Original title
Look at Life
Released
1/1/1959
Origin country
GB
Genre
Documentary
Production companies
The Rank Organisation Special Features Division
Status
Returning series
Number of seasons
11
Number of episodes
256
Look at Life was a regular British series of short documentary films of which 507 were produced between 1959 and 1969 by the Special Features Division of the Rank Organisation for screening in their Odeon and Gaumont cinemas. The films always preceded the main feature film that was being shown in the cinema that week. It replaced the circuit's newsreel, Universal News, which had become increasingly irrelevant in the face of more immediate news media, particularly on television with the launch of ITN on the Independent Television service, which began broadcasting in parts of the United Kingdom in 1955.
View of Marrakesh, men riding on donkeys whilst commentary describes the position of Marrakesh CU of a camel. Camels being led: the market place: Arabs meet to talk or to drive a bargain: commentary gives a brief history of Marrakesh
Looking at the stars from the astrologer’s, the astronomer’s and the radio-astronomer’s point of view.
Shows how hypnotism has developed from being a stage entertaiment to being a useful tool in the hands of the doctors.
Dogs as pets, including the Queen’s corgis, and as working dogs - gun dogs, sheep dogs, guide dogs, police dogs and guard dogs. Also shows breeders, veterinarians, the People’s Dispensary
Supermarkets contrasted with London street markets.
Present day methods to prevent crime often employ mechanical means to give warning.
A look at the cosmetics industry.
Travelogue - Berlin. Panning aerial shots: the Mayor’s offices: Emperor William Memorial Church (94): Willy Brandt, Mayor of West Berlin, arriving in London on April 21st 1959 for discussion
Operation Noah’s Ark’ devoted to rescuing animals from an island which was flooded by the Zambesi river.
Travelogue of the River Thames. Shot of: Big Ben: the Embankment: people boarding a pleasure boat at Westminster: people buy tickets: the steamer sets off: the Houses of Parliament
Coffee bars and their clientele.
A trip around the Chelsea Flower Show.
A look at the tradition of Derby Day.
A look at the financial institutions of London, including the Royal Mint.
Looks at the development of the Saunders-Roe SR.N1 hovercraft, the first full-size experimental model, and its maiden flight across the English Channel. Includes an interview with Christopher Sydney Cockerell, inventor of the hovercraft, who demonstrates his original model made of tin cans, and Peter Lamb, test pilot for the hovercraft.
A look at the advances in coach travel.
The St Lawrence Seaway and its impact on Canada.
A look at the motor racing industry and the part played by British cars and British drivers.
The violin making industry in Mittenwald in the Bavarian Alps.
Explores the internationally famous formation team and their aerobatic daring in Hunter jets.
A day in the life of a guardsman.
Just four men, Swiss glacier pilots, have mastered the art of landing light aircraft on the glaciers and snowfields of the Alps, rescuing injured or stranded climbers in situations difficult to
The Royal Agricultural Show and the agricultural industry.
Every fortnight the liner the Queen Elisabeth has to be completely restocked and this is a mammoth housekeeping operation which has to be completed in 48 hours.
The possibilities of the construction of a Channel Tunnel.
The annual trip to the hop fields in Kent by people living in the East End of London.
A film of a pony from the time it is rounded up in the forest until, with its young rider astride, it enters for the high spot of the pony-riding year.
The sport of gliding.
The collection of refuse and its disposal.
A survey of all that dancing involves from teenage rock ‘n’ roll sessions to exhibition ballroom dancing.
The British Army on the Rhine.
A tour of Fair Isle, in the Shetlands, where live three times as many men as women.
Dealing with the professional work of Vincent Hitchcock, the British bullfighter; shots of him training and in action.
A practical guide to passing the driving test first time.
The rocket launch site at Woomera, Australia.
Deals with the advances made in surgery and anaesthetics and the activities of the Royal College of Surgeons.
The construction of the liner Canberra.
Prolonged drought means many emergency measures and temporary expedients to ensure that at the turn of a tap, water is still available.
A look at various model villages, including Bekonscot.
A tour of Gibraltar.
A young nurse on night duty reviews her training in various departments, as well as the pleasant social life accompanying it, and considers pay, conditions and opportunities open to her.
The manufacture, uses and disposal of bottles.
A film on tropical fish, both as a hobby and as ornaments.
The development of the London taxi cab.
Visit to a RAF base in East Anglia; shows Thor rockets and Vulcan bombers.
Deals with the rapid and ceaseless changes in the social and political life of Africa.
Deals with the thrills and dangers of bobsleighing on the Cresta Run.
