I watched 53 short films, ranging from 1895 to 1978. I also watched 6 TV episodes, ranging from 1959 to 1977.
Films linked to are uploaded by the copyright holder.
Film:Elizabethan Express (1954, UK, 20 minutes) - 7.5/10. A documentary showing a train trip. It was controversial at the time of release for its use of rhyming narration. However, it proved popular with viewers, and had a wide theatrical release. From the DVD release "British Transport Films: Collection One: A Future on Rail".
SX-70 (1972, USA, 11 minutes) - 8/10. Great look into the Polaroid SX-70 camera. From the DVD release "The Films of Charles & Ray Eames: Volume 4".
Half a Pint of Milk (1952, Australia, 17 minutes) - 7/10. A classroom film (remember those?) abour dairy farming in the state of Tasmania. This should not be confused with "A Pint of Milk", a 1949 short by the same director (Malcolm Otton), although both were classroom films. The difference is that "A Pint of Milk" was meant to be seen nationally across Australia, while "Half a Pint of Milk" was only meant to be seen in Tasmania. This particular short isn't particularly notable, although it isn't terrible either, though the lack of background music is a problem.
Everybody Work, Everybody Help (1952, Australia, 14 minutes) - 7/10. Produced the same crew and company as the above, but I don't think this is a classroom film. It seems to have been aimed at adults, to assure them that a newly built school would benefit their children.
Rough Sea at Dover (1896, UK, Under 20 Seconds) - 7/10, Footage of a stormy sea. Nothing more, nothing less. From the DVD release "RW Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908".
The Arrest of a Bookmaker (1895, UK, under 30 seconds) - 7/10. A very very very early attempt at a crime drama. From the DVD release "RW Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908".
Making Tracks (1956, UK, 16 minutes) - 7/10. Documentary about laying down railroad tracks. From the DVD release "British Transport Films: Collection One: A Future on Rail".
Henry Shoobridge: Hop grower (1952, Australia, 14 minutes) - 7/10. A documentary about hop farming in Tasmania. This was produced by the "Tasmanian Education Department", and once again Malcolm Otton is the director (presumably he had nothing better to do than make educational films for the Tasmanian government? I've so far seen 5 shorts directed by him. That means I've seen 1 more film by him than I have by Steven Spielberg. Geez, I make strange choices as to which films I watch). Well, OK, I've now watched four of these Tasmanian-produced non-fiction films. None of them have proved to be classics (can a 1950s educational film ever be a classic? Ever? At all?), but I appreciate them. I never knew Tasmania did anything involving celluloid during the 1950s/1960s. I don't think they did any dramas, although the state did produce a 30-minute TV-movie in 1963 called "Happy Journey" which was an adaptation of a play by American writer Thornton Wilder?! Gee, I really need to study the film/TV output of this state some more!!
The Derby (1896, UK, about 30 seconds) - 7/10. Footage from a horse race. Historically interesting. From the DVD release "RW Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908".
Hyde Park Bicycling Scene (1896, UK, under 30 seconds) - 7.5/10. It's fascinating seeing a scene from real-life from so long ago. Seeing real Victorian people riding their bicycles is incredible. From the DVD release "RW Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908".
Up the River (1896, UK, under 1 minute) - 6/10. A rather poorly filmed drama. From the DVD release "RW Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908".
Cable Ship (1933, UK, 12 minutes) - 7.5/10. A documentary about repairing underwater telephone wires. From the DVD release "The GPO Film Unit Collection: Volume One".
Postage Due (1924, USA, 22 minutes) - 7/10. Decent silent comedy short. Not great by any means (it drags at times, and there's an unfortunate racial stereotype), but it's watchable and has some interesting gags. From the DVD release "The Stan Laurel Collection (Slapstick Symposium)".
A Day at the Beach (1956, Australia, 10 minutes) - 7/10. Beautiful colour film stock....otherwise an instantly forgettable classroom film aimed at children between the ages of 6 and 8. Malcolm Otton is director, this time doing the film for New South Wales instead of Tasmania.
Farmer Moving South (1952, UK, 16 minutes) - 8/10. An excellent documentary, about a farmer from Yorkshire moving everything (livestock, equipment, personal belongings) to Sussex. Beautifully filmed in black-and-white. From the DVD release "British Transport Films: Collection One: A Future on Rail".
Hold It (1938, USA, 7 minutes) - 7.5/10. Funny cartoon short with an amusing gimmick. From the DVD release "Somewhere in Dreamland".
