The City

The Photographer

1948 ARC Identifier 46998 / Local Identifier 306.131. FEATURES THE PERSONALITY, PHILOSOPHY, TECHNIQUES AND ARTISTRY OF EDWARD WESTON, AS SHOWN THROUGH SCENES OF THE ARTIST AT HOME, ON LOCATION AND AT WORK WITH HIS STUDENTS. U.S. Information Agency. (1982 - 10/01/1999) Made possible by a donation from Simon Phipps

Valley Town: A Study of Machines and Men

A documentary examining the effects of industrial automation on a small American town.

Skyscraper

Nominated for an Academy Award, this live-action short film playfully chronicles the construction of the Tishman Building at 666 Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Hands

A commercial for the Works Progress Administration. We see hands close up: working, playing, praying, whittling, and strumming. Hands use saws and hammers, lift stones, turn wheels, then write, type, apply a bandage, play a violin, use a compass, and hold a U.S. Treasury note. Hands put a shoe on a customer, shake a thermometer, and count out bills and coins into other waiting hands. A hand places an engagement ring on a finger, buys a movie ticket, and reels in a fishing line. There are multiple images repeating what we've seen. A chicken is basted; other chickens get grain. It's a national celebration.

The World Today: The Black Legion - Shadow of Fascism Over America

“Unhappy with the limited structure of league newsreels, Nykino, a splinter filmmaking collective, produced a MARCH OF TIME-type series under the banner THE WORLD TODAY. Only two episodes were released, the first premiering with Strand’s THE WAVE (1936). This one, like NATIVE LAND, addresses fascism in America.” - Bruce Posner” (via Light Cone). Not to be confused with the similarly titled Black Legion from 1937, directed by Archie Mayo.

The River

This short Depression-era documentary describes the importance of the Mississippi River to the United States and laments the environmental destruction committed in the name of progress, particularly farming and timber practices and their impact on impoverished farmers.

To Hear Your Banjo Play

A short film about Pete Seeger and the birth of banjo music throughout the Southern United States.

Steel Town

Documentary examining the steel industry in Youngstown, Ohio during World War II. Focuses on steel production, including the smelting process, slagging and the blast furnace. Workers reflect upon their lives and the importance of their jobs. Emphasizes the importance of teamwork in the mills and on the plant's labor relations committee to help win the war. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.

Land of White Alice

Film sponsored by Western Electric (AT&T's equipment manufacturing division), the builder of the United States Air Force's White Alice Communications System in Alaska. Introduces the people and geography of the new state as well as the Western Electric radio-relay system, which links far-flung military sites, alert stations, and missile-warning facilities. Ralph Caplan praised the film's "intrinsically dramatic and highly photogenic" portrayal of communications equipment.

The American Negro

"This unfinished civil rights-era film details how segregation affects the daily lives of African Americans, and includes portions of interviews with James Farmer, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, and Ralph Metcalfe. Farmer, Wilkins, and Young were considered to be among the “Big Four” leaders in the U.S. civil rights movement, along with Martin Luther King, Jr. The film also describes the strides and challenges faced by African Americans in the areas of voting, housing, and education. The film was written by Louis Lomax, produced by Willard Van Dyke, directed by Graeme Ferguson, and narrated by Charles Gordone" (US National Archives).

This Charming Couple

Marriage training film dramatizing a partnership too fraught with conflicts to survive. Produced as part of a post-World War II initiative to make marriages more sustainable in the face of postwar dislocation.

Tall Tales

The notable non-theatrical film distributor Thomas Brandon produced Tall Tales, a 1941 celebration of the American folk song featuring Josh White, Burl Ives, and Will Geer.

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years

An exploration of the heavy metal scene in Los Angeles, with particular emphasis on glam metal. It features concert footage and interviews of legendary heavy metal and hard rock bands and artists such as Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Megadeth, Motörhead, Ozzy Osbourne and W.A.S.P..

George Carlin: Doin' It Again

George Carlin brings his comedy back to New Jersey and this time talks about Offensive Language, Euphemisms, They're Only Words, Dogs, Things you never hear, see or wanna hear, Some people are stupid, Cancer, Feminists, Good Ideas, Rape, Life's moments, and organ donors.

Koyaanisqatsi

Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the exceptional music by Philip Glass.