University of Washington Libraries Educational Media Collection films, 1940-1983

Animated scenes, documentary footage and models show the causes of earthquakes, the locations of principal earthquake zones throughout the world and the relationship between geologic environment and earthquake damage. Anchorage and Valdez are shown during and after the disaster of 1964.

Aquaculture began some 4,000 years ago in China, yet in the United States its history is relatively recent. Increasing emphasis, however, is being placed on the production and harvesting of fish, shrimps, molluscs, seaweeds and other aquatic organisms in man-controlled environments. Focuses on developments in the Pacific--the research being done in aquaculture, the problems encountered, the industry already developed and the prospects for the future. (Produced by the Washington Sea Grant Program)

As two men climb a sheer rock face in Yosemite Valley their thoughts, expressed in the narration, comment on the importance of testing oneself, the joy of self-reliance, the warmth of a bond with another person and the exhilaration of achieving a difficult goal.

Techniques of making prints by the collagraph process as demonstrated by the developer, Professor Glen Alps, University of Washington.

An overview of the uses of computers and the ways people direct them. Four kinds of uses are shown, each with several examples: file management, control of other machines, mathematical modeling and support of creative work. Woven into the examples is the step-by-step development of applications including research, flow charting, programming and debugging. Emphasizes the human responsibility for computer performance.

Aberrations of normal development leading to simple defects in the partitioning of the heart. Location of defects shown through pathology specimens and animated drawings. Functional disturbances are indicated by animation, roentgenograms and cinefluorographic pictures.

Shows arts, crafts, dances and songs of the Eskimos of Baffinland.

To what extent are changes in family patterns, values and other elements of culture related to changes in technology? Examines the changes in the lifestyles of the Eskimos of Nunivak Island in the Bering Sea as they have occurred in the lifetime of the present generation. Defined from the points of view of both the younger and the older members of the village--changes in mobility, rising expectations, increasing education and marked changes in values are seen, partly, as products of technological advances.

Describes the formation of Mount Rainier, using time-lapse photography to show how a sweeping glacier sculptures and diminishes the volcano.

Documents the first observations of red-hot lava flowing underwater and provides new insight into the formation of pillow lava, the most common volcanic rock on earth. Follows a lava flow from a new vent (Mauna Loa) of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii down to the shoreline and then beneath the sea.

Recreates the life of the trappers who went into the unexplored Northwest and to California in the early 19th century.

Wood was the great medium of expression for Northwest Coast Indians and of all the woods they used, western red cedar was the greatest. Yet, because so much of the culture was entrusted to wood, a great deal has been lost to decay--but far from all. In the remote Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia totem poles and abandoned houses of Haida Indians are moldering silently back into the forest from which they came. Presents a close look at that past which will soon be lost and looks forward to the future when archaeological digs and museums can expand our knowledge of the Northwest Coast Indians. (Release of University of Washington Press)

In the viewpoint of Makah Indians, fishing is an ancient and fundamental way of life guaranteed them in perpetuity by their 1855 treaty agreement with the United States Government. "Ours wasn't an unconditioned surrender," they say. Yet the current controversy over apportionment of Washington salmon at times seems to the Indians an effort to take away their birthright. Part One gives background information by Makahs including their reminiscences about the past and comments on the future of their tribal salmon management programs. Part Two presents comments by Makah fishermen and elders concerning their treaty rights to fish for salmon and their previous giving-up of whaling, sealing and halibut rights which were also guaranteed them by treaty in exchange for ceding land. Includes discussion by Seattle lawyer Alvin Ziontz on Indian rights and comments by University of Washington fisheries professor Alan Hart and Washington State University archaeologist Richard Daugherty. Artifacts dealing with fishing found at Hoko River and Ozette are also discussed. (Release of University of Washington Press)

Continuing from Part One, Part Two presents comments by Makah fishermen and elders concerning their treaty rights to fish for salmon, and their previous giving-up of whaling, sealing, and halibut rights which were also guarenteed them by treaty in exchange for ceding land. Includes discussion by Seattle lawyer Alvin Ziontz on Indian rights and comments by University of Washington fisheries professor Alan Hart and Washington State University archaeologist Richard Daugherty. Artifacts dealing with fishing found at Hoko River and Ozette are also discussed. (A University of Washington Press film.)

An Algonquin chief and his wife fashion a watertight canoe

NOVA shows the Netsilik Eskimos of Pelly Bay and their traditional way of life and what happens when Western civilization is imposed upon them. Documents the dramatic contrast between the old and the new for the Eskimos, and their struggle to find meaning in their new lives.