Wires Over the Border (1974, UK, 18 minutes) - 7/10, but why is it that 1970s always seems more dated than earlier decades? All of the "new" things in this film already looked grimy and and worn-out. It doesn't help that the 1970s film stock is much uglier than the glorious Technicolor of the 1950s. From the DVD release "British Transport Films: Collection One: A Future on Rail". Useless fact of the day: this won a "best sponsored film" award. That shocks me.
Blacktop: A Story of the Washing of a School Play Yard (1952, USA, 11 minutes) - 8/10. IMDb describes this as "A visually elegant study of water on a schoolyard playground", which is a good description. It takes a rather ordinary event and makes it interesting. It manages to be experimental without being pretentious. From the DVD release "The Films of Charles & Ray Eames, Volume 2".
Plane Dumb (1932, USA, 7 minutes) - 2/10. Terrible cartoon short. They should have dumped this into upper New York bay instead of Ernie Kovacs....I've seen mouthwash commercials that had more merit than this!
Coal Face (1935, UK, 11 minutes) - 7.5/10. Interesting (though rather pretentious) documentary about coal mining. From the DVD release "The GPO Film Unit Collection: Volume One".
Snubbed by a Snob (1940, USA, 7 minutes) - 7/10. A cartoon in Technicolor. Nothing outstanding, but entertaining. From the DVD release "Somewhere in Dreamland".
Royal Train (1896, UK, under 30 seconds) - 7/10. Footage of a train going by. I love these 19th century actuality shorts. From the DVD release "RW Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908".
Look at Life: Money in the Slot (1964, UK, 9 minutes) - 8/10. The "Look at Life" series was widely shown in British cinemas from 1959 to 1969. It consisted of short documentaries, often breezy, about a wide range of topics. Wikipedia lists television as killing off the series, but to be honest I think it would have ended anyway, I can't imagine this kind of lightweight documentary being popular in the gritty 1970s. But anyway, this edition was enjoyable to watch. It shows the increasingly popular vending machines of the period, offering coffee, pies, eggs (?), and other things with just the push of a button. What isn't stated is the poor quality of a lot of the food/drink offered by these machines (which was rightly mocked by 1970s sitcoms). From the DVD release "Look at Life Volume 7 - Business and Industry".
Rail 150 (1975, UK, 13 minutes) - 7.5/10. Simple but entertaining documentary, showing various steam trains from over the years, appearing as part of a 150th anniversary celebration. From the DVD release "British Transport Films: Collection One: A Future on Rail".
The King's Stamp (1935, UK, 20 minutes) - 7.5/10. This short includes documentary sequences of the (then) present day, as well as period drama and comedy set in the Victorian era. It's an odd mix, but it works. The film also includes a mix of B&W sequences and colour sequences. If you are interested in stamps, this is pretty fun to watch. From the DVD release "The GPO Film Unit Collection: Volume One".
A Colour Box (1935, UK, 3 minutes) - 8/10. I'm certain you've heard of the technique of painting animation directly onto film. This is an example of that, and is quite enjoyable. It no doubt must have seemed ultra-modern at the time. From the DVD release "The GPO Film Unit Collection: Volume One".
Look at Life: Crowning Glory (1963, UK, 9 minutes) - 7.5/10. A rather silly and light-hearted look into hair and wigs. Some rather odd hairstyles are shown with "funny" narration. Wig making is also shown, and there are scenes of various hair salons. From the DVD release "Look at Life Volume 7 - Business and Industry".
The Kleptomaniac (1905, USA, 11 minutes) - 5/10. A failed attempt at drama, but has some historical interest. From the DVD release "Edison: The Invention of the Movies".
The Seven Ages (1905, USA, 5 minutes) - 7.5/10. A simple film. A couple is in scenes ranging from childhood to elderly years. Finally, there's a spinster who never married and has a cat. From the DVD release "Edison: The Invention of the Movies".
Dough and Dynamite (1914, USA, 29 minutes) - 8/10. I hate to admit it, but I rather enjoyed this rough little comedy. It is one of many that Charlie Chaplin did at Keystone. It probably helped that I ate a big bag of potato chips while I watched this. I find that junk foods always improves slapstick silent comedy. From the DVD release "Chaplin at Keystone".
Look at Life: Keeping Tabs on Space (1967, UK, 9 minutes) - 8/10. Another edition of this breezy documentary series. In this episode, two satellites are shown being tested, while the narrator explains what tests are being done, as well as the purpose of the satellites. For the record, the two satellites shown are Ariel 3 (referred to as "UK3"), and ESRO 2. From the DVD release "Look at Life Volume 3 - Science".
