 min.) -- Trailers and promos (16 min.) Disney's acclaimed, groundbreaking nature series captures the wonder of animals and nature. Living desert: This first feature-length True-Life adventure film focuses on the lives of the animals, insects and plants of the southwestern American desert. Vanishing Prairie: A look into the animal and bird life of the American prairie including extensive filming of prairie dog "towns." Seal Island: Extensive look at the lives of the fur seals on the Pribilof Isands. Islands of the Sea: Goes island-hopping around the world to little know islands with each island home to at least one unique bird, fish or other critter. Nature's strangest creatures: Looks at the unusual animals of Australia including kangaroos, giant bats, flying squirrels and the duck-billed platypus. Prairie: Looks at the animals of the prairie, including footage of the photographers at work. Behind the True-Life Cameras: Follows photographers in the Everglades and Africa. 298 min. DVD 6709

True Life Adventures: Creatures of the Wild.

Introduction by Roy Disney -- African lion (1955, 72 min.) -- Jungle cat (1960, 70 min.) -- Bear country (1953, 33 min.) -- Olympic elk (1952, 27 min.) -- Cameras in Africa (1954, 20 min.) -- Yellowstone story (1957, b&w, 17 min.) -- Tribute to the Milottes (17 min.) -- Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Elephants (3 min.) -- Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Cheetah medical exam (11 min.) -- Filmmakers' journal (30 min.) -- Collectors' corner (3 min.) -- Trailers & Promo (10 min.) Disney's acclaimed, groundbreaking nature series captures the wonder of animals and nature. African Lion: The lion is just one of the animal species native to the central African plains studied here. Also includes the behaviors of baboons, giraffes, rhinos, cheetahs and various scavengers. Jungle cat: Goes to the Brazilian jungle to study a family of Jaguars and their interactions with other creatures including sloths, anteaters, crocodiles, lizards, boas and a number of tropical birds. Bear country: Charts the life of black bears from one winter to another along with marmots, coyotes, gophers, squirrels and porcupines. Olympic elk: Follows the yearly migration and behaviors of the elk of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula. Cameras in Africa: True-Life Adventures photographers Al and Elma Milotte recount their adventures in filming The African Lion. Yellowstone story: Covers the park's origins and its natural wonders. 329 min. DVD 6710

True Life Adventures: Nature's Mysteries.

ntroduction by Roy Disney -- Secrets of life (1956, 70 min.) -- Perri (1957, 74 min.) -- Nature's half acre (1951, 33 min.) -- Searching for nature's mysteries (1956, 48 min.) -- Adventure in Wildwood heart (1957, 49 min.) -- Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Butterflies (7 min.) -- Tribute to Winston Hibler (16 min.) -- Filmmakers' journal (35 min.) -- Collectors' corner (8 min.) -- Original theatrical trailers (6 min.) Disney's acclaimed, groundbreaking nature series captures the wonder of animals and nature. Secrets of life: Profiles animal and plant life from all over the natural spectrum, focusing on the means by which life supports, sustains and replicates itself. Coverage includes blooming flowers, pollination, the life cycles of ants and bees, freshwater and ocean fish and a variety of other fascinating species. Perri: Using a pre-scripted storyline written by Felix Salten (author of Bambi), this film tells the story of a young squirrel named Perri, whose exploration of the world, fierce rivalry with an aggressive marten and a bobcat and love for another squirrel drive the action. Nature's half acre: Examines the goings-on in the "hidden world" located in a half acre of land. Searching for nature's mysteries: Photographer Winston Hibler demonstrates some of the then-new technologies and tricks of the trade used in creating the True-Life adventure films. Adventure in Wildwood Heart: Focuses on filmmakers and their efforts at capturing real-life footage that would correspond with the pre-determined script for the film Perri. 328 min. DVD 6711

