All Films

The Pythons: Somewhere in Tunisia, Circa A.D. 1979

1979 • 50 min • Tunisia, United Kingdom

Ten years ago exactly, more or less, give or take a day or two, six young men sat down, or maybe stood, or perhaps some of them just lounged, and wrote the first episode of a new series called Owl Stretching Time. They were called Graham Chapman , John Cleese, Terry Gilliam , Eric Idle,Terry Jones and Michael Palin and later both they and the series became known as Monty Python 's Flying Circus . Today they are the best known British comedy group in the world, famous from Cathay to Kathmandu, from Sydney to Sidcup (except in Japan where the programme is called The Gay Boys' Dragon Show ... say no more). To commemorate their tenth anniversary a BBC team tracked them down in the deserts of Tunisia where they were filming their Life of Brian and almost persuaded them to examine the genesis, the genius and the gender of Monty Python.

On Your Mark!

1979 • 9 min • Soviet Union

Nem Verdade Nem Mentira

1979 • 10 min • Brazil

A mockumentary (or is it a fake fiction?) about journalism.

Cars

1979 • 15 min • Australia

“I don’t drive, but I know people who’ll drive 100 metres to go to the shops. Our society is obsessed with the car, with coming and going, getting somewhere. I used very intricate matting, some shaped like knives. I wanted the cars to slice each other in two, creating a kind of hurdy gurdy atmosphere…an abstract rushing to and fro, going nowhere. The first half of the film is silent. The second half, a grainy dupe of the same images, has sound and is far more urgent and aggressive.” (Paul Winkler)

Canada Vignettes: Don Messer - His Land and His Music - Marg Osburne 1927-1977 Pt. 1

1979 • 2 min

One of six Canada Vignettes from the NFB production Don Messer - His Land and His Music, featuring one of the principal performers, Marg Osburne, who has since passed away.

Kate Bush Christmas Special

1979 • 44 min • United Kingdom

Kate Bush presents her Christmas Special in which she performs songs from her first three albums, along with “December Will be Magic Again.” Peter Gabriel is her special guest.

Guest

1979 • 30 min • Soviet Union

Mikhail comes to the village to see his school sweetheart. Galina has a family - a husband and a little daughter. Nothing could bring back the old happiness...

Come and Be Our Guest

1979 • 10 min • Soviet Union

A Squirrel, a Bear cub and a Hare were sitting under a tree and looked at the pictures in the book. Suddenly a Squirrel saw an unusual beast on one of them and asked who it was. Misha replied that this is elephant and friends decided to invite him to visit a New Year tree. All their conversation was heard by a Wolf cub, who was skeptical about the fact that someone would come to them. But the kids did not listen to him and decided to write a letter. In the forest came a snowy winter, and the elephant really arrived to them.

Farewell to Charms

1979 • 13 min • Australia

An experimental feminist film which questions the goals of love and romance as a woman’s ultimate fulfillment. Emma, vivacious but suicidal terrorist is reunited with Cecily, her old school chum. They meet a ‘bionic bike dyke’ called stretch and break open the jelly beans. Will they stretch a point over the pool table? Will tap-dancing and vaginal exercises be enough for Cecily? Will Emma metamorphose into Esther Williams?

Menthe: The Benefactor

1979 • 31 min • Denmark

Based on the sadomasochistic novel by Dominique Aury, "Story of O", tells the story of a voluntary female submission.

Quattro Delitti: Winchester M2

1979 • 60 min

Madness and jealousy push a not very attractive young man to plan to kill a friend who, on the contrary, has a lot of luck with women.

Marta Meszaros: Portrait of the Hungarian Filmmaker

1979 • 59 min

Documentary about film director Marta Meszaros featuring on-set interviews with the director and creative collaborators

The Human Voice

1979 • 50 min

After “five years of happiness,” a love affair is ending. The woman uses the telephone as the last remaining connection with the man, who is now planning to marry someone else.

Alisa Freyndlikh

1979 • 41 min • Soviet Union

Alisa Freyndlikh in a rush — there isn't a single calm, free minute. Rehearsals, discussions of roles with Igor Vladimirov, her daughter Varya's birthday, daytime and evening performances, meetings with the audience...

Uncle Au's Mistake

1979 • 17 min • Soviet Union

Uncle Au is a usual wood goblin loving to frighten and misbehave. Once he woke up and surprised, how the world changed around. And even children now are not afraid of him.

Aurélia Steiner (Melbourne)

1979 • 28 min • France

Based on the letters of a fictitious poetess to her lover. Duras reads extracts from these letters, as the film shows a boat journey down the Seine, past familiar bridges and landmarks. – BFI

Glenn Gould's Toronto

1979 • 50 min • Canada

In this witty documentary monologue, Glenn Gould reflects on his complex relationship with Toronto — praising its quietude, poking fun at its reputation, and weighing its cultural mosaic, urban resilience, and rivalry with Montreal. With his trademark mix of clarity, irony, and personal reminiscence, Gould reveals a bond with the city that is neither boosterish nor dismissive, but as nuanced and singular as the man himself.

Heron

1979 • 15 min • Soviet Union

The cartoon, which shows a concise chronology of the latest achievements of modern humanity, pays tribute to the inventor and dreamer named Heron, who lived in Alexandria in the 1st century A.D., who was undeservedly forgotten. Back then, he created the first prototype of a steam turbine that could significantly make human life easier and become the basis for a technological revolution. Nevertheless, despite all the simplicity and genius, the invention could not find application in his era and began to wait in the wings for almost 2 thousand years.

No Maps on My Taps

1979 • 58 min • United States of America

The remarkable spirit of tap dancers and their history provides a joyous backdrop for intimate portraits of hoofers Sandman Sims, Chuck Green, and Bunny Briggs.

Elin and Valborg

1979 • 22 min

Two women, two different destinies. Elin Larsson and Valborg Svensson look back on their lives and think about class, gender and the right to realize oneself.

Will More. Material para Arrebato

1979 • 4 min

Recovered Zulueta short.

Unk

1979 • 15 min • Japan

UNK, an UFO film, tests the limits of the 8mm medium with light, color and multiple exposures.

Professor Tarantoga und sein seltsamer Gast

1979 • 60 min • East Germany, Germany

With an open mind and the meticulousness of a scientist, Professor Tarantoga meets his strange guest, who has made contact with him from a psychiatric institution. The eccentric introduces himself as Novak on one occasion and Hippekorn on another. Hippekorn comes from the future, more precisely from the second half of the 35th century. Professor Tarantoga patiently tries to find out whether the man is simply crazy or actually an alien from another time and world.

Rusty Empty Can

1979 • 59 min • Japan

Matsui's debut film, "Rusty Empty Can" (1979), was photographed by Sogo Ishii; nonetheless the film turned out to be a serious and emotionally painful one unlike Ishii's speedy roller-coaster movies. The film which depicts a homosexual relationship was successful at the many film festival held in Japan, including selection at the 1979 Pia Film Festival. "Rusty Empty Can" is still shown at theatres today as it has become the pioneer of cult movies with devoted fans and approval from Nagisa Oshima and Shuji Terayama.