About this season
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.
Episodes (40)
1. Marrakesh
Aired 1 January 1959
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
2. Follow The Stars
Aired 15 January 1959
Looking at the stars from the astrologer’s, the astronomer’s and the radio-astronomer’s point of view.
3. The Doctor Suggests
Aired 15 January 1959
Shows how hypnotism has developed from being a stage entertaiment to being a useful tool in the hands of the doctors.
4. A Marriage Is Arranged
Aired 15 January 1959
5. Jumping To Aintree
Aired 15 January 1959
6. Ticket To Tokyo
Aired 15 January 1959
7. Letting Off Steam
Aired 15 January 1959
8. A Dog’s Life
Aired 15 January 1959 • 15 min
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
9. Market Place
Aired 15 January 1959
Supermarkets contrasted with London street markets.
10. Cause For Alarm
Aired 15 January 1959
Present day methods to prevent crime often employ mechanical means to give warning.
11. New Roads For Old
Aired 15 January 1959
12. A Car Is Born
Aired 15 January 1959
13. Saving Face
Aired 15 January 1959
A look at the cosmetics industry.
14. The Divided City
Aired 15 January 1959
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
15. Operation Noah’s Ark
Aired 15 January 1959
Operation Noah’s Ark’ devoted to rescuing animals from an island which was flooded by the Zambesi river.
16. Down London River
Aired 15 January 1959
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
17. Coffee Bar
Aired 15 January 1959
Coffee bars and their clientele.
18. Garden Of Tomorrow
Aired 15 January 1959
A trip around the Chelsea Flower Show.
19. Derby Day
Aired 15 January 1959
A look at the tradition of Derby Day.
20. Money Talks
Aired 15 January 1959
A look at the financial institutions of London, including the Royal Mint.
21. Flight On A Cushion
6.0Aired 15 January 1959 • 10 min
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.
22. Talking Of Coaches
Aired 15 January 1959
A look at the advances in coach travel.
23. Seaway
Aired 15 January 1959
The St Lawrence Seaway and its impact on Canada.
24. Kings Of Speed
Aired 15 January 1959
A look at the motor racing industry and the part played by British cars and British drivers.
25. Making An Effort
Aired 15 January 1959
26. Village Of Violins
Aired 15 January 1959
The violin making industry in Mittenwald in the Bavarian Alps.
27. The Black Arrows
Aired 15 January 1959
Explores the internationally famous formation team and their aerobatic daring in Hunter jets.
28. Ceremonial Soldier
Aired 15 January 1959
A day in the life of a guardsman.
29. Alpine Rescue
Aired 15 January 1959
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
30. Down On The Farm
Aired 15 January 1959
The Royal Agricultural Show and the agricultural industry.
31. Shopping For A "Queen"
Aired 15 January 1959
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.
32. Channel Tunnel
Aired 15 January 1959
The possibilities of the construction of a Channel Tunnel.
33. Harvest of Hops
Aired 15 January 1959
The annual trip to the hop fields in Kent by people living in the East End of London.
34. Pony Tale
Aired 15 January 1959
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.
35. Sailing The Sky
Aired 15 January 1959
The sport of gliding.
36. Dustmen’s Day
Aired 8 January 1959
The collection of refuse and its disposal.
37. Let’s Go Dancing
Aired 15 January 1959
A survey of all that dancing involves from teenage rock ‘n’ roll sessions to exhibition ballroom dancing.
38. Soldier Abroad
Aired 22 January 1959
The British Army on the Rhine.
39. Island Of Men
Aired 29 January 1959
A tour of Fair Isle, in the Shetlands, where live three times as many men as women.
40. Bullfighter
Aired 5 February 1959
Dealing with the professional work of Vincent Hitchcock, the British bullfighter; shots of him training and in action.