Internet Archive Search: (collection:academic_films OR mediatype:academic

Search Results

Results: 1 through 50 of 84 (0.008 secs)
You searched for: (collection:academic_films OR mediatype:academic_films) AND -mediatype:collection

[1] 2 Next Last

	Solar System (2nd Ed) - Tom Smith Tom Smith headed up the Special Effects team at Industrial Light & Magic, where he created all the goodies for the 'Star Wars' films. This is his academic film masterwork, which took over a year to create, over 13 weeks to film, and utilized "traveling mattes," with as many as five separate films running in the background, showcasing wonderful models and graphics. About the making of the film, Tom Smith writes: "I made that film in 1976 with Richard Basehard as narrator and a classical music sco... Keywords: space; universe; Industrial Light and Magic; ILM Downloads: 8,975 Average rating: (2 reviews)
	The Shopping Bag Lady - Bert Salzman Set In Manhattan's Central Park, this film is the poignant story of a teenage girl's encounter with a homeless old woman (movingly portrayed by distinguished actress Mildred Dunnock) who carries all her belongings around in shopping bags. This encounter eventually leads to the girl's understanding of the problems of aging and the dignity of all individuals, regardless of their place in society. Actress Mildred Dunnock, who plays the homeless woman, was a former schoolteacher who didn't begin act... Keywords: Bert Salzman; homeless; elderly Downloads: 5,529 Average rating: (7 reviews)
	Dong Kingman - James Wong Howe This exceptional film shows painter Kingman at work in New York's Chinatown, shot by master cinematographer James Wong Howe. Keywords: art; painting; Chinese Downloads: 2,546 Average rating: (1 review)
	Maguey: Plant of a Thousand Uses - Ralph Adams Adams is a filmmaker whose life and work appear to be completely unknown today, as we have conducted a fruitless search to obtain biographical and filmographic information. He covered a breadth of territory, and we suspect that he might have made dozens of films on Mexican themes. His narration is not the most compelling, but he was a very good cinematographer, and apparently insisted upon superior print materials, as his color is exceptional for the era... Keywords: maguey; pulque Downloads: 275 Average rating: (1 review)
	Granite - Carson "Kit" Davidson Here, a 25 ton block of granite being burned, drilled, and blasted from the heart of a Vermont mountain, focusing on the machinery used. Filmed at the Rock of Ages Quarry in Barre, VT. Keywords: quarry; Barre Downloads: 260 Average rating: (1 review)
	Silent Snow, Secret Snow - Gene Kearney Alienation, angst, and schizophrenia are powerful themes addressed by Kearney in this forgotten masterpiece. From a story by Conrad Aiken. Keywords: schizophrenia; teen angst Downloads: 5,763 Average rating: (9 reviews)
	Congruent Triangles - Bruce and Katharine Cornwell Bruce and Katharine Cornwell are primarily known for a series of remarkable animated films on the subject of geometry. Created on the Tektronics 4051 Graphics Terminal, they are brilliant short films, tracing Klee-like geometric shapes to intriguing music, including the memorable 'Bach meets Third Steam Jazz' musical score in ‘Congruent Triangles.’ In this melding of art and science, the Cornwells create a quasi-hypnotic take on a mathematical construct. Keywords: mathematics, science Downloads: 6,851 Average rating: (2 reviews)
	Magnet Laboratory, A - Richard Leacock In the hands of another director, the inner-workings of a magnet laboratory could have caused a whole classroom to fall asleep of boredom. No so when Leacock was hired to produce this twenty-minute version of lab mayhem. Try this: six researchers in a lab at MIT in the late 1950's show-off the power of electro-magnets, and in the process, accidentally set an experiment on fire. Or this: half way through the film the phone rings off screen, and host Francis Bitter says "tell 'em I'll call 'em bac... Keywords: magnet; degauss; physics; science; PSSC Downloads: 2,198 Average rating: (2 reviews)
	African Pygmy Thrills - Eugene W. Castle Castle Films, whose series ‘The Adventure Parade’ resulted in a number of commercially exotic films on ethnic traditions and cultures, actually utilized authentic music in this film, instead of the boring orchestral scores that were more typical of the era. Although the continued use of the term "these little men", and the embarrassing attempt to comically portray an older member of the group as a cynic seems condescending to present-day sensibilities, the faithful recording of the building ... Keywords: pygmy; Africa; Werner Herzog Downloads: 2,226 Average rating: (1 review)
