Look at Life | |
---|---|
Narrated by | Tim Turner and others |
Production company | |
Release date | 1959–1969 |
Running time | 8 minutes-or-more on average |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Look at Life was a regular British series of short documentary films of which over 500 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.[1]
Presentation
Produced on 35mm film and in Eastmancolor, these eight-minute 'featurettes' melded a light-hearted magazine format with a more in depth documentary approach and depicted aspects of life, mainly in Britain, but sometimes further afield. The films often depicted elements of the 'push button' or 'jet age', demonstrating advances in technology and a reflection on the changing tastes, fashions and trends representative of the so-called 'swinging sixties' era, which were often portrayed in a glossy, vibrant and optimistic way. The films also reported on topical issues that were affecting modern day society such as road safety, civil defence and pollution, and often sought to explain the rapid changes that were taking place in the country in an entertaining and informative narrative. Look at Life also took its cameras abroad to focus on events and affairs within the Commonwealth and British colonies including Aden, Gibraltar and the ever diminishing British controlled areas of Africa. Look at Life cameras were also offered exclusive access behind the Iron Curtain to present life in the Eastern Bloc, particularly in East Berlin and the Soviet Union.
The films were generally narrated in the style typical of newsreel films with a principal voice-over while letting the images tell the story. The narration was generally spoken over the natural sounds of the subject being discussed such as motor traffic or the activities within a workplace and with musical accompaniment. People who were featured in the programmes were seldom heard to speak unless as background sound, their activities and interactions with others generally being commented upon by the narrator. Otherwise the subject of the film or clip would sometimes address the camera directly or perform in a given situation, both in a staged and a scripted manner whereby the narrator could often add a humorous or ironic comment in the context of the subject.
On occasions an expert or professional in the field of the subject such as inventor of the Hovercraft Christopher Cockerell could be watched presenting the film directly to camera and providing the voiceovers. In the most part narration of the films was provided by well known celebrities and presenters of the time including Raymond Baxter, Eamonn Andrews, Wynford Vaughan-Thomas, Michael Ingrams, Antony Bilbow, Sid James and Martin Jarvis in later editions. James Bond’s Island was narrated by voice actor Peter Hawkins. However the majority of the films were narrated by actor Tim Turner.
In the early years at the end of each film the caption "Take a Look at Life Again Soon" would appear on screen.
Reception
When the first issue of Look at Life, "Marrakesh" was released in March 1959, it was hailed in the trade journals as an "exciting venture in film journalism" and Rank announced this innovation would have "a more lasting impact than the present ephemeral newsreel content". Look at Life was a popular formula but did become rather frozen in time with its light-hearted presentation and jaunty theme tune and despite subtle changes to the opening titles, their graphics and the introduction of the Rank 'gong' logo at the beginning of later films. Television led audiences into a documentary world that had more grit and less glamour than the relative escapism of the cinema and by 1969 Rank could no longer ensure the survival of the series and the concept waned just as other newsreels and magazine films also available at that time, such as the Pathé Pictorial which was shown on the rival ABC cinema circuit, and as cinema audience continued to decline rapidly on the verge of the 1970s.[2]
Public Releases
Over 500 episodes were produced altogether. Digitally restored from the original film elements, the Look at Life series is now licensed by ITV Studios Global Entertainment, previously known on screen as Granada Ventures and distributed by the Network imprint. Many of the films have not been seen in full since their original screenings in the cinemas, although a number of films have been previously released on Super 8 and on DVD in themed categories. These include Look at Life – Swingin' London, which explores elements of contemporary London life, work and traditions and Look at Life – On the Railways, which represented the great changes that were taking place to Britain's railways in the wake of the modernisation programme and the decline of steam. However Network has gradually released box-sets of the films over eight volumes, containing a total of 499 films.
Volume 1: "Transport" is a four disc compilation released in 2010 and contains 54 films on the theme of transport. Look at Life Volume 2: "Military" containing 45 films on three discs was released in June 2011, whilst Volume 3: "Science" containing 45 films on three discs was released in September 2011.
Two further volumes, Volume 4: "Sport" containing 42 films on three discs and Volume 5: "Cultural Heritage" containing 64 films on four discs were for release in August and November 2012 respectively. Volume 6: "World Affairs" containing 72 films on five discs was released on 1 February 2013. On 10 August 2015, a seventh volume Volume 7: "Business and Industry" containing 60 films on three discs was released.
The final 7 disc Volume 8: People and Places presenting a remaining 117 films on seven discs was released in the spring of 2021.