Brief City (1952, UK, 19 minutes) - 7.5/10. In this documentary, we are shown the London Festival Exhibition of 1951. It's strange though, this film is supposed to document "modernism", yet everything about it seems so dated. The narration is dreadful, showing how pretentious architects can be. But the footage itself is excellent, particularly the night scenes. From the DVD release "The COI Collection - Volume Two: Design for Today".
Look at Life: Silver's New Shine (1964, UK, 9 minutes) - 7.5/10. Less breezy than the other editions I've watched, but still a fast-paced look into the various uses of silver. It's strange to think this was once a widely seen documentary, these days this kind of thing would only be seen on obscure YouTube channels. From the DVD release "Look at Life Volume 7 - Business and Industry".
Any Man's Kingdom (1956, UK, 20 minutes) - 7.5/10. A travelogue showing Northumberland. From the DVD release "British Transport Films: Collection One: A Future on Rail", although this has nothing to do with trains, although various other vehicles can be glimpsed.
Gentlemen of Nerve (1914, USA, 15 minutes) - 7.5/10. Another enjoyable rough comedy by Charlie Chaplin for the Keystone company. It's also interesting to see a car race of the period. From the DVD release "Chaplin at Keystone".
Look at Life: By Bread Alone (1964, UK, 9 minutes) - 8/10. Another enjoyable mini-documentary. In this case, we are shown how bread is made in the ultra-modern 1960s. Once again, the whole thing is breezy, perhaps too breezy. From the DVD release "Look at Life Volume 3 - Science".
Daily Miracle (1963, Australia, 14 minutes) - 7/10. This documentary about how a newspaper is put together. In particular, it shows the physical putting together of a newspaper: how photographs are put into a format that can be printed, the teletype machine, the printing press, stuff like that. This short was put together for Tasmanian newspaper "The Mercury", and I am curious as to how it was distributed (theatrical? non-theatrical? television? well?).
Appointment in Launceston (1960, Australia, 10 minutes) - 7.5/10. Low-budget but charming little travelogue, made by the Tasmanian Government Film Unit. I didn't even know Tasmania had its own film unit.
His Musical Career (1914, USA, 13 minute) - 7/10. Amusing comedy short with Charlie Chaplin. Interesting to see the traffic on the road during 1914. From the DVD release "Chaplin at Keystone". Useless fact of the day: This was shown on the BBC a number of times from 1952 to 1960, which surprised me as silent films were virtually never shown on TV back then. When shown, it appears as part of the "children's television" segment....its 1960 broadcast was part of a session for deaf children.
Look at Life: Ups and Downs (1964, UK, 9 minutes) - 5/10. I'm trying to decide which is more badly dated, this or "Plane Dumb". Here is a cheerful little documentary in which beautiful historic buildings are torn down to make way for ugly new office buildings and tower blocks. This is the side of the 1960s that everyone seems to have forgotten. Mind you, this short is well-filmed and edited. From the DVD release "Look at Life Volume 7 - Business and Industry".
Comic Costume Race (1896, UK, under 1 minute) - 7/10. Amusing bit of nonsense, a race where the first to put on a silly costume wins. It's nice seeing Victorian people having FUN, unlike all the gloomy depictions of the era you see in modern films. From the DVD release "RW Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908".
The Twins' Tea Party (1896, UK, about 30 seconds) - 7/10. To quote a popular cartoon made about a 100 years later: "Well ain't that cute...BUT IT'S WRONG!!". Amusing nevertheless. From the DVD release "RW Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908".
Blackfriars Bridge (1896, UK, about 30 seconds) - 9/10. Why the high rating? Because I love seeing scenes of everyday life from the Victorian era. The horse-drawn carriages, the women in their dresses, the child with the newspaper...it's fascinating. From the DVD release "RW Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908".
On Westminster Bridge (1896, UK, under 30 seconds) - 7/10. The original film prints are lost, but this film was also issued as a flip-book (remember those? You flipped the pages and the images moved). The flip-book survives, and has been turned into a video for DVD release. It's brief and low quality, but again, seeing real-life Victorian people moving is fascinating. From the DVD release "RW Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908".
You Can't Shoe a Horse Fly (1940, USA, 7 minutes) - 7.5/10. Amusing little cartoon from the long-forgotten "Hunky and Spunky" series. I know this may seem like a strange thing to say, but I rather like the use of the colour yellow in this short. You don't see many cartoons which have yellow as their main colour. From the DVD release "Somewhere in Dreamland".