Shows how the famous pioneer cinematographer Edward S. Curtis, made the first full-length documentary film of native Americans. In the Land of the War Canoes was made among the Northwest Coast Indians in 1914, eight years before Robert Flaherty completed Nanook of the North. Provides background on how Curtis came to make the film and the methods he used. Footage from the film is used, as are still photographs of Curtis on the set, of his Indian assistant George Hunt and actors, and of his props and scenery. In addition to previously unpublished photographs and documents, the testimony of Indians who were actors or spectators at the 1914 filming is recorded.

Presents a vital portrait of a warm human being and a consummate professional. She relates stories of her early struggles, both personal and professional, and reveals her inner strength and dedication to her art. Shown in her studio and in the field, the octogenarian is seen taking closeups at a flower show and in her studio photographing a nude model. A half century of her work is reviewed.

Presents a reenactment of a tribal story of love and revenge among the Kwakiutl Indians on the northwest coast of America as filmed in the summer of 1914 at Kwakiutl villages on Vancouver Island, Canada, by Edward S. Curtis who spent three years with the Kwakiutl to meticulously recreate their way of life before the white man came. In addition to magnificent painted war canoes, the film features native costumes, dancing and rituals -- including a powerful scene of vision quest. Edited and restored with the addition of an authentic sound track of music and chants recorded by the Kwakiutls in 1972.

Recreates the landmark experiment that demonstrated that human infants are born with very sophisticated perceptual mechanisms. Babies, too young to have learned the reaction, recoil from an approaching solid object. In another experiment an infant is given the opportunity to control the visual stimulation he receives and chooses more stimulation. Some of the experiments were conducted by faculty at the University of Washington.

The Inside Passage, a beautiful marine highway that winds from Puget Sound to the Gulf of Alaska, shows dramatically the impact man has had on this fragile environment. Its character has been changed, some say seriously threatened, since Captain George Vancouver navigated the wilderness in the late eighteenth century. Explores the beauty of the passage and the wide variety of animal and plant life encountered. It also calls attention to the delicate balance between man's demands and nature's ability to meet them.

A look at the history of Yesler Terrace, Seattle's first slum clearance and low-rent public housing project for low-income families. It was begun in 1939, completed in 1941, and open to low-income couples and families from all ethnic and racial groups. Shows the neighborhood before the work, the relocation of families and demolition of the site, the building of the development, and the neighborhood afterwards.

For more than three decades the works of painter Jacob Lawrence have been accorded the highest accolades. Among his numerous honors are Guggenheim and Rosenwald Fellowships, the Norman Harris medal of the Art Institute of Chicago and grants from the Academy of Arts and Letters and the Washington States Arts Commission. Documents Lawrence's art and philosophy as revealed by the paintings themselves--from the Harlem series of the 40s to the present, on campus at the University of Washington as he continues work on the Builders series. A University of Washington Press film.

Portrays the nature and beauty of Japanese calligraphy. Shows contrasts between traditional and modern calligraphy.

Presents the U.S. government's official explanation for the removal of 110,000 persons of Japanese descent from the Pacific Coast and their relocation in Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming.

During the Christmas season, ethnic identification and a need for community rekindle interest in tradition. The film invites you to participate in a Scandinavian-American Christmas to gain insight into the cultural pluralism of America. Narrated by a cross-section of Scandinavian-Americans in the Pacific Northwest, the film offers warm, personal glimpses of old-country activities in transition, from baking the Christmas flatbread in the early fall through ritual fortune-telling on New Year's Eve.

Chronicles the construction of King County's multi-purpose, domed stadium. Traces the stadium project from ground-breaking to completion. Reference to Pioneer Square and the history of the stadium site is included. Film of the inaugural ceremonies and dedication on March 27, 1976, is interwoven with construction scenes in a series of flashbacks. The arrival of the Seattle Sounders, the Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Mariners provides an additional dimension and meaning to the Kingdome and this presentation.

Follows Dr. Grace E. Howard (lichenologist) and Dr. Elva Lawton (bryologist), botanists from the University of Washington's Department of Botany, on a field trip in search of specimens for their lichen and moss collections. It shows them as they go to the habitats of lichens and mosses for the purpose of examining and identifying a few of the common and interesting species.