In November 2012, the series Britain on Film commissioned by BBC Scotland for broadcast on BBC Four began a twenty-part series providing an insight into life in Britain in the 1960s exclusively featuring footage from the Look at Life series. Distributed by ITN Source, a partly owned subsidiary of ITV Plc, each episode features a different aspect of British life and culture during the decade, including the changing role of women and how leisure time was spent including the rising popularity of overseas travel. It is presented with original commentary from the series with captions to provide the contemporary viewer with explanation.[3]
Available on DVD
Volume 1: Transport
Disc 1 (1959–1960)
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
April 1959 | Ticket to Tokyo | E.V.H. Emmett | Travelling with a British Commonwealth Britannia airliner from London via Bombay to Tokyo to discover Japan and back via Hong Kong |
May 1959 | Letting off Steam | Tim Turner | The phasing-out of coal-powered steam locomotives and their replacement with oil-powered and electrified trains. |
May 1959 | New Roads for Old | Tim Turner | A look at new roads such as the London to Yorkshire motorway, Preston By-pass, Runcorn Bridge and works around London, including the gyratory system at Marble Arch, the underpass at Hyde Park Corner, road widening at Elephant and Castle, and the new Chiswick Flyover. |
August 1959 | Flight on a Cushion | Peter Lamb, Christopher Cockerell, Tim Turner | Peter Lamb, the Chief Test Pilot of East Cowes-based Saunders Roe, talks about hovercraft with the inventor Christopher Cockerell and the recording of the first cross Channel crossing on 25 July 1959. |
August 1959 | Talking of Coaches | Tim Turner | Life from the back of a coach with a tour of Blackpool and Italy with young Eric. |
October 1959 | Alpine Rescue | Tim Turner | A Swiss Flying Club uses adapted aircraft to deliver supplies to Alpine ski lodges - and to effect the rescue of injured mountaineers |
October 1959 | Shopping for a 'Queen' | Tim Turner | Replenishing the Queen Elizabeth, the 83,000-ton liner, before her next voyage. |
November 1959 | Sailing the Sky | Tim Turner | A look at the world of silent flight, including a brief introduction to record breaking British female glider pilot and instructor Ann Welch |
December 1959 | Driving Test | Tim Turner | Driving school tuition, including the innovative mock-up car with moving lights, cars for disabled people, the junior driver course at Grammar schools, and the training of police drivers and London Bus drivers. |
January 1960 | Shape of a Ship | Tim Turner | Building ocean liners such as the Canberra and how their shape is changing, plus a review of the slump affecting cargo shipping and the exciting future of air freight. |
February 1960 | Air Hostess | Tim Turner | Following the perceived glamorous life of 24-year-old airline hostess Pat Rossiter on her working day on an 11-hour flight from London to Rome and Benghazi |
March 1960 | Taxi! Taxi!! | Tim Turner | Looking at the organisation behind London's taxis, their maintenance, regulation of meters, training for "The Knowledge", to picking up passengers and driver welfare. |
April 1960 | All Through the Night | Tim Turner | A look into trunk roads with the night lorries, following the night drivers, to see where they eat and who they meet |
Disc 2 (1960–1963)
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
April 1960 | Over and Under | Tim Turner | Painting the Forth Bridge and a look at modern bridge-building including temporary bridges. Reflecting on past bridge successes and future methods of construction. |
July 1960 | Horse-power Riders | Tim Turner | The Royal Corp Signals demonstrate motorcycle safety techniques. Following The AA and RAC in their training programmes supported by RoSPA, and over to the Isle of Man TT to visit winner John Surtees and former champion Geoff Duke. |
March 1962 | Eyes of the Law | Raymond Baxter | A look at traffic controls in West Germany and their autobahns and how Britain can learn as they build miles of new motorway including the new Hammersmith Flyover. |
April 1962 | Scooter Commuter | Tim Turner | Amidst the jams, In ten years, the number of scooters on British Roads has increased from 4,250 to over 470,000, and the convenience of "Corgi" style bikes. |
May 1962 | Sea Horses | Tim Turner | A look at tugboats, without which any big port would come to a standstill, and ocean-going tugs, delivering their load across thousands of miles of sea. |