Victory Through Air Power

Directed by Perce Pearce, et al. Walt Disney Pictures. "The popular film maker Walt Disney read the book [by Alexander de Seversky] and felt that its message was so important that he personally financed the animated production of "Victory Through Air Power." The film was primarily created to express Seversky?s theories to government officials and the public. Movie critic Richard Schickel says that Disney "pushed the film out in a hurry, even setting aside his distrust of limited animation under the impulses of urgency." (The only obvious use of limited animation, however, is in diagrammatic illustrations of Seversky's talking points. These illustrations often feature continuous flowing streams of iconic aircraft, forming bridges or shields, or war material moving continuously along assembly lines.) It was not until 1945 Disney was able to pay off his 1.2 million dollar war film deficit." [Wikipedia] DVD 2735; vhs 999:840

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Walt Disney on the Front Lines: the War Years

Between 1941 and 1945, The Disney Studio was taken over by the military as part of the war effort. This compilation includes never-before-seen Disney war effort productions, including exclusive declassified material, training, propaganda and educational films. Includes "Victory Through Air Power, "Disney's full length feature animated classic. Also includes first hand accounts of the work at Disney. Contents: [Disc 1] Donald gets drafted -- Army mascot -- Private Pluto -- Fall out, fall in -- Old Army game -- Home defense -- How to be a sailor -- Commando duck -- Vanishing private -- Sky trooper -- Victory vehicles -- Fuehrer's face -- Education for death -- Reason and emotion -- Thrifty pig -- Seven wise dwarfs -- Donald's decision -- All together -- New spirit -- Spirit of '43 -- Food will win the war -- Out of the frying pan and into the firing line -- Grain that built a hemisphere -- Defense against invasion -- Cleanliness brings health -- What is disease? -- Planning for good eating -- Chicken Little -- Winged scourge. [Disc 2] Four methods of flush riveting -- Stop that tank -- Training film montage -- Victory through air power -- Bonus features. 210 min. DVD 2735

Shale, Richard.Donald Duck Joins Up: The Walt Disney Studio During World War II / by Richard Shale. Ann Arbor, Mich.: UMI Research Press, c1982. Series title: Studies in cinema; no. 16. (UCB Main PN1999.W27 .S5 1982; UCB Moffitt PN1999.W27 .S5 1982)

"Walt Disney: great teacher [his films for war are revolutionizing the technique of education]." Fortune v. 26 (August 1942) p. 90-5+

Robert Drew

Books and articles about Drew in the UCB Library

Being with John F. Kennedy

Inside portrait of John F. Kennedy. 100 min. Video/C 587

Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment

Drew Associates; producer, Gregory Shuker; film makers, Richard Leacock; James Lipscomb, D.A. Pennebaker, Hope Ryden. In June 1963, President John F. Kennedy and his brother, U.S. Attorney General, Robert Kennedy, forced one of the gravest racial confrontations of the 20th century. Despite a federal court order, Alabama Governor George Wallace vowed he would prevent two black students from entering the all-white University of Alabama. With a revolutionary new style of filmmaking using hand-held cameras, filmmaker Robert Drew and his four-team crew were at work recording the crisis as it unfolded, capturing the story from all sides up until its dramatic climax. 1963. 53 min. DVD 3067

Kennedy vs. Wallace

"Acclaimed documentary filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker (Don't Look Back, The War Room) and Richard Leacock (Lulu in Berlin) were part of the team behind this amazing cinema verite account of the conflict between President Kennedy and Alabama Governor George Wallace surrounding the admission of two black students to the all-white University of Alabama in June of 1963. Originally titled Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment, the film has been updated to include the reactions of Vivian Malone, one of the students who enrolled, and former Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach. Produced by the trailblazing documentary unit Robert Drew & Associates." 1988. 60 min. [Facets catalog] Video/C 2876

Raw Footage: Episode 4, Robert Drew

The journey of the independent filmmaker is explored through interviews with documentary filmmaker, Robert Drew. Examines the filmmakers' work from inspiration to realization asking such questions as: What drew the filmmaker to the material? How was the money raised? Did the director rehearse, storyboard or plan his shots? How was the film marketed? c2001. 58 min. Video/C MM365

"Kennedy vs Wallace." (video recording reviews) American Heritage v45, n7 (Nov, 1994):125 (2 pages).