The pros and cons of fox-hunting.
Factual picture of the lives of Britain’s truckers, that is, lorry drivers.
A look at bridges and bridge building in Britain.
A look at various auctions and the job of the auctioneer.
Britain leads the world in safety at sea. Nevertheless work is going on all the time to ensure greater safety in the years to come.
A look at the sport of ten-pin bowling.
This film is about the thousands of girls who earn their living as fashion models, and the thousands more who would like to.
The sport of parachuting.
The high-rise construction building in London including the Barbican centre.
The commercial and economic organisation for Christmas.
A look at some protesters in Britain, including the Aldermaston marchers, Speaker’s Corner and people demonstrating against aircraft noise.
The new German army as developed under the auspices of NATO.
The sport of stock car racing.
A look at the submarine HMS Narwhal and its preparations for sea.
The work of the British Standards Institution.
Experts prove that safety on a motorcycle stems from control of the machine. It also describes the many aspects of motorcycling today.
The reconstruction of Coventry.
How the schools and colleges of today are measuring up to the demands of the world of tomorrow.
The opening of the Kariba Dam.
A visit to Smithfield Market, Covent Garden and Billingsgate, at their busiest time, the early morning.
A look at bicycling.
A look at fairs in Britain and Ireland.
Shows the cavalry regiment of the 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers at work and recreation.
Shows the different ways in which people in Britain strive for physical fitness.
Yacht racing in and around Southampton Water.
A look at the traditions of bell-ringing and bell-making in England, including the history of the latter and the processes involved in making different-sized bells at foundries - from large
The film takes a look at the phenomenon of Saturday football fever. It captures the atmosphere which unites multitudes of perfect strangers on a thousand pitches every week.
Takes a look at angling - both coarse and fly fishing - and also at some of the problems facing fish in rivers from modern features such as hydro-electric dams and pollution.
Work and organisation of NATO’s Second Allied tactical Air Force which forms part of a vigilant air umbrella over Europe.
An item covering how the inhabitants of the Cotswold town Moreton-in-Marsh decided to save on the rates when the town, in the middle of a beauty spot, needed doing up, and do the repairs
A film taking a look at students and the types of summer jobs they get to earn money during the summer vacation. It begins by concentrating on one particular student from Cambridge University
An account of the work and organisation of WVS in Britain.
Long before the era of the Italian coffee bar there was the ice-cream man, the organ grinder, and the cafe owner. Before them there were the invaders of 2,000 years ago.
Timed to appear on the 150th anniversary of the birth of the canning industry, deals with the modern methods for the protection, preservation and packaging of food.
The planning and progress of work on the new road scheme and underpass at Hyde Prak Corner and Marble Arch.
Deals with the aircraft carrier "Hermes".
Sidney James commentating on fleas and elephants in the circus.
Survey of the revolution in farm machinery which leads to automated farming, enabling a farmer to operate his farm almost single-handed.
Looks at the production and testing of guns and their use on moors, ranges and in the various shooting sports.
The various uses of mid-air refuelling.
The sport of rally car driving.
The film covers the training, both above and below the surface of the sea with aqualung divers.
The building of Brazil’s new capital city - Brasilia.
Deals with the working of the Stock Exchange.
All sorts of people of all ages have succumbed to the fascination of the brass band. In this film brass bands and the human and mechanical components that go to make them come under the spotlight.
In this film the world of shellfish, from the delicate tasting oyster to the humbler but, many people say, no less succulent tasting mussel, is examined.
A look at various pets.
A look at what British skiers are doing, both at Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands, and at Murren, where the British Championships provide almost as many thrills, if not such high speeds as...
Deals with the growing strength of women’s periodicals.
Shows the organisation, training methods and work done by the Fire Brigade in London.
Deals with storms, floods and erosions along Britain’s coastline and how they are combated.
The recreational and educational pursuit of painting.
The Women’s Royal Naval Service was formed as a wartime service by more than 1,000 recruits each year
Tension created by pressure of modern life. Methods of relieving these tensions, pep pills. The work of the Institute of Directors and a castle in N. Wales where executives can relax
Models made from match sticks.
A look at various ways of slimming.
Light-hearted miscellany covering the problems of parking cars in London, the eight-storey mechanical park in the City, car-breaking and compulsory testing
A look at various survival techniques with Peter Whittingham and [sic] RAF survival expert and Jock Wishart.
The manufacture and the uses of ice.
The manufacture of matresses.
The hotel industry in Britain.
Tells the story of Spalding, Lincolnshire, Britain’s Tulip Town.