September 1962 | So They all Hover Now | Tim Turner | For passenger services large and small, the development of the hovercraft and how the declining ship yards of Clydeside are adapting to hovercraft design. Featuring the SR.N2. |
September 1962 | The Village Sleeps Again | Tim Turner | The arguments for and against building by-passes, featuring Transport Minister Ernest Marples, how these can be built through many urban areas, how objections to new routes can be overcome, and what effect they are having on previously swamped towns and villages. |
January 1963 | Birdmen | Tim Turner | Puffin, the man-powered aircraft designed and built by instructors and students of the de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School. |
April 1963 | Draw the Fires | Tim Turner | The railways are changing, with coal-powered steam being phased out and replaced by diesel engines and a network that is being modernised by new signalling, continuous welded track on concrete sleepers, and controversial closures of lines. |
June 1963 | The Car Has Wings | Tim Turner | Cars are carried through tunnels, on ferries, over the new Forth Road Bridge, by train, air ferry, and possibly by hovercraft in the future. |
June 1963 | Vintage Models | Raymond Baxter | The story of Britain's vintage car scene, including the high-speed trials at Silverstone, the Montagu Motor Museum at Beaulieu, and the famous London to Brighton run |
July 1963 | Pilot Aboard | Tim Turner | A look at Britain's pilotage services. |
August 1963 | Where No Tide Flows | Raymond Baxter | A look at canals and how they have been rediscovered by holidaymakers. |
Disc 3 (1963–1965)
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
November 1963 | High, Wide and Faster | Tim Turner | Examining contemporary developments in road, rail, and sea transport |
December 1963 | Oil Aboard | Tim Turner | The story of the oil tankers and the crews that sail in them |
December 1963 | Report on a River | Tim Turner | Following the River Thames from its source in Gloucestershire to the Port of London, which is modernising services and keeping traffic moving. |
December 1963 | Europe Grows Together | Tim Turner | An urgent look at Britain's links with the Continent. |
April 1964 | Turn of the Wheel | Tim Turner | Exploring the various ways folk put old disused items of transport back into use. |
May 1964 | City of the Air | Tim Turner | A look at the many aspects of London Airport, with a focus on BOAC and BEA airlines. |
August 1964 | Behind the Ton-Up Boys | Tim Turner | A reflection on the nearly two million motorcyclists in Britain. |
August 1964 | Going Places Under Water | Tim Turner | Submarines and commercial diving, including the world's first underwater sightseeing bus. |
November 1964 | Living with Cars | Tim Turner | Analysis of what was being done at the time to cope with the increasing number of cars on our roads. |
December 1964 | Flying to Work | Tim Turner | The increasing number of private planes and helicopters in Britain's airspace. |
February 1965 | The Spirit of Brooklands | Tim Turner | The story of the Surrey motor racing circuit and its aircraft industry with a particular emphasis on the VC-10. |
April 1965 | Weather Adviser | Tim Turner | How special ships maintain a constant watch on the weather, whatever the conditions |
May 1965 | What Price Safety? | Tim Turner | A look at what was being done to make cars and roads safer |
September 1965 | Down in the Dumps | Michael Ingrams | A look at waste disposal and what happens to old cars when it comes to the end of their road. |
Disc 4 (1965–1969)
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
November 1965 | Cats of the Sea | Tim Turner | The thrill of sailing Catamarans |
March 1966 | Breaking the Ice | Tim Turner | Looking at the Finnish icebreakers which keep the Baltic shipping routes open. |
December 1966 | Skimming through the Sixties | Tim Turner | Revisiting the Hovercraft and how it has been evolving. |
December 1966 | The Big Take-Off | Tim Turner | Assessing what was happening to Britain's aircraft industry in the face of stiff competition. |
March 1967 | Lighter than Air | Tim Turner | A brief history of ballooning and lighter than air flight. |
May 1967 | Just an Accident | Tim Turner | Accident prevention and safety measures with the HM Factory Inspectorate, ROSPA, and in-house company courses |