Pauley, Garth E. "Documentary desegregation: a rhetorical analysis of Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment." The Southern Communication Journal Wntr 1999 v64 i2 p123(2)

Letters from Vietnam

This pioneering documentary follows a young veteran of sixty helicopter combat missions in Vietnam into battle, presenting the first synchronous sound helicopter combat footage ever shot. The film also delves into a more personal side of the pilot's life as he discovers through tape recorded letters to his wife and through a visit to a Vietnamese orphanage that he has a responsibility that goes beyond his military duties. Producer, Robert L. Drew. 1965. 52 min. Video/C 8989

Primary (1961)

A candid film covering the political campaign efforts during the 1960 Wisconsin Democratic Presidential Primary when Sen. John F. Kennedy upset Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey. Shot entirely in synchronous sound with light-weight portable equipment, the film revolutionized documentary filmmaking with its spontaneous, unobtrusive and highly intimate style. Credits: Conceived and produced by Robert Drew for Time-Life Broadcast; directed by Ricky Leacock, Don Pennebaker, Robert Drew, Al Maysles. 60 min. DVD 2112; also on VHS Video/C 4839

Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database

Charles and Ray Eames

The Films of Charles and Ray Eames. Volume 1.

Films by the American husband and wife team of Charles and Ray Eames who are designers, architects and photographic artists. Powers of Ten illustrates a picnic in Chicago and then begins moving ten times farther out every ten seconds, until our own galaxy is visible only as a speck of light. Then, we move inward into the hand of a sleeping picnicker with ten times more magnification every ten seconds. A Rough Sketch is an earlier version of the same concept illustrated in Powers of ten. 901: after 45 years of working examines the Office of Charles and Ray Eames as it is being dismantled and cleaned out. Contents: Powers of ten (1977; rough sketch 1968). 901, after 45 years of working (1989). DVD 4725; also DVD 372

The Films of Charles and Ray Eames. Volume 2.

Toccata for toy trains is a trip through a world of antique toys, and toy trains. House: after five years of living illustrates the home and studio designed and built by Charles Eames on a hill in California overlooking the ocean. Lucia Chase vignette follows a sister chasing her brother through the Eames house and vicinity. Kaleidoscope jazz chair is a kaleidoscope tour of the Eames office and their multicolored chairs. The Black ships illustrates Admiral Perry's 1853 naval expedition to Japan through Japanese prints. In Atlas a map of the Roman Empire expands and contracts, encapsulating the ebb and flow of the Empire's history. Blacktop: a story of the washing of a school play yard focuses on the patterns and abstractions created by the soapy water. Contents: Toccata for toy trains (1952) -- House: after five years of living (1955) -- Lucia chase vignette (1976) -- Kaleidoscope jazz chair (1960) -- The Black ships (1970) -- Atlas -- Blacktop (1952). DVD 4726; also DVD 298

The Films of Charles & Ray Eames. Volumes 3-4.

Volume 3 concerns the lives of Franklin and Jefferson as prisms through which to evoke colonial America. Contents: v.3. The World of Franklin and Jefferson. The Franklin and Jefferson proposal film. The Opening of an Exhibition.--v.4. Design Q & A -- IBM Mathematics Peep Shows -- SX-70 -- Copernicus -- Fiberglass chairs -- Goods. DVD 4727 (vol 3; DVD 4727 (vol 4); also DVD 298 (vols 3 & 4); VHS Video/C 4328

Films of Charles and Ray Eames. Volume 5.