Describes the oldest fully documented discovery of early man in the Western Hemisphere--the remains of the Marmes man found in southeast Washington. Emphasizes the techniques which anthropologists, archeologists, geologists, and other scientists use in the field and laboratory to reconstruct man's past.

Examines the hibernation, reproduction, feeding, and social interactions of the Olympic marmot in his natural environment.

In An early history of the U.S. Mountain Rescue Association, Dee Molenaar, Jim Whittaker, Wolf Bauer, Dick Pooley and other key individuals involved in the early history of mountain rescue in the Pacific Northwest trace the development of mountain rescue teams in Washington and Oregon, including the first major operation on Mount McKinley in 1960. It also looks at mountain rescue today. Mountains don't care is a mountain safety film featuring Ome Daiber, with Jim and Lou Whittaker. Internationale Bergrettunstagung in Tirol has historic footage of early mountain rescue techniques developed by Wastl Mariner and others in Austria and Germany in the 1940's.

Compilation of newsreel highlights from the year 1940. Events including the Duke of Windsor arriving in the Bahamas, the battle of Britain, the military draft in the United States, mosquito boats, President Roosevelt defeating Wendell L. Wilkie, and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsing in the wake of heavy winds.

Visits Cape Alava, Washington, for a look at the archaeological excavations in Ozette, site of a Makah Indian village which was inhabited at least 2,000 years.

Focuses on Northwest painters Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Kenneth Callahan, Margaret Tomkins, Guy Anderson, George Tsutakawa, Paul Horiuchi, and Helmi Juvonen. Editing together statements from artists, patrons, members of the arts community with historic footage and rare photographs, this documentary examines regional characteristics of Northwest art, particularly that of the Puget Sound area from the 1930's to the 1970's as an account of the evolution of the artists and their environment.

Traces the consequences of the white man's desire for land and discovery of gold in Indian territory which resulted in massacres and the enforced exodus of the Sioux and many other tribes from their land.

Common cultural traits of many American Indian tribes is one aspect of the cultural unity on display during the Northwestern War Dance Contest held annually in Seattle. Groups and individuals from the western United States come together to compete in various styles of dancing--the war dance, the feather dance, the fancy dance and the hoop dance. A wide variety of regional as well as individual styles are shown in excerpts. The musical accompaniment is provided by groups of men and women singing and playing while seated around a single large drum.

Discusses temporary storage of nuclear fuel waste in storage pools. Explains the Canadian feeling that nuclear fuel waste must be put away in a place where you don't have to worry about it at all--ie. the hard rock of the Canadian shield. Examines the measures under consideration for permanent disposal taking into account such diverse factors as earthquakes, meteorites and a new ice age.

A Tolowe Indian of northern California demonstrates pressure flaking as a method of making obsidian arrow points. Considers other types of projectile points and discusses the uses and significance of many obsidian artifacts in aboriginal cultures.

Primarily for laymen, explains what oceanography is all about and shows how a scaled hydraulic model of Puget Sound is used by oceanographers to obtain a better understanding of this estuarine environment and to study potential problems relating to regional marine activities and resource use.

Illustrates the phenomenon of ovulation in the living animal by showing the mechanism whereby the ovulated egg is transported from the surface of the ovary into the oviduct and to the site of fertilization within the oviduct.

The Pasco-Kennewick Intercity Bridge is the first cable-stayed bridge built in the United States utilizing precast, prestressed concrete segments and a cantilever erection scheme. Follows the construction of the bridge from inception to opening. Emphasis is is placed on the most interesting aspects including: construction of and fabrication, erection and jacking of cables.

The first of two coproductions by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the National Film Board of Canada, People of the Seal, Part 1: Eskimo Summer is compiled from some of the most vivid footage ever filmed of the life of the Netsilik Inuit in the Pelly Bay region of the Canadian Arctic. Together, the two films provide insight and understanding of a culture now almost vanished, as they show the incredible resourcefulness of the Netsilik (People of the Seal) who have adapted to one of the world's harshest environments. Part 1: Eskimo Summer shows how Inuit families prepare for winter by hunting seal, birds and caribou and by fishing for Arctic Char during the extended hours of daylight.

The second of two coproductions by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the National Film Board of Canada, People of the Seal, Part 2: Eskimo Winter is compiled from some of the most vivid footage ever filmed of the life of the Netsilik Inuit in the Pelly Bay region of the Canadian Arctic. Together, the two films provide insight and understanding of a culture now almost vanished, as they show the incredible resourcefulness of the Netsilik (People of the Seal) who have adapted to one of the world's harshest environments. Part 2: Eskimo Winter shows how Inuit families gather in communities on the sea ice to harpoon seal as they come up through breating holes in the ice. Also seen is the mid-winter season, a time of intense socializing in the communal igloo, with games, contests and ceremonial activities.