	Wildcat - Dick McCutcheon Follows two Oklahoma wildcatters as they prepare to sink a well. Shows their drilling operations for the Big Chief Drilling Company in Garfield County, OK; Only 1 out of 9 wells are wet, and it takes them 22 days and 6,750 feet to figure it out. Keywords: oil; petroleum; Oklahoma Downloads: 758 Average rating: (1 review)
	Imaging the Hidden World: the Light Microscope - Bruce Russell To say Russell makes films on biology is sort of like saying Rodin threw some clay on a table and a few minutes later came up with a figure representative of a human. 'Light Microscope' starts out didactically (Russell was a former K-12 biology teacher) in instructing the student on proper microscope technique, then goes off into the hyperspace of lighting techniques, using light and colored filters, that make otherwise difficult-to-see phenomena visible... Keywords: biology; science; volvox; hydra; amoeba Downloads: 4,421 Average rating: (2 reviews)
	Me and You, Kangaroo In a touching tale a boy raises an orphaned baby kangaroo in the outback of Australia but due to events beyond his control is forced to return the animal to the wild. A film for animal lovers of all ages. Beautifully photographed and acted. A classic animal story. Awards: AUSTRALIA’S BEST CHILDREN’S FILM AWARD AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL “CINE GOLDEN EAGLE AWARD” Keywords: Bert Salzman Downloads: 1,087 Average rating: (2 reviews)
	Cliché Family in Televisionland - MPO Productions This outrageous parody of the prototype 'commercial' family was apparently made as an in-house joke by one of the largest producers of television commercials. Their clients would have never seen this gem, which parodies products as well as the people that buy them. Keywords: parody; advertisement; asian Downloads: 21,318 Average rating: (10 reviews)
	Creative Journey, The: Arnold Blanch - Clifford B. West Filmmaker and artist Clifford West here surveys the life and work of Arnold Blanch, showing him as a teacher and painter in Woodstock, New Jersey. West, who more than 25 films on artists and aspects of art history between 1958 and 1981, utilizes a camera-as-brush technique more in keeping with the approach taken by a painter than a filmmaker. West's serpentine zooms and pans emulate the non-linear way an individual looks at a piece, as opposed to the manner in which a more traditional cinematogr... Keywords: art; painting; fine arts Downloads: 139 Average rating: (2 reviews)
	Railway with a Heart of Gold - Carson "Kit" Davidson This film is an account of the Talyllyn Railway, a historic narrow-gauge slate carrier in Tywyn, Wales, and its operation by a preservation society who saved it from being sold for scrap. Although the release date is 1965, it was actually filmed in the early 1950s. Academic Film Archive of North America director Geoff Alexander visited the railway in June, 2009 as part of the process of preparing the film for uploading: "Opened in 1865, the Talyllyn railway was the first narrow-gauge steam railw... Keywords: train; narrow gauge; locomotive; Talyllyn Downloads: 695 Average rating: (1 review)
	Modern Business Machines for Writing, Duplicating, and Recording - Teaching Aids Exchange An intriguing historical film, demonstrating many expensive business machines found in modern offices of the era, including electromatic and Chinese typewriters and machines for filming, stenciling, folding and lithographing. Among the machines shown are Diebold's Flofilm microfiche recorder, the Fileomatic Desk, the Pierce Electronic Wire Recorder, the Soundscriber with plastic disk, the Elliott Stencil Machine with Graphotype machine, the Davidson Duplicator for litho printing, the Davidson Fo... Keywords: Chinese Typewriter; Fileomatic; Graphotype; IBM MOdel A; Stella Pajunas Downloads: 465 Average rating: (2 reviews)
	Stalking the Wild Cranberry: the Making of a TV Commercial - Gordon Webber This wonderful film traces the steps taken in creating and shooting a television commercial for Post Grape Nuts. This film was produced by George Gage Productions, which filmed the commercial, starring the legendary Euell Gibbons, for the Benton & Bowles advertising agency, with lots of discussions & outtakes. The funky "Cranberry Rag" played by pianist Paul McDonough is delightful. Keywords: advertising; Euell Gibbons Downloads: 1,092 Average rating: (2 reviews)
	Happy City, The - William Deneen Productions Sponsored by the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, Bill Deneen traveled three days by bullock cart to the remote leper colony run by Father Cesare Columbo in Ken Tung (Kyiang Tong), Burma. Intended to be a film to be used for fundraising, the film is a fascinating documentary about a humanitarian effort that would soon be terminated by the Burmese government, as shortly after the film was made, Columbo was deported, never to return... Keywords: Burma; Myanmar; leprosy; Hansen's Disease; Cesare Colombo Downloads: 34,401 Average rating: (2 reviews)