Contents: Tops -- IBM at the fair -- A computer glossary -- Eames lounge chair -- The expanding airport -- Kepler's Laws -- Bread -- Polyorchis Haplus -- Tops (from Stars of Jazz). Tops: These many tops are a classic Eames toy film. IMB at the fair: Shows the brilliant Eames/Saarinen IBM Pavilion at the 1964 New York World's fair. Computer glossary: Jargon of computers expresses something of their nature. Eames lounge chair: Assembly of the famous chair at hyperwarp speed. Expanding airport: Concise history of airports leading into Eero Saarinen's Dulles Airport concept. Kepler's laws: Bread as nutrition, craft, and culture. Polyorchis Haplus: Lyrical motion of a tiny sea creature. Tops (from Stars of jazz): Rarely seen precursor to the classic "Tops." 58 min. DVD 4729; also DVD 442

Films of Charles and Ray Eames. Volume 6.

Contents: Day of the dead -- S-73 (Sofa compact) -- Babbage -- Alpha -- Exponents: a study in generalization -- Solar Do-Nothing machine -- Aquarium (National Fisheries Center and Aquarium) -- Parade. The legacy of the husband and wife team includes more than 100 short films. Day of the dead records the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico. S-73 (Sofa compact) traces the design and development of the Sofa Compact. Babbage: A film giving a little of the feel of Babbage's Difference Engine -- a mechanical antecedent of the electronic computer. Alpha: A film on an important concept in algebra. Exponents: A study of the concept of exponents. Solar Do-Nothing Machine: footage of their remarkable Solar Do-Nothing Machine. Aquarium: Model in film form of the National Aquarium design. Parade: Robots, floating bulls heads, toy soldiers and much more ... march down the boulevard. 60 min. DVD 4730

Powers of Ten: A Film Dealing with the Relative Size of Things in the Universe and the Effect of Adding Another Zero.

Dealing with scale, proportion and dimension, the film moves in real time over a course of 40 powers of ten, from the cosmic distances of the universe to the heart of the atom. Some techniques used are classical and radio astronomy; large-format aerial, mapping, and satellite photography; X-ray diffraction analysis; and models. Based on the book Cosmic view, by Kees Boeke. 1977. DVD 4725; also DVD 372; vhs Video/C 1475

Powers of Ten web site

Robert Flaherty

Books and articles about Flaherty in the UCB Library

Industrial Britain (1933)

Documents work in Britain's factories and mines during the early 1930's. 21 min. Video/C 5022

The Land (1941)

Originally released as motion picture in 1941 by the U.S. Agricultural Adjustment Agency. Credits: Director, Robert J. Flaherty; collaborator, Frances H. Flaherty; commentary, Russell Lord; composer, Richard Arnell; editor, Helen van Dongen. Portrays American agriculture during the depression decade. Explores the problems of agricultural unemployment, erosion of farm land, the desolate lives of migrant workers, and the role of the machine in farming. 44 min. Video/C 3225

Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database

Louisiana Story (1948)

Credits: Director, Robert J. Flaherty; screenplay, Robert and Frances Flaherty; photography, Richard Leacock; music, Virgil Thomson; editing, Helen Van Dongen. Dramatizes the coming of industrialization, in the form of oil exploration and drilling, to the Louisiana bayou as seen through the eyes of a Cajun boy living in Petit Anse Bayou. A lyrical tribute to the marshlands and cypress swamps of the bayou and the culture of the Cajun people. 1948. 79 min. DVD 1664; also on VHS Video/C 8893

Credits and other information from Internet Movie Database

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Clurman, Harold. "Flaherty's Louisiana Story." In: The Documentary Tradition / edited by Lewis Jacobs. pp. 230-3. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 1979 (Main Stack PN1995.9.D6.J3 1979; Moffitt PN1995.9.D6.J3 1979)

Coogan, Jack. "Louisiana Story and an Ecology of the Imagination." Wide Angle 20.2 (April 1998): 59-69.

