Discover Movies

Promotional film for BOAC.

"1969 period. In the beginning of this experimental film a figure in white ascends spiral staircases and escalators and moves away from the camera down endless tunnels and corridors. A model in a black leotard is painted white, turned into art. Another is filmed as she ascends to a rooftop, then confronts herself in a mirror in a corner of a room. As Alice went through the glass, so in the last section there are two women reflecting each other instead of just the one." - Penny Slinger

A look at why people from all over the world attempt to swim the English Channel.

A look at the steps taken to rebuild Coventry after the devastation of the Second World War.

"A film featuring my work as shown in my 1969 diploma exhibit at Chelsea College of Art. It explores my Mummy Case, then the series of works that are based on a model’s image reflected in a series of mirrors. It shows the game I created where the pieces are glass and mirror geometric forms, moved in relation to each other on three layers. Finally the film passes through some of the Headbox sculptures and Face prints I made, using lifecasts and photographs of my face." - Penny Slinger

When three year old Willy wanders away from home he falls among thieves. They are forced to kidnap him. The police ask Dickie, his elder brother and his friend, Johnny to help in the search. Johnny's friends all join in and meet with varied adventures. The children find Willy in a disused warehouse but cannot rescue him. Three more are caught by the gang who lock them in with the now unconscious gang leader and escape with the jewels. The police, alerted by the children, capture the gang, recover the jewels and finally rescue the children, including Willy

The manufacture and multifarious uses of an abundantly available substance: ice.

Married to your television? This cartoon gives you an opportunity to re-evaluate your relationship with the gogglebox.

Follows the life of Hull folk group The Watersons, which is made up of brothers and sisters Michael Waterson, Norma Waterson, Elaine Waterson (more commonly known as Lal Waterson), and their cousin John Harrison, as they spend a large amount of their time on the road in their van travelling between one folk club and the next.

First transmitted in 1966, Man Alive speaks to couples who, for various reasons, have decided not to take the traditional route towards marriage. Some have been married before but are unable to obtain the divorces they need, while others just see marriage as an outdated concept. What are the effects of this on their children, and how does wider society view couples who are 'living in sin'?

A look at the popularity of donkeys.

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

After saving a girl from being raped, a man is targeted by her lesbian friend by way of a fight promoter who convinces him he could be a boxer — with disastrous results.

A look at the machines used for teaching, the educational box of tricks which is being used in many different ways.

A short film about a woman's unhappiness after a failed love affair.

A look at how the British Army developed its own Air Corps.

Contemporary life in Plymouth in the 1960s – plus some history.

The unexpected adventures of children on a school cruise to Portugal and North Africa. In Tangier, Steve, whose hobby is detecting, suspects that a parcel carried by another boy is contraband. Steve and his pals get into trouble trying to get hold of the parcel, but, in the process they uncover and foil the plans of a passenger to smuggle a stolen painting back to England.

A tour of the renowned Lake District; a visual delight that captures the tranquillity and drama of this quite outstanding scenery.

70 is definitely the new 20 in this heart-warming 1960s documentary portrait of the Darby and Joan Club for elderly Cockneys.

Film shot one frame at a time, of three faces, including a brother and sister, which merge to become one, followed by a short sequence of minimalist gesture.

A girl is staying at a spooky hotel, where she is menaced by a hunchback, but a soldier saves her.

The Six-Sided Triangle is a 1963 short film directed by Christopher Miles, starring his younger sister Sarah Miles, Nicol Williamson, and Bill Meilen. It is about a husband who comes home and finds his wife with her lover - told from the perspectives of six different countries (the US, England, Japan, Sweden, Italy and France). The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.

A look at the role women play in the British Police Force.

A colourful miscellany of footage from both sides of the Pennines.

While I was at Cambridge University my girlfriend became pregnant. The lack of sex education in the 1960’s meant that I failed to make the connection between sex and babies. Taking cues 'nouvelle vague' cinema this film juxtaposes adolescent sexual fantasies with the reality of procreation.

Whizz converts an old boiler into a spaceship. However a scrap metal dealer has already bought it and hauls it away by crane with the Gang inside. Naturally enough they believe they are in outer space, and Dumbo takes a space walk.