	Pottery Workers of Oaxaca - Ralph Adams This film showcases the work of the Jiménez family of Oaxaca, and the legendary Zapotec potter Doña Rosa Real de Nieto, and her traditional technique of below-ground firing. Keywords: Dona Rosa de Nieto; Oaxaca; Mexico; Zapotec Downloads: 421 Average rating: (1 review)
	Frames of Reference - Richard Leacock This PSSC film utilizes a fascinating set consisting of a rotating table and furniture occupying surprisingly unpredictable spots within the viewing area. The fine cinematography by Abraham Morochnik, and funny narration by University of Toronto professors Donald Ivey and Patterson Hume is a wonderful example of the fun a creative team of filmmakers can have with a subject that other, less imaginative types might find pedestrian. Keywords: physics; science; PSSC Downloads: 8,054 Average rating: (2 reviews)
	Maya Are People - Les Mitchel Many explorer-adventurer hosts of historical/cultural films viewed their subjects as "objects" (e.g. C. Ernest Cadle and Carveth Wells), their colonialist attitudes seeping precariously through the safety-film. Not so the wonderful and forgotten Les Mitchel, who arrives in the Lacandon area of the Yucatan, shows the chief Obregon K’in (of Agua Azul village, Palenque) how to fire a pistol, takes him on a plane-ride to view his ancestral ruins at Palenque... Keywords: Lacandon; Obregon; Palenque; Les Mitchel Downloads: 1,144 Average rating: (1 review)
	The Stonecutter - Gerald McDermott ‘Stonecutter’ (1960) 6m, dir. Gerald McDermott. McDermott made this, his first commercial film at the age of 19, an extremely complex animation short featuring approximately 2000 animation cels presented in six minutes. Influenced by Klee and Matisse, McDermott used silk-screen as well as traditional painting techniques in crafting ethnographic folk tale animation shorts. With films that are startling in intensity, and majestic in execution, McDermott is clearly one of the outstanding animat... Keywords: Animation; Japan; folktale Downloads: 5,290 Average rating: (5 reviews)
	Hangman - Paul Julian A cynical look at how humankind loves to feed others into the death machine, from a disturbing poem by Maurice Ogden, read by Herschel Bernardi. Shadows and shifting geometric planes lend a Chirico-like quality to Julian's animation. Great musical score by Serge Hovey Keywords: animation; death; horror Downloads: 4,411 Average rating: (3 reviews)
	Rhinoceros - Jan Lenica A animated version of Ionesco’s tale, a play on the theme of conformity. Keywords: animation; poland Downloads: 1,455 Average rating: (1 review)
	Death Valley - Paul Hoefler Productions A beautifully shot trip through the Death Valley of the late 1940s, including visits to the ghost town of Ryan, Zabriskie Point, the Harmony Borax Works, and Scotty's Castle. Keywords: ryan; scotty's castle; harmony; borax; Zabriskie Downloads: 1,852 Average rating: (1 review)
	Kienholz on Exhibit - June Steel Born in 1927 in the border area between Washington and Idaho, Kienholz moved to Los Angeles in 1953, where he began making a series of bas-reliefs with found material. Prior to his death in 1994, he was primarily known for his "Assembly Art" sculptures, consisting of mannequins, stuffed animals, and pieces of clothing, focusing on subjects such as controversial as bordellos, back seat sex, and abortion... Keywords: art; los angeles Downloads: 2,113 Average rating: (2 reviews)
	Visite à Picasso - Paul Haesaerts ‘Visite à Picasso’ (1950) 20m, dir. Paul Haesaerts A poetic treatment which includes the artist painting on glass while facing the camera, shot at Picasso's home in Vallauris, accompanied by some fairly moody organ music in this very dark, but captivating film. The artist here takes on the character of an eminence-grise, an alchemist engulfed in the "sol y sombra" of his laboratory-studio, filmed in gorgeous black and white. Keywords: Art; painting Downloads: 30,937 Average rating: (3 reviews)
	Eskimo Family - William F. Deneen Old ways are juxtaposed with the influence of modern housing, food, and clothing, filmed on Baffin Island. Keywords: Nunavut; Arctic; Inuit Downloads: 1,689 Average rating: (1 review)
	Poppycock - Carson Davidson Productions Kit Davidson here presents a satire in which the hero overcomes all obstacles against his rival to win a girl and ends in glorious victory. Downloads: 542 Average rating: (1 review)