May 1967 | Scrambling for It | Eamonn Andrews | The motor sport of scrambling, which is attracting thousands of followers. |
June 1967 | The Straights of Dover | Tim Turner | A closer look at the 750 ships that pass through the five-mile wide shipping channel every day. |
August 1967 | Where Do You Leave the Boat? | John Witty | The problems of where to keep pleasure boats as more are built. |
October 1967 | Pushing the Bike | Tim Turner | The impact of the bicycle on the world today. |
December 1967 | Playing Trains | Tim Turner | Britain's burgeoning railway preservation scene, and a trip with the locomotive Flying Scotsman on one of its last main line runs |
September 1968 | The City's for Living In | Ann MacEwen | A response to the Buchanan Report with a focus on Bath and Norwich as to how British cities face the danger of the impact of traffic on the environment. |
March 1969 | All in a Day's Work | Duncan Carse | People who travel the world by air as part of their everday jobs |
March 1969 | A Load of Pheasants | Duncan Carse | The journey of the intercontinental lorry driver delivering a trailer load of pheasants abroad, with the aid of the TIR convention. |
Volume 2: Military
Disc 1 (1960–1961)
Date of Feature[4] | Title | Narrator | Synopsis[5] |
---|---|---|---|
1959 | The Black Arrows | Tim Turner | The RAF aerobatic display team "Treble-One" Squadron |
1959 | Ceremonial Soldier | Tim Turner | A look at the sentries at Buckingham Palace and how they remain efficient soldiers of the Grenadier Guards. |
1959 | Soldier Abroad | Tim Turner | The 3rd Royal Tank Regiment British Army of the Rhine in Detmold West Germany |
1960 | Under the Rocket | Tim Turner | Life at the rocket range in Woomera, South Australia, through the eyes of a young REME corporal and his wife. |
1960 | Thunder in Waiting | Tim Turner | Visit to an RAF base in East Anglia, shows Thor rockets and Vulcan bombers. |
1960 | 'A Piece of Cake' | Tim Turner | The sport of parachuting and the territorials of the Parachute Regiment |
1960 | Return to Arms | Tim Turner | A visit to Germany to find out what kind of army the country is raising today under the auspices of NATO, with a focus on the mountain troops and how they train |
1960 | Submarine | Tim Turner | A glimpse of the life and work of the submariners of HMS Narwhal (S03) |
1960 | The Rocket-Age Lancers | Tim Turner | The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers including the parade on their final day before they merged to form 9th/12th Royal Lancers |
1960 | Air Umbrella | Unknown | Work and organisation of NATO’s Second Allied tactical Air Force which forms part of a vigilant air umbrella over Europe |
1961 | Flight Deck | Tim Turner | The Royal Navy's latest aircraft carrier, HMS Hermes (R12) |
1961 | Pipeline | Tim Turner | Refuelling both in the air and at sea |
1961 | Girls Ahoy! | John Witty | A look into the Women's Royal Naval Service showing the full range of duties carried out by the wrens. |
1961 | Survival | Tim Turner | A look at various survival techniques with Peter Whittingham and Jock Wishart. |
1961 | Muscle Men | Tim Turner | Deals with circumstances and situations where "muscles" still count: in the Army, in wrestling, weight lifting, etc |
Disc 2 (1961–1964)
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
1961 | Action this Day | Tim Turner | The tough training of the Royal Marine Commandos - some of Britain's finest fighting men |
1961 | Char and Wad | Tim Turner | The work of the NAAFI - Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes |
1961 | Test Pilot | Tim Turner | A film looking at the work involved in being a test pilot of jet planes, particularly concentrating on test pilot Jim Dell and the English Electric Lightning. |
1962 | Rendered Safe | Tim Turner | The work of a bomb disposal squad with Charles Lawrence, bomb disposal expert with the Royal Navy. |
1962 | The Last Battleship | Tim Turner | The story of the last British battleship, HMS Vanguard (23), as it makes its final journey to the scrapyard |
1962 | Amphibian | Tim Turner | A look at the DUKW ['duck’] amphibious military craft. |
1962 | Turning Blades | Tim Turner | Helicopters and their uses |
1962 | Plumbing the Depths | Tim Turner | The importance of surveying the seas and oceans and the part played by HMS Vidal in the surveying. |
1962 | Golden Wings | ACM Sir Philip Joubert | A look at some of the most important military aircraft through the decades |