Deals with circumstances and situations where "muscles" still count: in the Army, in wrestling, weight lifting,
Made with the co-operation of the Registrar-General, shows how the recent ten-year census was carried out.
The development of Japan and especially Tokyo.
A look at various sights, - in London, the Manchester Whitweek walks, liners, pet shop windows and holes!.
The thrills, the toughness and the urgency that go to make up the training of some of Britain’s finest fighting men.
English folk dancing including the Hobby Horse dance and the Furry dance.
The men and women with ideas and how they go about getting them legally accepted.
SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organisation) in Thailand.
Inside the control tower of London Airport, and shows the talk-down procedure for an incoming Comet arriving in a fog.
The competitive world of League football.
The sport of rowing.
The holiday rush to the seaside in Britain during August.
Deals with the movements and the fishing of salmon.
Shows the work of the gramophone record industry, from the birth of an idea to the finished disc, with Norrie Paramour, A&R manager.
Demonstrates some thrilling occupations, including a steel erector, a quarry blastman, steeple jacks and riding the wall of death.
Deals with the divided Berlin and the recent incidents on the East-West border.
Deals with the men’s fashion industry.
The work of the NAAFI, with location shots in Kuwait, Gibralter, Cyprus and Germany.
The art of rose growing and the competition it breeds.
In this intriguing film, lifts of all kinds come under the camera’s eye.
A film following what happens to tea, from the time it is landed at the London docks until it reaches the domestic teapot. Scenes at London’s tea wharves are shown, with tea chests
A film looking at the work involved in being a test pilot of jet planes, particularly concentrating on one test pilot, Jim Dell. The planes themselves, cockpits, instruments and the pilots’
The subject of lighting today is explored and a colourful and intriguing survey is given of the people who make light, the people who experiment with light and the people who use light.
A film looking at the problem of homelessness in the world, particularly amongst refugees. It concentrates largely on the situation in Pakistan, going into the reasons behind the existence of
A feature looking at the history of Ordnance Survey maps, including some early examples made by cartographers from 300 and 100 years ago. Surveyors are shown at a triangulation station
A feature looking at the trawling industry and the lives and work of some Grimsby fishermen, who fish in the Icelandic waters. It begins by showing the "Lord Nelson", one of the latest largest.
Industry in Lancashire, and how the reduced demand for cotton goods is being countered by the modernisation of some mills and the conversion of others for enterprises ranging from the rearing
A feature investigating modern rockets and the backroom world and research in their production. In the laboratories of the Ministry of Aviation experiments for a more proficient fuel are shown,
A feature looking at medical research and developments, particularly in the field of penicillins and viruses. Largely filmed at the Wright-Fleming Institute it looks at the training of medical
Record of Hitler’s retreat in the Bavarian mountains at Berchtesgaden, now a tourist site.
A light-hearted look at different ways people relax. Lilias Tougher, a teacher in the village of Great Hanwood, near Shrewsbury, and her husband Laurence are members of the English Westerners..
A look at the world of gems, including shots of the Crown Jewels, and how gems are formed geologically. The film looks at night classes in gemmology held in London’s Northern Polytechnic
A film about various stately homes in Britain, commencing with Woburn Abbey, where the State rooms, Ascot Gold Cup and other valuable objects are seen, as well as the grounds and outbuildings
A look at the various uses of the horse and dogs - animals who earn their keep
The work of the Forestry Commission.
A look at traffic control and motorways in Germany.
A look at the work of removal men.
Emigration from Britain to Canada with the Smith family.
The rising attendance at cinemas in Great Britain.
The increasing popularity of the motor scooter.
The increasing problem of oil pollution on Britain’s shore.
The scrap metal business in Waltham Cross, Swansea, and Ebbw Vale.
The manufacture of hats.
The work of a bomb disposal squad with Charles Lawrence, bomb disposal expert with the Royal Navy.
The little tugs, without which any big port would come to a standstill, are featured in the film as are the big ocean-going tugs which take on special towage jobs all over the world. With shots...
The story of the last British battleship, HMS Vanguard, which will live on in a score of different forms through the new uses of her steel.
Illegal drug trafficking in Hong Kong and the problems of heroin drug addiction, with Henry Tappenden, a Hong Kong prison officer, Dr. Khan and Bill Stone.
The modern Canadian Red Indian with the Major family, and the building of a new bridge across the Niagara River.
How police horses and their riders are trained and how they do their job.
A look at the D.U.K.W. ['duck’] and other amphibious military craft.
A look a the British base at Aden, now GHQ Middle East under one commanding officer. A visit by the aircraft carrier HMS Centaur coincides with ‘Aden Forces Week’. Also present was Harold
A look at Hadrian’s Wall in Northumbria and a more detailed examination of the Berlin Wall.