Sped up footage of musicians fighting on a stretch of mudflats.

A group of children fleeing Napoleon's armies attempt to protect a mountain escape route from being discovered by a pursuing French platoon.

The spotlight falls on some of the aspects of the social services in the Germany.

A visit to Smithfield Market, Covent Garden and Billingsgate, at their busiest time, the early morning.

Taking a look at British comprehensive schools a decade after their inception.

The traditional songs and singers of Scotland.

Blue Pullman is a 1960 short documentary film directed by James Ritchie, which follows the development, preparation and a journey from Manchester to London on new British Railways Blue Pullman units. As with earlier British Transport Films, many of the personnel, scientists, engineers, crew and passengers were featured in the 20 minute film. It won several awards, including the Technical & Industrial Information section of the Festival for Films for Television in 1961. The film is also particularly noted for its score, by Clifton Parker, which, unlike the earlier Elizabethan Express is uninterrupted by any commentary.

On the planet Kembel, Space Security Service agent Marc Cory is investigating a recent sighting of a Dalek spaceship. His suspicion that the creatures may have established a base proves well-founded. He learns of a plot by the Daleks to invade and destroy the Solar System.

16mm footage of life in 1960s Dublin, with music and sound effects from Westerns on the soundtrack.

A look into what it takes to get to the top, and why football remains Britain's most popular sport.

Car manufacture at a Ford factory.

West Highland is an impression of a day on a railway between Mallaig and Glasgow in the last days of steam.

A transformer weighing 123 tons has to be moved to a remote site in Blaenau Ffestiniog. This documents its movement by rail and road.

Magnus Magnusson looks at the traditional way of life on Barra, and with opinions of residents, speculates on the threats to the language, the crofting traditions and the culture of the island in the face of unemployment and a declining population.

TV play by David Mercer. First in a trilogy concerning Marxist novelist Robert Kelvin. The occasion is a dinner party, Kelvin is concerned with a summation of his life, addressed in his head to his lover, Emma.

A BFI production from 1964, directed by David Gladwell, who is best known as an editor of films like Lindsay Anderson's If.... (1968) and O Lucky Man! (1973). This short was shot at 200 fps, depicting a series of pastoral scenes from a British farm, edited to produce a suggestion of violence in contrast to its visual beauty.

Sussex - A country rich in scenic beauty and history. South Down and Weald - open space and green woodland. This is Sussex, a county rich in scenic beauty, seaside resorts and international events; peaceful downland villages and fertile weald. History shows itself everywhere, right back to the threshold of legend - The Long Man of Wilmington and Chanctonbury Ring. All this the traveller can see and enjoy, together with the present-day delights of, for example, the Petworth Show, Goodwood Races, polo at Cowdray Park, Glyndebourne, and the fun of the Sussex coast.

An interesting look at the many and varied do-it-yourself jobs going on all over Britain.

Inspector Duval comes to London to help crack the case of a socialite murdered during a jewel heist.

An entertaining look at the role mud plays in all of our lives.

A refugee family comes to terms with living in the UK and adjusting to a new language and culture.

The transportation of cars by air, sea, railway, and other methods.

A naïve father makes an embarrassing attempt to explain the facts of life to his son, but he becomes increasingly embarrassed to the point where his explanations are so vague as to be incomprehensible.

An alien decides to visit Earth in order to check out the current pop culture.

A look at the different types of rubbish generated by society and the problems of how to dispose of it, including recycling.

This BBC documentary film shows, for the first time anywhere, the actual events of both sides of a genuine industrial conflict. The dispute is shown exactly as it happened; there was no preparation or rehearsal.

On Jupiter's moon Ganymede, an alien life-form has taken over the body of a human astronaut, creating an almost perfect copy. It then begins the long return journey to Earth.

A nostalgic exploration, comprising fragments of reworked 9.5mm home movie footage. The deterioration of the original film, like memories, contributes to the film’s meaning.

A peek behind the scenes at the business of the comedian and how it is being expanded for film and television.

A look into the world of pets with a special glimpse at budgerigars.