1963 | The Black Watch | Tim Turner | Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother visits the Black Watch |
1963 | Girls of the Air | Tim Turner | 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. |
1963 | The Sky's the Limit | Tim Turner | Aerobatics, originally devised as manoeuvres to avoid a pursuing enemy, are today part of the training of specialised squadrons of the R.A.F. Civilian flying is also discussed. |
1964 | Forward, March! | Tim Turner | The infantryman as the indispensable soldier of the British Army |
1964 | Doctor on Call | Tim Turner | A North Malayan civilian doctor makes his regular and emergency calls by helicopter made available by the R.A.F. |
1964 | Trouble-Shooters | John Witty | The Royal Marines, whose 300th anniversary fell on the year this film was produced |
Disc 3 (1964–1969)
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
1964 | Under One Umbrella | Tim Turner | The MOD and unified operations in Aden |
1965 | The Price of Valour | Tim Turner | The history of the Victoria Cross and the story behind some of its recipients |
1965 | The Jet Folk | Tim Turner | The lives and work of servicemen in the United States Third Air Force, mainly operating from RAF bases in East Anglia. |
1965 | Drummers of the Queen | Tim Turner | Spotlights on the drummers of the Junior Guardsmen's Company which supplies the whole Brigade of Guards. |
1965 | The Flying Soldier | Tim Turner | Helicopter training in the British Army |
1965 | The Cherry-Pickers | Tim Turner | A look at the history of the 11th Hussars, a regiment that celebrated its 250th anniversary in 1965 |
1966 | Jumping Jets | Tim Turner | A look at the test programme behind the RAF Hawker Siddeley Kestrel VTOL aircraft |
1966 | Air Lift | Tim Turner | A survey of the air lift organised by the RAF Transport Command to maintain supplies of oil and petrol to Zambia |
1966 | Down to Earth | John Witty | Women of the WRAF take part in a jungle survival exercise, parachute jumps, and sub-aqua diving |
1966 | East of Suez | Tim Turner | Survey of the police work in the Borneo jungle of the British forces against the Indonesian confrontation. |
1966 | School for Skymen | Tim Turner | Training at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell |
1967 | Moving Day | Tim Turner | Moving of NATO SHAPE headquarters to Casteau in Belgium |
1967 | Free Fall | John Witty | Free fall parachute jumping by the RAF Falcons parachute display team |
1968 | Jumping For Joy | Unknown | The story of the Royal Green Jackets Skydiving Team |
1968 | Underwater Menace | Duncan Carse | The work of the Royal Navy in its quest to rid the sea of World War II underwater mines and other dangerous debris |
Volume 3: Science
Disc 1 (1959–1963)
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis[6] |
---|---|---|---|
1959 | Follow the Stars | E.V.H. Emmett | |
1959 | A Marriage is Arranged | E.V.H. Emmett | |
1960 | Channel Tunnel | Tim Turner | |
1960 | Healing Hands | ||
1960 | Testing Time | Tim Turner | |
1960 | Making a Meal Out of It | Tim Turner | |
1961 | Press-Button Age | Tim Turner | |
1961 | Flood Tide | Tim Turner | |
1961 | Men With Ideas | ||
1961 | Mystery of a Fish | ||
1962 | Rockets Away! | ||
1962 | The Little Menace | ||
1962 | Trouble on Oily Waters | ||
1962 | Any Old Iron? | ||
1963 | Caught in the Cold |
Disc 2 (1963–1964)
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
1963 | Figure it Out | ||
1963 | Keeping Clean | ||
1963 | The Destroyers | ||
1963 | Back-Room of the Sky | ||
1963 | People of Power | ||
1963 | Second Chance | ||
1963 | Key of the Door | ||
1963 | You Can't Catch Much from a Fish | ||
1963 | Men Under Pressure | ||
1964 | Fings are Getting Smaller | ||
1964 | Salute the Engineer | ||
1964 | So Much Flattery! | ||
1964 | Having a Baby | ||
1964 | Power Needs No Passport | ||
1964 | Wealth Under the Sea |
Disc 3 (1964–1969)
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
1964 | By Bread Alone | ||
1965 | Frontiers of Medicine | ||
1965 | Sugaring the Pill | ||
1965 | Beating the Racket | ||
1965 | Will Taps Run Dry? | ||
1966 | Treading on the Gas | ||
1966 | Boxes of Tricks | ||
1966 | The Givers | ||
1967 | What Price Ideas? | ||
1967 | Cleaning People | ||
1967 | Press-Button Farms | ||
1967 | Keeping Tabs on Space | ||
1968 | Brain Drain | ||
1968 | North Sea Commuters | ||
1969 | Their Lifeline – The Nile |
Volume 4: Sport
