All Films

Understanding The Dollar

1953 • 10 min

A dramatization which explains the essential purposes of money as a medium of exchange, analyzes factors which affect the value of the dollar, and shows the effects of rising prices on people with various types of income.

A Shocking Affair

1953 • 2 min • Canada

An animated illustration of the safety rule: "Never touch plumbing and electrical fixtures at the same time." In the film we see a young woman commit the fatal error of switching on an electric light while in her bath. After a fleeting glimpse of a gravestone with the inscription R.I.P., we see her in the next world where in her celestial tub she is about to repeat her mistake but remembers the consequences just in time.

The Mullinaires

1953 • 2 min

A chorus of kitchen salesmen sings an inspirational song to rally the rest of the troops.

The Royal Occasion

1953 • 9 min • United Kingdom

Dufaycolor film of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Included on the BFI DVD "A Royal Occasion".

Persian Slave Market

1953 • 11 min • United States of America

An ultra-low-budget burlesque short filmed in 3-D. Presented by Harry A. Farros, owner of the luxurious Hotel Casa Del Rey in Santa Cruz as well as burlesque theaters in Oakland and San Francisco.

Rentjong dan Surat

1953 • 58 min • Indonesia

This film shows the Acehnese people‘s struggle against the Dutch through a fictional approach. Meutia is one of the fighters. But within their ranks, there are also traitors such as Commander Husin. Husin is in love with Kemala, but she chooses Djohan over him. To get rid of his competition, Husin sends Djohan to deliver a message to Commander Him in the mountains. Djohan is injured in the process and Meutia nurses him to recovery. Meutia then takes him to see Commander Him. Meanwhile, Husin manages to marry Kemala. As Kemala sympathizes with the struggle for independence, she opposes her husband, and is killed. Based on information that Kemala provides, Djohan hunts down and finally captures Husin.

Madonna and Her Bubbles

1953 • 4 min

An ultra-low-budget burlesque short filmed in 3-D.

Reel 41: Hong Kong, Japan - 1953

1953 • 12 min

A film about a trip to Japan.

Oslofilm: Byens industri - Fram til århundreskiftet

1953 • 23 min • Norway

How the industry in Oslo was in the 1800-century.

Newsreel Nr. 7/1953

1953 • 11 min

Part of the series made at "Alexandru Sahia" Studios.

Radar Station

1953 • 15 min • Canada

Radar Station is a 1953 Canadian short documentary film produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the On The Spot series made specifically for television. The documentary involved an account of a visit to a radar station while it is involved in a simulated air attack, and is based on first-person interviews of the staff at the radar station. Squadron Leader Bill Lee of the Royal Canadian Air Force discusses the northern Canadian radar defense post's operations, revealing the little-known role of these isolated posts scattered across Canada's Arctic. Note: This film was distributed separately on 16mm for schools and libraries, qualifying it as a standalone documentary.

Oslofilm: Her hviler - Oslo kirkegårder

1953 • 11 min • Norway

Oslo' cemeteries are being presented, from the oldest that is kept in Ruinparken in the Old Town, to Our Savior's graveyard and many other burial mounds in the city center and outskirts of the city. Tombs of famous people from the history of the city and the nation are also shown.

Proud Sutherland

1953 • 9 min • United Kingdom

A short film profiling the area of Sutherland in northern Scotland.

Oslofilm: Viking: Oslos eget hotell

1953 • 9 min • Norway

A new hotel has been build in Oslo, and lies in the middle of the city like an adventure castle.

Carnival in Trinidad

1953 • 13 min

A kaleidoscope of colors and sounds that captures the essence of the 1952 celebration. Examples include famous mas bands—the costumed groups who join the parades—including Carnival designer Harold Sadenah’s Quo Vadis and steelband The Invaders seen dressed in full military regalia.

Le châtelot

1953 • 36 min • France

Between 1950 and 1953, a dam was built in the unspoiled landscape of the Doubs. It was a prestigious Swiss-French project. The film begins with idyllic images of the “Saut du Doubs” and goes on to document the construction stages from the felling of the first tree to the finished weir. Guest workers lose their lives in the process – and the production of the film was probably not entirely risk-free. What is the price of our electrified world, how much destruction of nature is acceptable? These are questions raised by the witty voiceover in the film. Questions that are still thought-provoking 70 years after the filming of “Le châtelot”.

Newsreels No. 30

1953 • 10 min • Soviet Union

Newsreel magazine dated June 1953.

A Day in the Life of a Cleaning Woman

1953 • 13 min

The film's title evokes a mundane slice of life but a kindhearted maid catches a lucky break when her enchanted feather duster makes it so that the house cleans itself.

Under the Brooklyn Bridge

1953 • 15 min • United States of America

"…one cannot deny its documentary value or Burckhardt's eye for detail, his unpretentiousness. There are sequences — the children swimming under the Brooklyn Bridge is one — which belong with the best footage on New York by anybody." — Jonas Mekas

Dinner Party

1953 • 30 min

A man invites people to a dinner party, but a dream and his forgetfulness get in the way.

A Good Pull-Up

1953 • 17 min • United Kingdom

Story of a handyman who gets into trouble at a workman's cafe.

Cupid and Psyche

1953 • 3 min

Experimental color (two-tone) animated film with a musical score.

Constitution and Censorship

1953 • 29 min • United States of America

A documentary abut the making of the Constitution.

Silent Night: The Story of the Christmas Carol

1953 • 13 min • United States of America

13-minute documentary taking a look at the song "Silent Night" from the time it was written to the music and finally to it being performed across the world.