	Unique Contribution - Encyclopedia Britannica Films, Inc. Here, the legendary president of EB Films discusses the 'unique contribution' of educational film to curriculum and learning. The film is geared toward instructors, and provides examples of mediated instructional techniques from filmmakers such as Roman Vishniac and John Barnes. Keywords: mediated instruction; education; history of education Downloads: 479 Average rating: (1 review)
	Help, My Snowman's Burning Down - Carson "Kit" Davidson Fourteen international awards, including an Academy Award, Nomination and the Special Prize of the Jury, Cannes Intl Festival. Presents a surrealistic and humorous satire on the Madison Avenue image of the world through advertising. Keywords: experimental Downloads: 2,457 Average rating: (1 review)
	Japan - Miracle in Asia - William F. Deneen Explains how Japan's rapid industrial growth has influenced the way of life in the country and has affected the international political and economic position of the country. Suggests that Japan turned to industrialization to support a rapidly growing population on a small and relatively poor land area. Deneen shot the aerial shots himself alone, while piloting a single-engine aircfraft, pointing the camera out the window... Keywords: Japan Asia, industrial Downloads: 1,593 Average rating: (1 review)
	Iran - Claude Lelouch Far more than a travelogue with pretty pictures, this little-known film won six international awards shortly after its release. 'Iran' consists of spectacular geographical and archaeological footage interspersed with "slice of life" shots, evidencing best juxtapositional editing we've ever seen. This is a buried masterpiece from the director of 'A Man and a Woman,' 'Happy New Year,' and 'And Now My Love.' Lelouch reportedly shot six miles of footage to make this film, which apparently was sponso... Keywords: Persia, Petroleum, Qashqai, nomad, Islam, mosque Downloads: 12,818 Average rating: (1 review)
	Encore un Hiver - Françoise Sagan This wonderful film focuses on an older woman waiting on a park bench on a cold winter day for a lover who returns every year. Directed by Françoise Sagan, author of Bonjour Tristesse. Keywords: France; elderly; romance Downloads: 2,263 Average rating: (1 review)
	Woodblock Printer - Carson Davidson Productions Follow the step-by-step execution of a woodblock print by artist Lowell Naeve from initial sketch to completed edition. Emphasizes the unique qualities of the medium for creative expression. For more on director Carson Davidson, visit www.afana.org/davidsoncarson.htm Keywords: art; woodblock; printing Downloads: 1,598 Average rating: (1 review)
	Homage à François Couperin (Butterflies) - Intl Film Foundation Homage à François Couperin (1978) 2m, dir. Philip Stapp. Also known as "Butterflies". A three-minute fantasy of butterflies and dragonflies cavorting amongst the pussywillows, Japanese-inspired animation accompanied by two variations on keyboard works by the Baroque composer. Uses a pointillist technique to provide a stroboscopic illusion where recognizable shapes become fluid abstractions, and where time is stretched to reveal the main patterns of the choreography... Keywords: animation; Couperin; baroque; music Downloads: 2,016 Average rating: (2 reviews)
	Miguel: Up From Puerto Rico - Bert Salzman Miguel, a Puerto Rican boy has moved to New York City with his family. He finds his ability to speak English and Spanish puts him at an advantage in assisting his family in their new surroundings. Miguel later stretches his ingenuity to an extreme when, to put food on his family’s table, he goes fishing in the heavily polluted East River. A moving and amusing film with many suprises. Awards: Winner Columbus Film Festival; Best in Category Aired on CBS Childrens Film Festival Columbus Film Fest... Keywords: Bert Salzman Downloads: 960 Average rating: (4 reviews)
	Sun Flight - Gerald McDermott Gerald McDermott is an exceptional animator who only made five short animated films before he changed careers and became a Caldecott Award-winning children's author. 'Sun Flight' has been out of distribution for years. For a biography and filmography, visit McDermott's AFA page at: www.afana.org/mcdermott.htm Keywords: animation; myth Downloads: 3,869 Average rating: (1 review)
	Joshua, Black Boy Of Harlem - Bert Salzman It’s Joshua’s last day in Harlem before leaving for a college in Texas where he has earned a track and field scholarship. He runs joyfully through New York’s central park but his joy ends when he is the victim of a racial slur uttered by a five year old boy that he had befriended. Later, on his way home Joshua is able to work out his anger during a fight with a boy his age. The confrontation releases Joshua’s frustration and after the fight , in a dramatic scene Joshua is able to fly a u... Keywords: Bert Salzman Downloads: 1,122 Average rating: (1 review)