The thrills and background of speedway racing, and shows how cross-country riding has introduced into speedway racing a new and spectacular hazard of man-made obstacles, with Barry Briggs
A look at the office of mayor in Britain and the Lord Mayor’s Show in London.
The importance of surveying the seas and oceans and the part played by HMS Vidal in the surveying with Rear Admiral Edmund Irving and Captain Stephen Ritchie.
The various services underground such as the underground railway of the London postal service, sewers, underground vaults and electricity cables.
The raising of finances for the Commonwealth Games, held in Perth, Australia, with Mike Wheeler, Commonwealth Games Appeals chairman, David Beatty, and Dawn Ryan, Miss Western Australia.
The problem of air pollution from chimneys and how they are cleaned, with Lilian Voss, a chimney sweep.
Pigeons and pigeon fanciers.
Immigration from the West Indies into Britain and how the West Indians have adapted to Britain.
The continuing development of the hovercraft with Sir Christopher Cockerell and Don Robertson, an amateur developer.
The growth of the sport of swimming and the building of swimming pools in Britain, with Frank Rudge, a civil engineer, José Juba, a swimming coach, Anne Cotterill, a swimmer, and Margaret
Surveys the Commom Market as it exists today.
The building of by-passes in Britain to ease the congestion in villages, with the pros and cons shown by cafe owner Joanne Nickless and milkman Joe Williams. Also shows the complete removal of
A look at the various aircarft, including Blackburn monoplane, Avro 504, the Sopwith Pup, the Bristol Fighter, the S.E.5, the Hart a general purpose reconnaissance bomber, the Gloster
The importance of good industrial and commercial design and the work of the Design Centre in London.
The industry, importance and uses of ropes.
The changing face of the River Rhine.
Record of the construction and testing of Britain’s rocket "Blue Streak".
A look at India and its development in farming and industrial terms after the state visit of Queen Elizabeth II.
A look at window cleaning.
A look at mink farming.
The visit of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, to the Black Watch on the North Inch of the Banks of the River Tay.
A look at wildlife protection in North and South Rhodesia and the developing national parks.
A look at beauty contests with some of the contestants - Margaret Boardman, Jackie White, Maureen Gay, Delyse Humphreys and Patricia Bush.
A look at show jumping and how the show jumpers as well as their riders are made, featuring Douglas Bunn, the show jumper.
The Isle of Man, its history and economic problems, and how the Tynwald is attempting to overcome them.
The distribution of pictures to papers, magazines and television by wire, radio and Telstar.
The 200th issue combines the pageantry and ceremonial of the past with the drive for more exports. The ceremonies which go to make a Lord Mayor of London combined with glimpses of Britain’s
Man’s attempts to fly by his own efforts. The Puffin by which John Wimpenny pedalled himself through the air for half a mile.
The life of Africans against the background of village life and life in the cities of Rhodesia and in the Copper Belt of Northern Rhodesia.
The work of the Women’s Royal Air Force, with Dame Anne Stephens, Air Commandant Jean Conan Doyle, senior radar technician Carole Nicholson, and Mary McGurk.
The use of suggestion boxes to help step up production in industry. An ingenious device for scouring furred-up pipes won its inventor £1000.
The chaos brought by snow and ice to Britain’s town and country. A lot is being done to minimise the chaos with snow clearing vehicles on both motorways and railways.
Computers: how they are made, what they are used for and how they may develop in the future plus a look at ERNIE, the premium bond computer.
Lighthouses off the Welsh, Cornish and North-east coasts are seen from a new and enquiring angle and the modern lighthouse at Dungeness which is equipped with automatic controls.
The creation of new hair styles, the training of future hairdressers and the art of wig-making.
The story of the many thousands of people in Britain who are employed to keep offices, shops and other places clean.
A film showing the development of some of today’s great film sets, from the time they take shape on the drawing board to when they are destroyed after shooting. Includes the films The LONG...
Some of the ways in which money is collected for charity.
A description of what is being done to expand university training and facilities in this country against the background of the new Univesity of Sussex, near Brighton.
An interim report on the modernisation of the railways, which will by 1972 replace steam locomotives by diesels and overhead electrification.
The vast scale and variety of gambling in Britain today, estimated at more than 840 million pounds changing hands in 1962.
Student rags in Manchester, Hull, Sheffield and Leeds raise thousands of pounds for charity. Careful detailed planning as well as amusing and spectacular ideas contribute to the success of...
A description of pests of all kinds and what is being done to control or exterminate them.