Vignettes for Polavision: The Chase (1978, USA, 3 minutes) - 7.5/10. If this tiny little short seems more like a well-produced home movie than a film, that's because it was created by Charles Eames & Ray Eames to demonstrate the "Polavision" home movie system. Other directors also used Polavision to create short films. But it was a doomed product for a number of reasons, and proved to be a major commercial failure. The film itself is charmingly simple, depicting a child stealing a teenager's diary, and the resulting chase that ensues. It's nothing spectacular, but it's fun. From the DVD release "The Films of Charles and Ray Eames: Volume 2".
The Fresh Vegetable Mystery (1939, USA, 7 minutes) - 7/10. A fairly WTF-worthy cartoon. I like those. From the DVD release "Somewhere in Dreamland".
Look at Life: Fings Are Getting Smaller (1964, UK, 9 minutes) - 7.5/10. A very dated little documentary, but isn't that what makes the "Look at Life" series so interesting? In this case, we are shown a vintage to-scale miniature house, before moving along to small things like a transistor radio, low-income housing, and various other things 1960s people took pride in. From the DVD release "Look at Life - Volume 3: Science".
The Glorious Sixth of June (1934, UK, 10 minutes) - 5/10. This is truly a WTF-worthy film. I can't even begin to describe it. It defies explanation. I assume it was meant as a spoof, but of what? I am shocked that this film exists. From the DVD release "The GPO Film Unit Collection: Volume One".
Blue Pullman (1960, UK, 23 minutes) - 8/10. Excellent documentary, without narration, showing a train making its first run. I particularly enjoyed the well-photographed scenes showing the train going through the countryside. From the DVD release "British Transport Films: Collection One: A Future on Rail".
Look at Life: The Key of the Door (1963, UK, 9 minutes) - 7.5/10. Less breezy than usual. Students are shown learning for a career in various scientific fields. From the DVD release "Look at Life - Volume 3: Science".
Glasgow Belongs to Me (1966, UK, 16 minutes) - 7.5/10. A look into the city of Glasgow. From the DVD release "British Transport Films: Collection One: A Future on Rail".
Look at Life: Tulip Town (1961, UK, 9 minutes) - 7/10. A look into tulip farming in Spalding, Lincolnshire, and the annual Flower Parade (which stopped being held in 2013). From the DVD release "Look at Life Volume 7 - Business and Industry".
Television:"Parkin's Patchâ - Episode titled âLock Stock and...â (telecast 26 September 1969, UK, 25 minutes) - 7.5/10. Crime drama series. In this episode, a cigarette shop has everything stolen from it. The director of this episode, Michael Apted, is still working, which surprised me as very few 1960s TV directors are still working (can anyone name any others?).
"This Week in Britain" - Episode titled "The National Theatre" (telecast 1970, UK, 5 minutes) - 7/10. This brief TV series aired from 1959 to 1980, and although produced by the UK, was not shown there. It was intended to be shown in countries like Australia and such, to present a positive view of Britain. It shows a model of the "National Theatre", and interviews the architect. Despite this being a fairly upbeat mini-documentay, modern viewers will probably agree the design is typically bad 1960s/1970s architecture, soulless and aggressive. Nevertheless I'd like to see the building keep standing, as 21st century architecture is even worse!! From the DVD release "The COI Collection - Volume Two: Design for Today".
"Mary Mungo & Midge" - Episode titled "The Fair" (telecast 2 December 1969, UK, 14 minutes) - 7/10. Simple little children's show from the BBC. This episode is entertaining, but isn't among the better episodes.
Morning in the Streets (telecast 25 March 1959, UK, 35 minutes) - 8/10. This is the kind of thing you don't see anymore these days, a documentary about ordinary people living in poverty, and their opinions on their lives. From the DVD release "Visions of Change, Volume 1: BBC 1951-1967".
"The Fosters" - Episode titled "Home and Away" (telecast 11 June 1977, UK, 25 minutes) - 7.5/10. A good episode of Britain's first black sitcom. One thing I do find strange (and which is typical of the period), is that the indoor scenes were shot on video-tape, while the outdoor scenes were shot on film.
"Spring and Autumn" - Episode titled "Pilot: Spring and Autumn" (telecast 23 October 1972, UK, 25 minutes) - 7.5/10. Pilot episode for a Thames sitcom about an elderly man who befriends a child.