All Films

North Dragon

1959 • 18 min • Soviet Union

Soviet Estonian animation about a brave young man seeking a magic ring.

... To Serve Others

1959 • 20 min

A film about Stora Sköndal in Sweden where future deacons are trained and educated.

Worm in the Bud

1959 • 48 min

An elderly man living on his own in Belfast rouses the suspicions of his neighbors.

The Peter Tchaikovsky Story

1959 • 30 min • United States of America

The story of young Tchaikovsky through the premiere of his "Sleeping Beauty" ballet.

Two Lottery Tickets

1959 • 58 min • Romania

1957 film adaptation of Romanian playwright Ion Luca Caragiale's novella “Două loturi” (Two Lottery Tickets, 1901). The scenario was written by director Jean Georgescu, one of the most skilled Romanian filmmakers of the 1940s and 1950s, while the directing belongs to Aurel Miheleş and Gheorghe Naghi, at that time both recently graduated from the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow. This is the second feature film in colour from Romania. Despite the great public success, the film was often criticized by reviewers, mostly for its unhandy directing from the two debutants. Miheleş and Naghi would however continue their collaboration and release another two Caragiale adaptations, of which “Telegrame” (Telegrams, 1959) was nominated for the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the 1960 edition of the Cannes festival.

The Witch

1959 • 31 min • Soviet Union

In a remote cabin, two people live together, the dirty, unkempt deacon Savely and his beautiful wife Raisa. The deacon torments his wife with absurd jealousy. During a snowstorm, a group of lost mail coach drivers stumble upon the cabin...

The Birthday Party

1959 • 20 min • Soviet Union

The boy fights the demon to save the shepherd brother and the flock. Animated version of the Dagestan fairy tale.

Care of St Christopher’s

1959 • 16 min • United Kingdom

‘St Christopher’s - for the children of Railway Servants’. About a hundred children are cared for at this Derby railway orphanage and this film gives a selection of scenes from a typical day: the breakfast mail, a boy with a problem, a girl with a worry, a visit from two widowers, a birthday tea party. An official insight into a forgotten aspect of railway operation.

On the Passage of a Few People Through a Relatively Short Period of Time

1959 • 20 min • France

This short film can be considered as notes on the origins of the situationist movement; notes which thus naturally include a reflection on their own language.

Beloved Beauty

1959 • 45 min • Soviet Union

Once upon a time there were the tsar with the tsaritsa also there was at them a son Ivan-Tsarevich. And everything would be good if Ivan parents didn't come one morning and didn't tell them about the Beloved Beauty about which to it nurses sang, and now every day dreams. Also he wants to go in this world to look for to Beloved Beauty. Ivan-Tsarevich went, and to him the robber Bulat who became a sworn brother on the way. They began to look for Beauty.

Tourist Go Home

1959 • 24 min • Canada

This short film is a humorous look at the tourist industry in Canada. In tongue-in-cheek fashion, it points out the importance of good public relations in the tourist industry - more specifically, what not to do to tourists. (Sourced from the National Film Board of Canada: https://www.nfb.ca/film/tourist_go_home)

Fountain of Hope/Peace

1959 • 2 min

In 1959 the United Nations commissioned Lye to make this one-minute film, “Fountain of Hope,” to publicize United Nations Day (24th October). The film was screened worldwide in cinemas and on television. Lye superimposed the word for “peace” in many different languages over some of his kinetic sculptures, while a United Nations choir sang related music by Henry Brant that combined many national styles. Lye’s work was selected because the United Nations wanted to overcome language barriers, using visual images with a strong emotional impact and “universal appeal”. Lye was delighted to be associated with a message of world peace.

La Petite Parade

1959 • 8 min • United States of America

A French shopkeeper's life is disrupted by a daily parade. The parade consists of "ze king, ze premier, all ze lords and ministers, army, navy, department sanitaire." When the "department sanitaire" hits a pothole, all the garbage gets dumped onto the street in front of his store.

Cruise of the Eagle

1959 • 18 min • United States of America

The varied and important services of the U.S. Coast Guard are glimpsed. They warn ships of dangerous shoals, keep sea lanes open with icebreakers, face gale and hurricane to accurately forecast the weather in remote areas of the Atlantic and Pacific, and perform rescue services to ships and downed aircraft.

Romp in a Swamp

1959 • 6 min • United States of America

Woody tricks Ali Gator into a swampland chase.

Tomcat Combat

1959 • 6 min • United States of America

Woody Woodpecker is engaged in combat with a big tomcat and after several break-even escapades, Woody finally tricks the cat into a dogcatcher's truck which is filled with dogs with a sour disposition, especially regarding cats. Woody finally shoots the cat off into outer space using a giant rocket (not from Acme).

At Exactly Three Fifteen ...

1959 • 21 min • Soviet Union

Once in the editorial office of the magazine "Funny Pictures" there was a phone call. Pioneer leaders of the local camp asked members of the "Club of Jolly Men" to give a concert on the occasion of the opening. Participants of the club happily agree and immediately hit the road. However, on the way to the camp, their truck broke down and they have to fix it immediately or find another way to get to the camp before the concert begins. And the beginning is exactly at 3:15.

Theft of Jewels

1959 • 9 min • Yugoslavia

Satirical cartoon featuring a jewel robbery.

Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom

1959 • 48 min

Professor Owl teaches his class about the elements of musical instruments, melody and inspirations for songs. The show is primarily made up of footage from Melody and Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, as well as new animation bookending other Disney cartoon musicals.

Eyes in Outer Space

1959 • 26 min

Rare Walt Disney Space series from 1959, speculating about the use of satellites, including controlling the weather of the Earth!

Tragedy in a Temporary Town

1959 • 60 min • Australia

Live television drama set in a caravan park in the US. Originally presented as a 1959 episode of the Australian anthology drama show Shell Presents starring Michael Pate. It was filmed "live" in Melbourne, then recorded and broadcast in Sydney. The same script was produced in 1956 for American television.

Natürlich die Nelli!

1959 • 53 min • Germany, East Germany

Little Nelli is a clever and cunning child. As her parents are both working, her grandmother has to care for her. But her grandmother is no match to Nelly. Out on the street, Nelli also calls the tune and becomes the kids’ favourite with her brash pranks. But when Nelli enters day nursery, the situation changes completely. Suddenly, Nelli is no longer at the centre of attention and starts to upset the group with her aggressive stubbornness and to revolt against the rules.

We Are the Lambeth Boys

1959 • 53 min • United Kingdom

Seminal piece of documentary filmmaking by New Wave director Karel Reisz following the daily activities of members of the Lambeth Youth club in late-1950s London.

Minerva Looks Out into the Zodiac

1959 • 6 min

From a central pivotal position, the camera eye (in this case, the hard and inflexible eye of Minerva) looks out upon twelve passing scenes. None of the scenes are necessarily associated with specific signs of the Zodiac. Lawrence Jordan instead assembled twelve of his collages and passed them in review before the deity (who, as he has noted, never revealed her pleasure or displeasure with these images). The filmmaker underscored the mood of each scene with a short passage of music. One might say that theses scenes are not meant to convey particular meanings to a viewer but are intended to represent various entrances or, as the Egyptians called them, hidden or false doors to the siprit world, the world of the dead, the Underworld, the Bardo or, simply, another plan of reality: verities of the soul in Symbolist terms.