Disc 1
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
1959 | Jumping to Aintree | E.V.H. Emmett | |
Derby Day | |||
Kings of Speed | |||
Making an Effort | |||
Pony-Tale | |||
Four Men Down | |||
Ten Pins Down | |||
Smashing Through | |||
Solent Saturday | |||
1960 | Saturday Fever | Cliff Michelmore | |
Out for a Catch | |||
Against the Clock | |||
Man into Fish | |||
Ski Fever |
Disc 2
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
1961 | The Ball at His Feet | Kenneth Wolstenholme | |
A Hundred Thousand Oarsmen | |||
Snow Business | |||
Riding it Rough | |||
Target - The Stadium | |||
Flight of Fancy | |||
Getting Wet | |||
See How They Jump! | |||
It's a Gamble | |||
Queue for the Tee | |||
In the Kart | |||
Over My Shoulder | |||
Women with Leisure | |||
Rulers of Racing |
Disc 3
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
Winning the Hard Way | |||
Bookies at the Crossroads | |||
How Do You Swing? | |||
Living on Skis | |||
Cricket on Test | |||
Room at the Top? | |||
Out of a Bomb-Site | |||
Behind the World Cup | |||
Over the Sticks | |||
Sea Riders | |||
Racing to the Start | |||
White Water Craft | |||
Single-Handed Sailors | |||
It's Odds on the Fish |
Volume 5: Cultural Heritage
Disc 1
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
A Dog's Life | Uncredited | ||
Down London River | Tim Turner | ||
Coffee Bar | Uncredited | ||
Garden of Tomorrow | Roy Hay | ||
Harvest of Hops | Tim Turner | ||
Island of Men | Tim Turner | ||
Top People | Tim Turner | ||
Rebirth of a City | Tim Turner | ||
Shopping by the Ton | Tim Turner | ||
Towns By Design | Wynford Vaughan-Thomas | ||
Fairs Please | Tim Turner | ||
Ringing the Changes | Uncredited | ||
Hyde Park Corner | Tim Turner | ||
The Big Blow | Tim Turner | ||
Woman-Power | Stephen Potter | ||
Art Is A Business | Tim Turner |
Disc 2
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
Counting Heads | Antony Bilbow | ||
Looking for Nothing | |||
The Dance of Life | |||
1961 | Why All the Rush? | Tim Turner | |
On the Map | Tim Turner | ||
Chickens in the Mill | |||
Treasure Houses | |||
State Occasions | |||
Down in the Forest | |||
Meet the Mayor | |||
Under Your Feet | |||
The Silent Change | |||
Signposts of the Sea | |||
The City's Built for Shooting | |||
New Universities | |||
Rag Time |
Disc 3
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
Market Day | |||
They Learn as They See | |||
Jazz All the Way | |||
Island Refuge | |||
Holiday Camps | |||
Sound of a City | |||
Saving a Heritage | |||
The Way of Reckoning | |||
Lady by the Sea | |||
Early Starters | |||
But Not on a Sunday | |||
The Things They Sell | |||
Boys Without Girls | |||
Members Only | |||
City of Sailors | Portsmouth and how it was changing | ||
Why Drown Yourself? |
Disc 4
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
In the Livery | |||
The Needles Point the Way | |||
Crisis in the Cathedral | |||
The Tower of Babble | |||
On Tape for Tomorrow | |||
The Abbey Backstage | |||
The Shape of Things | |||
The Churchill Pilgrimage | |||
High and Dry | |||
IN Gear | |||
Hidden Treasure | |||
Goodbye, Piccadilly | |||
Change at the Tower | |||
The Spoilers | |||
Queue for Gardens | |||
In the Honours List |
Volume 6: World Affairs
Disc 1
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis[7] |
---|---|---|---|
1959 | Marrakesh | E.V.H. Emmett | |
1959 | The Divided City | Tim Turner | |
1959 | Operation Noah's Ark | George Cansdale | |
1960 | Seaway | Uncredited | |
1960 | Village of Violins | Uncredited | |
1960 | Gibraltar's New Day | Tim Turner | |
1960 | The Wind of Change | Tim Turner | |
1960 | Power for Africa | Tim Turner | |
1961 | Rolling out from Rio | Tim Turner | |
1961 | Lady of Japan | Antony Bilbow | |
1961 | Flags over the Temples | Antony Bilbow | |
1961 | City of Crisis | John Witty | |
1962 | A Problem of People | Tim Turner | |
1962 | Eagle's Nest | Tim Turner |
Disc 2
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
1962 | The Maple has New Leaves | Gordon Tanner | |
1962 | Chasing the Dragon | Tim Turner | |
1962 | The Trail leads Upwards | Tim Turner | |
1962 | G.H.Q., Middle East | Tim Turner | |
1962 | The Wall | Tim Turner | |
1962 | Out of the Sun | Tim Turner | |
1962? | Common Market | John Snagge | |
1962 | The Changing River | Tim Turner | |
1962 | Millions on the March | Brian Connell | |
1962 | Call from the Wild | Peter Scott | |
1963 | Out of the Bush | Tim Turner | |