Man of Aran (1934)

Credits: Writer, Robert J. Flaherty; cinematography, Robert J. Flaherty, Francis Flaherty, John Goldman; music, John Greenwood. Depicts the daily existence and fight for survival of the fisherfolk living on the remote and barren Aran Islands of Ireland. Special DVD features: How the Myth was made (60 min. documentary about the making of Man of Aran) -- Hidden and Seeking: a documentary excerpt featuring Frances Flaherty -- Flaherty and Film: a filmed discussion of Man of Aran with Frances Flaherty -- Looking Back: Robert J. Flaherty reflects on the making of Man of Aran -- Outside the Frame: a gallery of rare photos and sketches. 77 min. DVD 1687; also on VHS Video/C 3813

Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

How the Myth was Made

Documentary about the making of Man of Aran. Made for George Stoney's class at NYU in the Documentary Tradition in which Robert Flaherty's classic MAN OF ARAN was featured. It's twin purposes were to help students understand how documentary evolved from concepts very different from the cinema verit? or "fly on the wall" approach that has been dominant since changes in technology made the new approach possible from the early 1960's. It also serves as a reminder of the filmmaker's own impact on the places and people filmed and the responsibility the maker has to those filmed as well as to his audience. 60 min. Supplement accompanying Man of Aran, DVD 1687

Moana: A Romance of the South Seas.

"Life and love in the South Seas... Robert Flaherty's famous travelogue." The rites, customs, and daily lives of the Samoan natives of Savaii Island, Western Samoa are depicted in this early 20th century ethnographic film. "In 1923, Jesse Lasky of Paramount offered Flaherty the opportunity to shoot a film anywhere in the world?so long as it turned out to be another Nanook. Flaherty, along with his wife and family, traveled to the village of Safune on the Samoan island of Savaii to record the traditional culture of a civilization which was rapidly changing and becoming westernized under British rule. The result was Moana: A Romance of the Golden Age. Shot in black and white on panchromatic film, Moana has an almost stereoscopic look?the figures seem solid and real and the colors of the island foliage appear as varying shades of silvery-gray. The film explores the lives of the lovely and gentle Samoans and culminates in a ritual tattooing. Although not on the same level as Nanook or some of Flaherty's later work, Moana was received with critical acclaim and popularity on its release. In fact, John Grierson coined the term "documentary" to describe the film. During the making of Moana, Flaherty, the independent filmmaker, had his first conflict with the studio system when Paramount insisted he cut the film for a slightly shorter running time." [CinemaWeb] 1926. 76 min. DVD 8274 [preservation copy]; vhs Video/C 6170

Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Nanook of the North (1922)

Credits: Photography, Robert Flaherty; music, Stanley Silverman. A saga of an Eskimo family pitting their strength against a vast and inhospitable Arctic. Juxtaposes their struggle for survival against the elements with the human warmth of the little family.

69 min. DVD 30 (Restored version)

Video/C 5686 (Director's cut; remastered version. Includes Flaherty on film: Mrs. Frances Flaherty remembers Nanook of the North, 1958, 8 min.).

Video/C 3938

Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database

Credits and other information from the American Film Institute Catalog (UCB users only)

Nanook Revisited

Robert Flaherty's Nanook of the North created the very genre of film documentary, with its documentation of the Inuit and Eskimo traditions. This film revisits Inukjiak, the site of Flaherty's filming to critically re-examine the realities behind the ground-breaking documentary and the changes since it was made almost 70 years ago. Director, Claude Massot; writers, Claude Massot, Sebastien Regnier. Dist: Films Media Group. 1994. 55 min. DVD 2915; also VHS Video/C 5824

The Year of the Hunter

This documentary tells the story of the making of Robert Flaherty's Nanook of the North and the Inuit who starred in the film. Clips from the original motion picture are interspersed with dramatizations in which Adamie Inukpuk, Nanook's great-grandson, plays the famed hunter. Dist: Films Media Group. 2004. 51 min. DVD 3734

Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931)

Co-directed with F.W. Murnau. A boy (Matahi) and a girl (Reri) are in love but she is chosen by a high priest to join the ranks of the sacred virgins, thereby becoming tabu to all men. The two escape by canoe to another island but the story ends tragically with the death of Matahi. Begun in collaboration with Robert Flaherty and shot on location in Tahiti, F.W. Murnau's last film is a visual paean to the beauty of a now-vanished way of life. "Only native-born South Sea Islanders appear in this picture with a few half-castes and Chinese"-- Opening frame. 82 min. DVD 1327; also VHS Video/C 999:1243

Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database

Eyman, Scott. "Sunrise in Bora Bora." (prints saved from "Taboo" a film made over 60 years ago by film makers Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau and Robert Flaherty) Film Comment v26, n6 (Nov-Dec, 1990):24 (6 pages).