	Geronimo Jones - Bert Salzman A young Apache boy is torn between the traditions of his heritage and the challenging life led by his cousin, who left the reservation to become an astronomer. The boy is also faced with deciding whether to keep a tribal artifact from his grandfather or trade it for a new TV. He does the latter in order to buy a birthday present for the grandfather. However, when Geronimo turns on the TV, the two are instantly reminded of the relationship of the Native American to contemporary society... Keywords: Bert Salzman Downloads: 1,487 Average rating: (1 review)
	Matthew Aliuk: Eskimo in Two Worlds - Bert Salzman Matthew's Uncle Isak comes to visit the family in Anchorage after undergoing harsh and unfruitful hunting conditions in the North. Uncle Isak's challenges in dealing with a more structured urban environment presents a problem for he and family. The story is poignant especially when told by the Eskimos in the film; at these times the faces of the narrators reveal their sorrow and unease even more than their words... Keywords: Bert Salzman Downloads: 514 Average rating: (1 review)
	Felipa: North of the Border - Bert Salzman A bilingual girl of Mexican-American parents has ambitions to be teacher. She gets early experience when she helps her uncle learn English so he can obtain a driver’s license for a new job. Awards: Columbus Film Festival : ”Best Film in category” Aired on CBS Children’s Film Festival Keywords: Bert Salzman Downloads: 2,049 Average rating: (2 reviews)
	Lee Suzuki - Home In Hawaii - Bert Salzman The melting pot of the Pacific is the settling for this story of a teenager whose ingenuity enables his proud grandfather to retain his precious way of life. See Suzuki represents not only the rich racial mix of his unique state, but also its hope for the future. Awards: Midwest Film Festival “ Merit Award” Keywords: Bert Salzman Downloads: 384 Average rating: (1 review)
	Angel And Big Joe - Bert Salzman For most of his life, Angel has been a migrant worker, helping his family as they move from place to place picking crops. When a phone won't work, Angel enlists "Big Joe's" aid to repair it and from then on a friendship develops. Joe and the boy team up to start a rose-growing business. A call from Angel's father comes, the family must leave. Angel can stay with Joe and the promise of a future, or he can go with his family and continue in the uncertain lifestyle of his parents... Keywords: Bert Salzman; Academy Award Downloads: 1,328 Average rating: (1 review)
	Rough Road to Panama - Sullivan C. Richardson The Sullivan C. Richardson Pan American Highway Expedition, 1940-1941. The first of a two-part series describing the first successful attempt to drive an automobile from the United States to the tip of South America the companion is was "Rugged Road to Cape Horn." Here, Richardson and two companions (one of whom is Arnold Whitaker) explore the route that would eventually become the Pan American Highway... Keywords: Pan American Highway; Monte Alban; Atitlan; Guatemala; Mexico; El Savador Downloads: 160 Average rating: (0 review)
	One Hundred Watts 120 Volts - Carson "Kit" Davidson The mechanized production of Duro-Test light bulbs is filmed as a dance to the tune of the Brandenburg, as choreographed filaments, glass, and metal combine in a dynamic finale. Downloads: 1,418 Average rating: (0 review)
	Dances of the Kwakiutl - William Heick A magnificent film featuring Pacific Northwest Indian dances of the ancient winter ceremonial handed down among the Kwakiutl families as their way of keeping history. Beautiful costumes and masks are worn by the dancers in this black and white film Downloads: 931 Average rating: (0 review)
	Inside Magoo - Steve Bosustow, Amer Cancer Society, Inc 'Inside Magoo' (1960) 15, prod. Steve Bosustow. The nearsighted Mr. Magoo here experiences the seven danger signals of cancer and sees his doctor, even though as a Sagittarius, he feels he is not susceptible (Cancer, get it?). Notable for acted sequences with Jim Backus, producer Stephen Bosustow, and Scopitone star Joi Lansing as the nurse. Magoo goes to gets his colon scoped! Keywords: Animation Downloads: 7,656 Average rating: (0 review)
	Jose Iturbi: Part I - Reginald LeBorg ‘Jose Iturbi: Part I’ (1941) 10m, dir. Reginald LeBorg. Iturbi here performs dazzling interpretations of 'Sevilla' by Albeniz and 'Fantasie - Impromptu' by Chopin. Keywords: classical Music; piano Downloads: 1,078 Average rating: (0 review)
	L'Entente Cordiale - Intl Film Bureau Inc ‘L'entente Cordiale’ (1951) 11m, unknown director). This film, in the ‘Beginning French Conversation’ series, portrays a slice of life that is rapidly disappearing in many French villages, in this case, the traditional French corner market, with its harried proprietor. Keywords: France Downloads: 565 Average rating: (0 review)