1963 | Men of the Woods | Tim Turner | |
1963 | Forging New Links | Tim Turner | |
1963 | Gypsy Holiday | Tim Turner | |
1963 | Pick of the Bunch | Tim Turner |
Disc 3
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
1964 | The New Australians | Tim Turner | |
1964 | Men of the Snowy | Tim Turner | |
1964 | Singapore is Youth | Tim Turner | |
1964 | Off the Sheep's Back | Tim Turner | |
1964 | Constant Hot Water | Tim Turner | |
1964 | Tide on the Turn | Tim Turner | |
1964 | Malta Milestone | Tim Turner | |
1965 | Women at Sea | Tim Turner | |
1965 | James Bond's Island | Peter Hawkins | |
1965 | Volunteers for Service | Tim Turner | |
1965 | Men Against the Sea | Tim Turner | |
1966 | The Curtain Changes | John Snagge | |
1966 | On Top of the World | Tim Turner | |
1966 | Swedish Pattern | Michael Ingrams | |
1966 | Market by the Danube | Roger Wesson |
Disc 4
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
1966 | The Beach | Peter Duval Smith | |
1966 | Face Lift | Tim Turner | |
1966 | Incas in bowler hats | Tim Turner | |
1966 | One in Six | Tim Turner | |
1966 | An Island Awakes | Tim Turner | |
1966 | City of all Nations | Tim Turner | |
1966 | The Six come closer | Tim Turner | |
1966 | Jobs where you like | Tim Turner | |
1966 | Pipeline to plenty | Tim Turner | |
1967 | End of a Polish march | Tim Turner | |
1967 | Once upon a time... | John Witty | |
1967 | Living on a volcano | Tim Turner | |
1967 | Chinatown | Michael Ingrams |
Disc 5
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
1967 | Inside Russia 1: Fifty! | Michael Ingrams | |
1967 | Inside Russia 2: The Heiresses | Michael Ingrams | |
1967 | Inside Russia 3: Childhood | Antony Bilbow | |
1967 | Inside Russia 4: The Woken Land | Michael Ingrams | |
1968 | Winter Blossoms | John Westbrook | |
1968 | Man of the Desert | Uncredited | |
1968 | Something new under Everest | Michael Ingrams | |
1968 | A new shade of red | Michael Ingrams | |
1968 | Coming of Age | Michael Ingrams | |
1968 | Home is Tibet | Michael Ingrams | |
1968 | The Sinking City | Martin Jarvis | |
1968 | Escape into Riches | Michael Ingrams | |
1969 | In the shadow of the Wall | Tim Brinton | |
1969 | After the Queen's visit | Duncan Carse | |
1969 | Look at Man | Martin Jarvis |
Volume 7: Business and Industry
Disc 1
Date | Title | Narrator | Synopsis[8] |
---|---|---|---|
Market Place | Sidney James | Street markets | |
A Car Is Born | Bill Hartley | British car industry | |
Saving Face | The beauty business | ||
Money Talks | Tim Turner | Money | |
Down on the Farm | Tim Turner | Farming | |
Bottle Party | Tim Turner | Bottles | |
Under the Hammer | Tim Turner | Auctions | |
A Year for a Day | Tim Turner | ||
Roman Invasion | Tim Turner | ||
On The Mark | Tim Turner | Guns and shooting | |
Shares in To-morrow | Antony Bilbow | Stock exchanges | |
Shelling Out | Tim Turner | Shellfish | |
What A Pet! | Tim Turner | Pets | |
Ice Age | John Witty | Ice | |
And So To Bed | Antony Bilbow | The mattress | |
Coming, Sir! | Tim Turner | The hotel industry | |
Tulip Town | Antony Bilbow | The town of Spalding | |
1961 | For the Record | Jean Metcalfe | How Helen Shapiro's 1961 hit "Walkin' Back to Happiness" was recorded, pressed and distributed. |
Jobs with a Thrill | Tim Turner | ||
Roses All The Way | Antony Bilbow |
Disc 2
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
Everything Stops For Tea | Tim Turner | ||
Lights Up | Tim Turner | ||
Fish and Ships | Tim Turner | ||
The Hat Trick | David Nixon | ||
At the End of a Rope | Tim Turner | ||
Pictures Tell the Story | Tim Turner | ||
The Box on the Wall | Tim Turner | ||
Crowning Glory | Tim Turner | ||
Rising to High Office | Tim Turner | ||
The Trade Winds Blow | Antony Bilbow | ||
Glamour Gets a Passport | Tim Turner | ||
A Pinch of Salt | Tim Turner | ||
Silver's New Shine | Tim Turner | ||
The Golden West | Tim Turner | ||
For Crying Out Loud! | Tim Turner | ||
Stone Age | Tim Turner | ||
Ups and Downs | Tim Turner | ||
Spuds Galore | Tim Turner | ||
Money in the Slot | Tim Turner | ||
1964 | The Other Film World | Tim Turner |
Disc 3
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
Laying The Table | Tim Turner | ||
New Hands on the Farm | Tim Turner | ||
Down Town | Michael Ingrams | ||
Farming For Fish | Tim Turner | ||
Putting More Beef into It | Tim Turner | ||
The Sweet Life | Tim Turner | ||
Living on Smoke | Tim Turner | ||
Cover Story | Michael Ingrams | Paperback books | |