Langer, Mark J. "Tabu: The Making of a Film." Cinema Journal, Vol. 24, No. 3. (Spring, 1985), pp. 43-64. UC users only

The Twenty-Four-Dollar Island

Robert Flaherty, Director of Photography. "The title of this film refers to Manhattan, bought by Dutch colonists from local Indians for that price. By 1925, on the 300th anniversary of its purchase, needless to say, it had altered considerably, and in this film the viewer is offered a vision of contemporary Manhattan, with awesome cityscapes and busy waterways. In this, it is quite similar to many other 'city view' films." [Internet Movie Database]. 1927. 10 min. DVD 4670

The Year of the Hunter

This documentary tells the story of the making of Robert Flaherty's Nanook of the North and the Inuit who starred in the film. Clips from the original motion picture are interspersed with dramatizations in which Adamie Inukpuk, Nanook's great-grandson, plays the famed hunter. 2004. 51 min. DVD 3734

John Ford

For the World War II documentaries of John Ford, see Peace and Conflict Studies videography

Georges Franju

Le sang des betes (The blood of the beasts)(1949)

An early example of ultra-realism, this documentary contrasts the quiet, bucolic life in the outskirts of Paris with the harsh, gory conditions inside the nearby slaughterhouses. Describes the fate of the animals in an orgy of carnage and blood, and that of the workers in graphic detail. 22 min. DVD 3065 (supplement to feature film Eyes Without a Face); also on VHS Video/C MM290

Free Cinema

Free Cinema

Free Cinema consisted of a group of young film-makers who decided to rebel against the stifling conformity of British cinema in the late fifties and to make their own films outside the confines of 'the system'. This 3 disc 50th-anniversary compilation of short films about British working class life shows directors expressing personal viewpoints without obligation to subscribe to the technical or social conventions imposed on commercial film-making. The third disc features an 43 min. documentary with interviews, film extracts and previously unseen stills, as well as a specially curated collection of rarely seen films made in the spirit of the Free Cinema movement. Disc 1. Free cinema 1 -- O Dreamland (12 min.) / director, Lindsay Anderson. -- Momma don't allow (22 min.) / directors, Karel Reisz, Tony Richardson. -- Together (49 min.) / director, Lorenza Mazzetti, assisted by Denis Horne. -- Free cinema 3. -- Wakefield express (30 min.) / director, Lindsay Anderson. -- Nice time (17 min.) / directors, Claude Goretta, Alain Tanner. -- The singing street (30 min.) / directors, Nigel McIsaac, J.T.R. Ritchie, Raymond Townsend. -- Every day except Christmas (39 min.) / director, Lindsay Anderson -- Disc 2. Free cinema 6. -- Refuge England (27 min.) / director, Robert Vas. -- Enginemen (17 min.) / director, Michael Grigsby. -- We are the Lambeth boys (49 min.) / director, Karel Reisz. -- Food for a blush (30 min) / director, Elizabeth Russell -- Disc 3. Beyond free cinema. -- One potato two potato (21 min.) / director, Leslie Daiken. -- March to Aldermaston (33 min.) -- The vanishing street (19 min.) / director, Robert Vas. -- Tomorrow's Saturday (17 min.) / director, Michael Grigsby. -- Gala day (25 min.) / director, John Irvin. -- Small is beautiful : the story of the Free Cinema films told by their makers (2006). DVD 8477

Free Cinema

Contents: Every day except Christmas / producers, Leon Clore, Karel Reisz; direction, Lindsay Anderson (1957, 40 min.) -- We are the Lambeth boys / produced by Leon Clore; directed by Karel Reisz (1959, 50 min.) -- The Saturday / produced by Leon Clore; directed by John Fletcher (1962, 30 min.).

