All Films

Capuccino

1957 • 5 min

A couple on a street corner and in a cafe, birds circling above the city street, window displays in a shop.

Faces

1957 • 14 min • United Kingdom

The screening of the short film 'Faces' at the 1961 Edinburgh and London Film Festivals kick started the film career of young McConnell, then studying at Glasgow School of Art. 'Faces', a comment on the personas we adopt, was inspired by a visit to the Brussels Experimental Film Festival of 1958 where McConnell saw the work of many European film makers, films of a genre unseen at that time in Britain. Many were without words, telling their stories in a variety of genres, live action, animation, puppetry, and making social comments on their times.

Our Skiing President

1957 • 9 min • Finland

President Kekkonen's skiing trip in January 1957 begins in Taipalsaari. From there, the President skis towards Puumala along the frozen Lake Saimaa. From Puumala the journey continues to Ryhälä and from there on to Sulkava and Savonlinna. Another of the President's ski trips was recorded by film cameras in late winter 1957 in Kainuu.

Die Bundesstrassen - Stiefkinder des Wirtschaftswunders

1957 • 43 min • Germany

The mineral oil tax and its use are taken as an opportunity to examine the topics of road construction and motor vehicle traffic using the example of West German federal highways.

Birth of a Giant

1957 • 29 min • Canada

Birth of a Giant (Naissance d'un géant in French) is a 29-minute 1957 Canadian documentary film, directed by Hugh O'Connor and produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) television series, Perspective. The film depicts the role of story of the conception, construction and testing of the Canadair Argus aircraft, designed as a maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The title is an acknowledgement, that at the time, the Argus was the largest aircraft ever built in Canada. Note: This film was distributed separately on 16mm for schools and libraries, qualifying it as a standalone documentary.

Kingdom of the Saguenay

1957 • 30 min • Canada

Saguenay and Lac-Saint-Jean: history, economy, tourist attractions, agriculture, wood and paper industry, and especially the gigantic aluminum industry whose products are found in all parts of the world; images of a blueberry field, the Lac Bouchette sanctuary, a religious gathering, a dam, a power plant, the Arvida plant, angling, Cap Éternité, construction canoes, etc.

Summer Service Only

1957 • 13 min • United Kingdom

The Talyllyn Railway was opened in 1866 to transport slate from Bryneglwys Quarry in the Gwernol Valley to Abergynolgwyn and thence to Towyn. It was also licensed to carry passengers but it didn’t reach its centenary, closing in 1950. Here P B Whitehouse, friend of disused railways, celebrates the line’s successful continuance – from 1951 - under the auspices of the world’s first railway preservation society of which he was a founder member.

The Rebelion of the Dolls

1957 • 18 min • Yugoslavia

A wonderfully playful and symbolic manifestation of the spirit of childhood can be found in Dimitrie Osmanli’s short fiction debut. The film follows a little girl with her doll who meets a neighbourhood boy with his tank; after her doll is damaged we are invited into a surreal dream where dolls rise up against the boy and their face resembles the little girl he hurt. The rebellion of the dolls signifies a rebellion against the boy’s malice and essentially against his refusal to be like a child. The dream yields fruit: on waking up, the boy, grateful to be alive, has joy restored in his heart and runs to makes amends with the little girl. The Rebelion of the Dolls renders the concept of rebellion as an internal event: an uprising of the conscience against the spirit of cruelty and disobedience and as a lesson to the little boy shows true conscience restored in the spirit of gentleness.

The Sound of Jazz

1957 • 58 min • United States of America

The Sound of Jazz is an historic episode from the "Seven Lively Arts" anthology series featuring jazz greats in concert. Hosted by John Crosby, it offers some fascinating performances from Count Basie, Billie Holliday, Thelonious Monk and many more. This 58-minute program is a truly original and unique broadcast from CBS Studio 58 in New York on December 8, 1957.

Variations on a Theme

1957 • 10 min

1957 Jim Davis short

A Gift From The Happy Painter

1957 • 23 min • Yugoslavia

While playing, the children start drawing on the walls of the room. A painter comes to whitewash the flat. To entertain the children, the painter paints images on the walls. But even when he whitewashes over the picture he has painted for them, the children can still see it and are happy. No one knows about their secret gift from the painter.

Summer Is An Adventure

1957 • 10 min

Two young children spend a summer weekend at the lake with their parents, aunt and uncle.

Kittens: Birth and Growth

1957 • 11 min

Tells about two children who eagerly await the birth of a family of kittens. Covers an eight-week span, showing the kittens being born, learning to crawl, drinking milk, and eating meat. For primary and elementary grades.

Surprise Boogie

1957 • 5 min • France

Considered for an Academy Award nomination for Best Short Film (Animated).

Spunky the Snowman

1957 • 7 min

A cartoon depicting Spunky the Snowman's visit to Santa.

Ansel Adams, Photographer

1957 • 21 min

Records the life and work of Ansel Adams. Dwells on his equipment, home, interests, and his attitude toward art, photography and life.

Our Industrial Age

1957 • 13 min • India

Foundation of a great industrial future for India.

Logos

1957 • 2 min • United States of America

Jane Conger Belson Shimane's first film, Logos, premiered in 1957 and was screened at festivals in North America, Europe, and Latin America. The animated film featured an electronic score by Henry Jacobs. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2001.

Common Fallacies About Group Differences

1957 • 14 min

Prompted by a discussion between painters sitting at lunch, this film analyzes seven common notions about races, heredity and group differences in the light of known scientific evidence, and proves them all wrong. Since it's situated on a college campus, the discussion benefits by the availability of modern audiovisual aids (an overhead projector) and attempts to delve under the surface of stereotype.

Wakes Week in Blackburn

1957 • 5 min

John Schlesinger's 1957 film about the Wakes Week holiday in Blackburn looks at the tradition where mill towns shut down and thousands of workers head to Blackpool

A New Football

1957 • 17 min • China

When a group of children were playing football, they broke the football. Goalkeeper Li Ying went home to rest and saw a brand new football on the table, so he asked grandpa where the football came from. The new football went to play with his friends, but because he was afraid of the ball being kicked dirty, he took it back home after a while.

Keiko and Yves Get Married

1957 • 12 min

The wedding of actress Keiko Kishi and filmmaker Yves Ciampi.

Canada's Air Defence

1957 • 34 min

This short 1956 documentary shows how the Royal Canadian Air Force fulfills its primary role of maintaining constant vigilance and providing a blanket of aerial defense. It illustrates the combat readiness and shows how, in the event of an attack, warnings would be flashed to National Defence headquarters in eastern Canada and to Continental Defense headquarters in the United States.

How to Drive on Snow and Ice

1957 • 12 min • United States of America

Sponsored by Seiberling Rubber Company, this public service film demonstrates the important points of winter driving. Shows how to start on slippery roads, what to do when stuck, how to manipulate a skidding car and the distances it takes to stop on icy roads.