Encyclopædia Britannica Films

Every year, on June 27th, in a small village in New England, inhabited by no more than 300 people, a lottery is held in which a family is chosen as part of a ritual to ensure a good harvest.

Deals with the Old Testament as a collection of literary forms. Combines paintings with narrative sculptures to relate the saga of the creation, the expulsion from Eden, and the murder of Abel

Bartleby, an enigmatic man who calmly refuses to carry out his duties, is introduced in this period dramatization of Melville’s haunting story as a scrivener in a 1969 film production of Encyclopedia Britannica Educational Corporation.

A romantic tale of a young married couple who have little money to buy each other Christmas presents. And so she cuts off and sells her beautiful hair.

An introduction to Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist, and journalist. A world poet-a latter-day successor to Homer, Virgil, Dante, and Shakespeare.

One in a series of twelve films in which the great French mime Marcel Marceau performs some works from his repertoire. In his introduction he describes this pantomime as having a theme that goes beyond time, an allegory showing a man trying to escape an enclosure of invisible walls. He also suggests that it stands for our freedom of choice, stating that for the limited span of our life on earth, we must struggle for the enlightenment of humanity and search for a way out of the cage

One in a series of twelve films in which the great French mime Marcel Marceau performs some works from his repertoire. In his introduction Marceau calls mime the essence of life and suggests that it can reach the soul through silence. In this pantomime he expresses life from the womb to the grave in a few minutes and illustrates one of the art's most notable characteristics - its ability to condense time and to create through time the pulse of humanity.

short from of Series “The Art of silence: pantomimes with Marcel Marceau and his partner Pierre Verry”. Mime makes the invisible visible and the visible invisible. Marceau’s sometimes comical - but always graceful - interpretation of The Painter in Central Park allows the viewer to “see” objects which are not there.

Follows the Pilgrims from England to Holland and to New England. Discusses the Mayflower compact and the hardships in the New World.

John Canaday analyzes the place of art among the humanities as an expression of man's attempt to define what it means to be a human being. Mr. Canaday shows how the masterworks of art and architecture have formed a visual history of man's thought, ideals, and most fondly-held beliefs.

This educational documentary describes the political, social, and religious conditions of sixteenth century Europe. It also Interprets the reforms of Martin Luther as a part and/of these conditions as indications of future trends.

Dramatization short on British romantic poet John Keats.

Another entry in the britannica's tales around the world series. This covers the classic story of Hansel and Gretel.

"Based on the exhibition "Photography and the city", designed by the Eames Office for the Smithsonian Institute". A primer on the modern problems of and future solutions to growing cities.

This movie starts with a Mother and her two children nonchalantly going to the window when someone knocks on the window. Shouldn't they be on their guard? And what good is their huge German Shepherd Shep? But wait! It's only Dad! Silly man! He's brought home Halloween stuff! Junior makes a truly hideous mask from a paper bag and sets it in the lamp to make it look more ominous. (archive.org)

Follows contemporary American poet James Dickey on a three week lecture tour. Reveals the actual thoughts and feelings of the poet through his conversations and poetry readings. Later, he and fellow poet Robert Lowell discuss their dreams.

Actor Pat Morita hosts three animated stories. Part of the Britannica series of animated films.

In this quiet, naturalistic dramatic short, six-year old Sarah grapples with understanding mortality after the sudden death of her older brother, David. With the help of her family, she gradually learns how to process his passing and cope with her grief. Written, produced, and directed by Jackie Rivet-River, this short film for Encyclopaedia Britannica Films was awarded the Silver Hugo prize at the Chicago International Film Festival, as well as 12 additional awards internationally.

Marty, a "good boy," experiments with marijuana and experiences "profound mental and emotional disturbances." As in all anti-drug films of this vintage, marijuana leads straight to "H," and Marty's decline continues until he is busted, rehabbed and reformed. Drug Addiction's stilted view of the urban drug culture and unrealistic portrayals of stoned slackers make it entertaining viewing today. It belongs to that little-known "second wave" of anti-drug films, the postwar scare stories about middle-class kids overcome by junkiedom. What this wave of films reveals is that drugs were an issue for white adolescents long before the psychedelic Sixties, and that the official response to the threat expressed a general, not specifically targeted paranoia.

Heroin anti-drug educational film