Description

All shot on 35mm cinema-quality colour film, these collections of stunning newsreels from the 1960s are some of the most admirable British documentaries ever made. Many have remained unseen since their first screening decades ago and are presented here – digitally restored, complete and uncut. A real treat! This volume presents 45 memorable films offering fascinating insights into varied aspects of scientific progress and innovation that have benefited the British way of life.

Full description from the producer:

Look at Life was a regular series of short documentary films produced in the 1960s by the Special Features Division of the Rank Organisation and screened in their Odeon and Gaumont cinemas – replacing the circuit’s newsreel, Universal News, which had become largely irrelevant with the advent of television news broadcasts.

Marvellously concise and beautifully shot, these ‘slice of life’ colour featurettes – numbering over 500 episodes in total – presented cinemagoers with varied aspects of contemporary British life.

Digitally transferred from the original film elements, this volume presents 45 memorable films offering fascinating insights into varied aspects of scientific progress and innovation that have benefited the British way of life. Many of the films have remained unseen since their first screening.

FOLLOW THE STARS
There are many who follow the stars. Some believe they can indicate the future, while astronomers spend their nights observing the heavens through the great telescopes at Jodrell Bank.

A MARRIAGE IS ARRANGED…
How a marriage between steel and plastic is successfully forged at British steelworks.

CHANNEL TUNNEL
A visit to the trial tunnel and a look at all the scientific research necessary.

HEALING HANDS
The onward march of surgery – and the dedicated research behind the scenes of medicine.

TESTING TIME
A film about all the different things that need to be tested in Britain today.

MAKING A MEAL OUT OF IT
A film looking at various aspects of food, visiting research laboratories as well as taking a look at food from the turn of the century.

PRESS-BUTTON AGE
Every day is another step into the press-button age; this film shows how our lives are increasingly regulated by automation.

FLOOD TIDE
How the ceaseless battle with the sea is being fought with the aid of the Flood Warning System.

MEN WITH IDEAS
A film providing a fascinating insight into the machinery of patenting.

MYSTERY OF A FISH
From the River Axe in Devon, scientists catch every young salmon that swims downstream in an effort to map this species’ incredible voyage.

ROCKETS AWAY!
A film exploring the research being done on rockets, for both peaceful purposes and defence.

THE LITTLE MENACE
A study of what is being done in medical research.

TROUBLE ON OILY WATERS
The dumping of oil waste in the sea has created a new menace along Britain’s shoreline.

ANY OLD IRON?
This film turns the spotlight on the people who prepare salvaged steel for re-use, and on the steel foundries which melt it down again.

CAUGHT IN THE COLD
Every year, Britain gets caught in the cold; cities crawl to a standstill, and road and rail traffic is disrupted. Why does this happen in an age of scientific miracles?

FIGURE IT OUT
The story of computers: from electronic tape and punched cards, to austere-looking robots.

KEEPING CLEAN
An interesting look at the new mechanised way of cleaning.

THE DESTROYERS
Pests come in all shapes and sizes, from the woodworm and grain weevil to the homely city pigeon. This film shows the research which goes on to control them.

BACK-ROOM OF THE SKY
At Boscombe Down, on the edge of Salisbury Plain, every part of a new plane is tested, and it is then flown to its operational limit. Not only are the aircraft tested, but also the men who fly them.

PEOPLE OF POWER
A close look at the operation of the Berkeley Nuclear Power Station.

SECOND CHANCE
This moving film shows an achievement in which science and humanity have combined to offer the 100,000 people in Britain who have lost a limb a chance to live happy and useful lives.

KEY OF THE DOOR
A look at the educational centres where training in technical subjects is aiming to keep pace with the demands of this scientific age.

YOU CAN’T CATCH MUCH FROM A FISH!
‘Look at Life’ went to see what the six months’ compulsory quarantine means to the 3,000 dogs and 500 cats brought into Britain each year.

MEN UNDER PRESSURE
This exciting film shows the work of the men who build tunnels below water level, and the scientific and medical care that ensures they suffer no ill-effects from their unusual occupation.

FINGS ARE GETTING SMALLER
Taking a look at how everything is being reduced in size in the new compact age.

SALUTE THE ENGINEER
More and more engineers are needed to keep pace with developing industry; this film offers a glimpse of the wide range of jobs they undertake.

SO MUCH FLATTERY!
Few realise how far the art of imitation has developed. Synthetic furs and jewellery, artificial flowers and copies of great paintings, ‘marble’ made of laminated plastic, and that most quotidian of imitations – artificial teeth.

HAVING A BABY
A look at the medical and social services available for both hospital and home births.

POWER NEEDS NO PASSPORT
Stretching across Western Europe is a network of electric power stations, linked by the transmission lines that span a continent. This is the story of an ever-present problem: Europe’s increasing need for electricity.

WEALTH UNDER THE SEA
A trip to the North Sea to follow the search for oil.

BY BREAD ALONE
A look at what is happening in the baking industry as scientists try to fi nd out why bread doesn’t keep fresh longer and to solve the problem of staleness.

FRONTIERS OF MEDICINE
Machines are playing an increasing part not only in the treatment of disease, but also in helping to find out the causes of illness.

SUGARING THE PILL
Large numbers of pills are consumed every year; this film takes a look at the growth of the pharmaceutical industry.

BEATING THE RACKET
A look at what is being done to reduce noise levels.

WILL TAPS RUN DRY?
Much of Britain faces a water shortage every year. This film reveals the fascinating, complex business of ensuring that the taps don’t run dry.

TREADING ON THE GAS
Following the ships that come from the Sahara Desert bringing methane gas.

BOXES OF TRICKS
The teaching machine – the educational box of tricks – is being used increasingly today in schools, universities and industry.

THE GIVERS
Britain’s National Blood Transfusion Service came of age in 1967. It was the first of its kind in the world; Britain was and is today the best organised and equipped.

WHAT PRICE IDEAS?
Taking a look at the new inventions that are being made in Britain today.

CLEANING PEOPLE
A look at the dry-cleaning business and the work of the chemists behind it.

PRESS-BUTTON FARMS
A revolution is taking place down on the farm – the machines are taking over, so that the modern farmer can operate his farm almost single-handed.

KEEPING TABS ON SPACE
A look at Britain’s first spacecraft, UK3, and how it was created, tested and launched.

BRAIN DRAIN
The brain drain, mainly in young scientists and engineers, has risen to a rate of 6,000 men a year. Why do they go?

NORTH SEA COMMUTERS
A film providing the background to the tapping of the vast supply of natural energy that Britain has discovered on her doorstep.

THEIR LIFELINE – THE NILE
A film about the colossal Aswan High Dam – Egypt’s greatest hope for the future.

Additional information

Weight	1 lbs
Producer	Network