Evening Paper! | Tim Turner | ||
Music by the Mile | Tim Turner | ||
Home Tomorrow | Michael Ingrams | ||
Roll Out The Barrel | Tim Turner | ||
The Hidden Strength | Tim Turner | ||
Putting up a Show | Tim Turner | ||
1967 | Put to the Test | Michael Ingrams | |
1967 | Put Out The Flags | Tim Turner | The uses and making of flags |
1967 | On The Scent | Tim Turner | |
1967 | Hopping Along! | Martin Jarvis | Kent hop pickers |
1968 | Top Chef | Eugene Kaufeler | Chef Eugene Kaufeler of London's Dorchester Hotel |
1968 | Can you read this? | Michael Ingrams | Literacy in Britain |
Volume 8: People and Places
Disc 1
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
Cause for Alarm | Tim Turner | ||
Dustmen's Day | Sidney James & Michael Henderson | ||
Let's Go Dancing | |||
Running Dry | |||
Model World | |||
Student Nurse | |||
In the Swim | |||
Safe in a Boat | |||
Glamour Girls | |||
I Protest! | |||
Brains - Unlimited | |||
Wheel Power | |||
Keeping Fit | |||
All Their Own Work | |||
Holiday - With Pay | |||
Women in Green | |||
Up to Scratch |
Disc 2
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
Going to Blazes | |||
High Tension | |||
Match Makers | |||
Battle of the Bulge | |||
Prison on Wheels | |||
Controlled Landing | |||
Men in the Mode | |||
High Rise | |||
Relax, Relax! | |||
A Girl's Best Friend | |||
Earning Their Keep | |||
Getting a Move On | |||
The Cinema Steps Out | |||
One Horse-Power | |||
A Clean Sweep | |||
In Good Shape | |||
Blue Streak |
Disc 3
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
...Through Glass | |||
Beauty - and the Rest | |||
Island at the Crossroads | |||
The Greatest of These... | |||
As Good as Gold | |||
Rolling Home | |||
Digging Up the Past | |||
Chairbound | |||
Glorious Mud | |||
Instant Homes | |||
Do it Yourself | |||
Who Wants a Statue? | |||
Donkey Work | |||
What's on the Roof? | |||
Calling the Tune | |||
Keeping in Touch | |||
Crossing the Channel |
Disc 4
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
Tax Haven | |||
One for the Road | |||
Old School Tie | |||
Blood and Fire | |||
Putting on a Act | |||
Tails of the Law | |||
Cool Cats | |||
A Policeman's Lot | |||
You're Under Inspection | |||
Anything to Declare? | |||
When the Debs Come Out | |||
A New Deal for Deer | |||
Away from the Blackboard | |||
A Fair Cop | |||
Jobs for Dogs | |||
Inside Jobs | |||
Fire Over London |
Disc 5
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
Clearway for Ships | |||
After Harold Fell | |||
Space for Adventure | |||
With the Lions | |||
Loads for Roads | |||
Things Out of Space | |||
Look - No Hands! | |||
Topping Out | |||
Eating High | |||
No Place Like Home | |||
Way Out West | |||
Out of the Rainbow | |||
The Hair Set | |||
Taking the Waters | |||
Collector's Pieces | |||
Funny Business is No Joke | |||
In For a Fast |
Disc 6
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
Who Needs Eel Pie? | |||
Coming to Terms | |||
Ark in the Sky | |||
Booming Good Wishes | |||
Gardens to Order | |||
Pulling the Strings | |||
Murder Bag | |||
So Much Hot Air | |||
Little Orphan Annie | |||
Out of the Inn | |||
Gun Dogs | |||
Mini and Mod | |||
Stuck on Stamps | |||
The Big Sell | |||
High Living | |||
The Throwaway Society | |||
Some of My Best Friends are People! |
Disc 7
Date of Feature | Title | Narrator | Synopsis |
---|---|---|---|
There Ought to be a Law... There is! | |||
City Dogs | |||
On the Meter | |||
Painting People | |||
The Ganges Might Lead Anywhere | |||
Switch On at Seven | |||
Hot History | |||
Where Have All The Butterflies Gone? | |||
Watch on the Coast | |||
Southern Miracle | |||
Model Girl | |||
Gold in the Mud | |||
Link-Up | |||
Bronze, Silver and Gold | |||
Saturday Special |
References
- ↑ "| Films by Movie Mail UK". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ↑ "Look at Life". BUFVC. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- ↑ Farber, Alex (11 October 2012). "BBC4 takes a trip a down memory lane to 60s Britain". Broadcast. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
- ↑ BFI.org
- ↑ "Look at Life: Volume Two - Military". Amazon UK.
- ↑ "Network ON AIR > Look at Life: Volume 3 - Science". Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ↑ "Network ON AIR > Look at Life 6 World Affairs". Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- ↑ "Network ON AIR > Look at Life". networkonair.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015.