Free Cinema consisted of a group of young film-makers who decided to rebel against the stifling, stuffy conformity of British cinema in the late fifties and to make their own films outside the confines of 'the system'. This video is a compilation of three short films about British working class life in which the directors express their personal viewpoints without obligation to subscribe to the technical or social conventions imposed on commercial film-making. Video/C MM356

John Grierson

Books and articles about Grierson in the UCB Library

John Grierson biography (via National Film Board of Canada website)

Documentary Masterpieces: Five Documentaries Circa. 1931 to 1960

Contents: Industrial Britain (21 min., 1933) / Gaumont British Picture Corporation -- A colour box (ca. 4 min., 1935) / by Len Lye; G.P.O. Film Unit -- Granton Trawler (11 min., 1934) / New Era Films, ltd. -- The Private Life of the Gannets (10 min.) /A Treasure Chest production by Julian Huxley -- Seawards the Great Ships (29 min.) / produced by Templar Film Studios.

A compilation of documentary films made in Great Britain. Industrial Britain examines Britain's factories and mines during the early 1930's. A Colour box is an experimental film in which abstract images dance across the screen to lively latin music. Granton trawler is a documentary about fishermen engaged in dragnet fishing off the coast of Scotland. The Private lives of the gannets is a study of the behaviour patterns and lives of a bird colony of gannets situated on Grassholm Island, Wales. Seawards the great ships is a documentary in which the filmaker visits the Clyde River in Scotland to observe the men who build ships as they assemble materials, construct and launch a great variety of vessels. Video/C 999:925

The Drifters.(1929)

An early documentary on turn of the century North Sea herring fishermen and the fishing industry. 49 min. Video/C 5022

Potamkin, Harry Alan. "Grierson's Drifters." In The Documentary Tradition / edited by Lewis Jacobs. pp. 64-70. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 1979 (Main Stack PN1995.9.D6.J3 1979; Moffitt PN1995.9.D6.J3 1979)

Sexton, Jamie. "Grierson's Machines: "Drifters," the Documentary Film Movement and the Negotiation of Modernity." Canadian Journal of Film Studies = Revue canadienne d'études cinematographiques 11:1 [Spring 2002] 40-59

Granton Trawler.(1934)

Granton trawler is a documentary study of fishermen engaged in dragnet fishing in the 1930's off the coast of Scotland. 11 min. DVD 6061 (PAL); vhs Video/C 5023

John Grierson

Reviews the life and work of documentary filmmaker John Grierson through interviews with the filmmaker, his family, friends, and professional associates. Founder of the National Film Board of Canada in 1938, Grierson was convinced that the filmmaker had a social responsibility and set a pattern for filmmaking in the public service that is still a model for the world. 1973. 59 min. Video/C 9412

Night Mail (1936). New Earth (1934). The Song of Ceylon (1935). Housing Problems (1935).

Credits: Night Mail: produced by John Grierson, directed by Basil Wright and Harry Watt, directed by Basil Wright; New Earth: directed by Joris Ivens; The Song of Ceylon: produced by John Grierson, directed by Basil Wright; Housing Problems: produced by John Grierson, directed by Edgar Anstey.

Night Mail, a documentary, follows the nightly journey of the "postal special" from London to Glascow. New earth is a documentary on the reclamation of the Zuiderzee in the late 1920's and early 1930's. The Song of Ceylon is a documentary showing traditional culture and primitive economy of the Ceylonese contrasted with the influence of modern commerce. Housing Problems is a documentary interview with people living in the slums of London. 108 min. Video/C 999:524; also Video/C 5024; Song of Ceylon also on Video/C 5022 and 9417; Night Mail also on DVD 6240; and vhs Video/C 5024

Information about Nightmail from the Internet Movie Database