The problems of meat marketing in meeting the changing demands of the housewife. A look at market day in various markets.
The famous forest community, at Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps, where today hardly 500 make a living out of woodcraft. Although many of the old customs still survive, the logs will be moved.
London’s biggest office block with twenty-six floors rising to 350 feet, attracts visitors from all over the world, not just to see the view, but to study a mid-20th-century development which
Ways by which the motorist goes on holiday: showing some of the forty-five ferries in Great Britain, the car-sleeper train from London to the Highlands, flying to Geneva. Last year 137,000 cars
Some aspects of aircraft testing at Boscombe Down and the use of film in recording these tests.
A survey of the industrial problems of the north-east of England and of what is being done to overcome them, both in adapting old industries and encouraging new ones.
A review of vintage cars - their owners, the collection at Beaulieu, the London to Brighton run and other enthusiast activities.
A visit to the Berkeley Nuclear Power Station where commercial power is produced from nuclear energy, showing the working conditions which prevail.
The fashion industry and its export plans, particularly for mass produced clothes to the continent, showing a fashion show of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers held at...
Lessons outside the classroom: children from various schools learn history and geography out of doors - on a river trip, geography from the air, trips to stimulate interest in local history,..
Today golf is a £20,000,000 industry and the British golf ball goes all over the world, except to the United States where a slightly larger ball is used. Famous and unknown players show...
The story of Britain’s pilotage services; of the pilots themselves, who are always on call like Henry Brain; of the channel-marking buoys; and of the increasing part that radar is playing.
The story of Ulster started with colonisation financed by James I through the City of London. Recently members of the Honourable the Irish Society, including former Lord Mayors of London,..
Made-to-measure limbs for all disabled people who need them are provided in Britain under the National Health Service. This second chance is achieved by research, the workshops, the training...
The annual gathering of gypsies from all the Europe takes place at Saintes Maries de la Mer in the Camargue. This is a pilgrimage and a festival going back over 500 years.
There are more than 2,000 miles of canals in Britain. Built for commerce in the Industrial Revolution, many have fallen into disuse but holiday makers are rediscovering them.
Survey of the jazz scene in Britain today: record sales and the festivals at Cleethorpes and Manchester.
The Colleges of Advanced Technology in England and Wales with particular reference to Loughborough, with a speech by Prince Philip.
Gold: stored in vaults of the Bank of England, worked by craftsmen and turned by the Royal Mint into sovereigns for export.
The Island of Skomer off the Pembrokeshire coast and the work of the warden of the wildlife sanctuary there, David Saunders, and his wife.
Caravanning in Britain today. Holiday sites and permanent sites. The export of caravans from Britain, now the world’s biggest exporter.
The new sport of karting - miniature motor racing - for many families is almost an all-the-year-round hobby with practice on Saturdays, racing on Sundays and maintenance during the week.
Aerobatics, originally devised as manoeuvres to avoid a pursuing enemy, are today part of the training of specialised squadrons of the R.A.F. Civil flyers, members of the Tiger Club, also do...
An underground view of Britain’s only active salt mine at Meadowbank in Cheshire producing rock salt, used for clearing icy roads, as a fertiliser for sugar beet and also for medical...
A view of what the six months compulsory quarantine period means to the animals and birds that are brought into Britain.
Some of the jobs that men do under pressure include building tunnels underwater, examining petrol and oil storage tanks, decontaminating and cleaning instruments of radiated materials at...
A look at the training in self-defence that is given to the Women Police and at the self-defensive arts and sports of Japanese origin - judo, aiki-do and kendo, ending with a sequence of...
A survey of some current developments in road and rail transport engineering in Britain, with some information on new port facilities. Views of the M6 Motorway viaduct at Gathurst, Lancs.
The auction of a Victoria Cross won in the Sudan. Asks what the Victoria Cross stands for and what some of the 200 present holders of the award are doing today.
The plight of England’s medieval cathedrals threatened with serious decay, insufficient funds and no state aid.
The 1966 Daily Express International Offshore Power Boat Race between Cowes and Torquay. News on Screen Cinema news To order
Cycling today, showing some of the personalities, and the six-day event at Earls Court.
T.I.R. (Transports Internationaux Routiers) transport to and from Britain and the difference it makes to the long distance lorry drivers.
Scampi and the reason for their popularity in Britain today.
The use of the radio in today’s police force.
The rising standards of living in Chile and the opportunities for Britain to increase her exports there.
The Isle of Man seeks complete independence from Great Britain.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme.
The work of the Children’s Film Foundation.
Britain’s honours system and the way it works.
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