Home Movies (1954)

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Astro lenses are available on order from franchised dealers only. Write for brochure and prices ERCONA CAMERA CORP. Dept. A-21, 527 Fifth Ave., New York 17, N. Y. 16mm. P1NU1 FILMS 1 •in review LET'S FACE IT Previewed, November, 1953. EDUCATIONAL. Sound, 14 min., color or b&w. Apply. Availoble for TV. Produced by Cine-TeleProductions in cooperation with the California Highway Patrol. Users: General highschool and college audiences, hot rod clubs, driver education, community groups, church groups, and civic clubs. Content: Demonstrates personal responsibility in car accidents, and explains the training and functions of the highway patrol. A driver going home is impatient and takes a chance on passing on an upgrade. The shattered windshield is shown as a bloody hand reaches up and fumbles about the steering wheel. An ambulance comes and the man is taken to a hospital where a doctor makes an examination and shakes his head. Newspaper headlines show accident news and several wrecked cars ore demonstrated as narration points out that nine out of 10 accidents involve traffic violations. Illustrative sequences are shown as narration further points out that hiah speed is the greatest cause of accidents, also requirinq adjustment of speed to the conditions of the road and visibility. Other reasons are violation of the riah of way, following too close, and drunken driving. The California Highway Patrol Academy is portraved. demonstratina various t'oininn clasps, including jujitsu, revolver practice, first aid, lecture, and study of laws No-ration states that an accident occurs every minute in the United States, a death every 21'? hours. Preventative measures made by the hiahway patrol are traffic checks, laboratory check of equipment, and analysis of comoiled information on danger spots and effective enforcement of safety precautions in those spots. Various functions of the patrolman are demonstrated, such as helping children cross streets, particularly watchina traffic around school busses, checking truck loads and wotchina for traffic violations. Narrated by Chet Huntley. Comment: The introductory accident and scenes showing accident-wrerked cars present a shock that is developed by the facts and figures of the norration. effectively preparing the audience for the safety message and developina favorable public relations for the highway patrol. Distributor: Cine-Tele Productions, 6327 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood 38. ONE MAN'S WAR EDUCATIONAL. Sound, 1 reel. b&w. Rental, sale. Produced by the National Film Council of the Motion Picture Industry of Australia Users: Highschool and adult audiences in studies of modern Austral'a or the Korean war. Content: An averaqe Austrqliqn citizen-soldier's impressions from the time of his enlistment through his first bombardment in Korea. The young Australian decides to enlist, and after his training he is shown boarding an airDiane. In Tokyo, he quickly sees the city, the Royal Palace and aardens, and the carp in the moat around the Palace. In Korea, he views the war damoces to the capital city a"d finds a family living in a cave. Marchina toward the shootina, he is annoved bv the white dust of the main road. The Australian mine dogs of no particular breed are shown, identifying one as havinq found 4.000 mines One doa demonstrates the back-qnd-forth wolkinq to find q mine qnd sittinq where the mine is locoted. Men in q mortar crew are shown in action, and bombardment is heavy. A wounded man is carried out by o U. S. qmbulqnce helicopter. After the bombardment, the Austrqliqn soldier is shown resting on o cot os the rqdio onnounces "all auiet in the Korean area because of the truce." Narrated throughout. Comment: An interesting comparison can be drawn by American viewers between Australia and American ways of fightina and attitudes. It is to be not*>d that the Australian considers the Korean "policing action" a war. Distributor: Australian News and Information Bureou, 206 Sqnsome St., Son Frqncisco 4. THE MOHAMMEDAN WORLD: Beginnings and Growth EDUCATIONAL: Sound, 1 reel, color or b&w. Rentol, sale. Collaborator: 1. James QuiMen, Ph.D., Education, Stanford University. Users: Junior high qnd highschool history; church mission study groups. Content: Presents o brief survey of Mohommedqn history, religion, politics, language, and art. The introductory sequence shows the city of Baghdad and a muein coll to prayer from o mosque. A mop indicqtes the outlines of the Moslem world. A brief history of Mohammed is given, emphosiing the basis of his religion is kindness, equqlity, qnd brotherhood. During his lifetime, the new religion spreod among the desert dwellers; after his death, his followers corried the fighting faith into other lands, creating an empire by 750. The faith competed with Christianity and whenever the two met, there was fighting, illustrated by Mohommedqn occupotion of Spain and Palestine. Influences are demonstrated by the story of Sinbad in literoture, qnd words, such os dqmask, coffee, and muslin. Products, such os cqrpets, Damascus steel, too'ed leather, and engraved silver, ore shown. Other contributions ore methods of irrigotion, date palms, citrus fruits, and improved strains of livestock. Paper and Arabic numbers are contributions they borrowed and passed on to the western world. Scenes of Istanbul, the greatest Moslem city, are shown, indicating the most famous mosque, Santa Sophia. Comment: A wealth of detail is combined in narration and film sequences mqking on interest-provoking introduction for classroom study. Narration brinqs out the bosic beliefs in Mohammedan faith, surprisingly similar to Christianity. Distributor: Coronet Films, 65 E. South Water St., Chicago 1 . KANGAROOS EDUCATIONAL. Sound, 1 reel, b&w. Rentol, sqle. Produced by Australian Instructional Films. Users: Elementary through college levels in studies of the kangqroo or marsupials and Australia. Content: Outlines the characteristics and hobits of the Australian kongoroo. Narration explains that pounch animals once roamed all over the world, but they were killed off by other animals so that today only the opossum is left in America. Several of these animals live in Australia, and the kangaroo si the best known. A group of kangaroos are shown in flight to demonstrate their areat leaps which narration states averoge 20-feet each. Their movements ore shown as they stoop to eat grass and as they lie down, pointing out in various actions how they use their tails for balance. The threetoed back foot is observed, noting the large sie of the middle toe. Its front feet are similar to human hands and have grasping ability. When walking or moving slowly, the kangaroo is very clumsy. A model of a new-born bary is shown climbing up to the mother's pouch, where, it is explained, it will stay till much larger. Even after leaving the pouch, the baby will nurse till it is one-year-old, as demonstrated. One sequence notes how the kanqqroo stonds on his toil while kicking with his feet during o fight. Another sequence observes them scratchinq themselves. It is pointed out that too many animals in Australia eat grass and since only one baby is born for each pair of kangaroo parents, there is o danger of the kangaroo species dying out. The similarities between kangaroo and sheep skulls are pointed out. The conclusion says that kangaroos make fine pets when tamed and that Australians are very fond of them, putting their picture on coins and on the country's coat of arms. Narrated throughout. Comment: A thorough, satisfying film in content and information. Unless one wanted to make an exhaustive study of the kangaroo, this film will answer practically all the auestions one might hove qbout the animal. Entertaining and instructive for general audience use. The narrator is either American or without the Australian accent thqt distrqets attention. Distributor: Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, 1150 Wilmette Ave., Wilmette, III. Readers are invited to send amateur films for review to Home Movies. where a panel of judges will screen, rate, and criticize all films submitted. A film leader, with the rating awarded will he sent to each amateur whose film has heen published and reviewed by Home Movies. Others will receive a personal criticism by mail. The one star rating indicates an "average" award — two stars, "good" — three stars, "verv good" — and four stars, "excellent." 8