Chronicles the Pilipino immigrants' journey as they leave their native land. They meet the daily problems of unemployment, inadequate housing, isolation, cultural shock and subtle discrimination. Presents the process of solving the problems by organizing for self-development and selfdetermination. Shows rural and urban settings, the pioneer and new immigrant, the educated and uneducated, those who are making it and those who are not, the professional and the non-professional, the young and the old.

Illustrates interaction of animals in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions where life exists in fewer numbers and kinds than in temperate zones. Documents principles of ecology governing predator-prey relationships, food chains, territories and the breeding success of selected animal species. Arctic scenes illustrate interaction among the brown lemming, the pomarine jaeger, the least weasel and the snowy owl. Antarctic scenes deal with parallel aspects among the adelie penguin, the south polar skua and the wendell seal.

Pollutants in water are not merely a matter of life and death. Long-term effects can severely influence fish populations. Research techniques in a modern physiology laboratory are examined. Fish with a variety of sensing devices implanted to monitor heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels and breathing movements are subjected to different types and levels of pollutants in order to determine the acceptable concentrations.

Presents a study on marine agriculture, a relatively new and undeveloped industry which is supplementing the fishing industry in the maritime provinces of Canada. Provides background on the general types of seaweed harvested, its industrial and popular uses and the need for continued scientific research in the area of seaweed farming if the industry is to grow and make use of this natural marine growth without upsetting the ecological balance of the sea.

A public relations film produced by the Space Needle Corporation. Contains historic footage of the erection of the needle. Tells all the facts about the building of the Space Needle, symbol of the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle. within the context of the city.

Demonstrates and describes the remarkable change in motility characteristics of rabbit spermatazoa as they pass through the male reproductive tract, from the seminiferous tubules and ductuli efferentes through to the cauda epididymidis and ductus deferens.

Presents a look at the Inuit people of Canada's Arctic through their distinctive artifacts and art and through the special environment in which they live. Remarkable for insights into Inuit heritage, the three "acts" focus on: the outer physical world, the inner spiritual world, and the disruptive impact of 20th century white man on ancient Inuit culture. Provocative music is performed on a synthesizer and was derived from the sounds of the North--wildlife and nature, culture and community.

Scenes of various group and individual dances, including the Buffalo dance, the Eagle dance, and the Hoop dance.

The film emphasizes the role of the Forest Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps in reviving the art of totem pole carving. A young man is shown carving a pole under the supervision of an older man in traditional attire, steps in carving a totem pole, various totem designs and their meanings are shown and discussed, restored community houses, two men wear Chilkat blankets, and Alaska Natives (mostly likely Tlingit) are showing singing and dancing as a thank you to the CCC. The bountiful timber resources of the Tongass National Forest are lightly touched on, but not discussed at length.

Includes material collected over several years from Pacific Northwest glaciers. Illustrates the flow of glacier ice over an icefall during periods of three to four months. From special time-lapse photography in tunnels the internal deformation of ice under pressure and the flow of a glacier over bedrock is illustrated. One time-lapse scene also illustrates the up-glacier retreat of a snowline during the summer.

Martin Fox, from Alberta, presents some of the history of the Blackfoot Indians. Using paintings and old photographs, the film shows the story of whisky traders exploiting the Indian tribes of Southern Alberta and the intervention of the North West Mounted Police in 1874 to drive out the whisky trade. The subsequent negotiations between the Government of Canada and the Blackfoot nation are depicted.

Washington State University professor Richard Daugherty & his students pursue their archaeological investigations at Cape Alava, where a longhouse buried by a mudslide 500 years ago, is being uncovered. Shows the scientific processes involved in restoring and preserving the more than 30,000 items taken from the excavation. Through the work of the team and the Makah Indians presently living in the area, reconstruction of the Makah's past is presented in a newly established museum.

Shows the importance of the University of Washington as a national and regional resource as important to the region as forests, water and other natural resources.

Shows Japanese folk potters at work using techniques that have remained relatively unchanged for over 250 years. Includes a description of their way of life and the methods used in clay-mixing, throwing, decorating and firing.

In 1896, Arthur J. Collins is a University of Washington alumnus doing graduate work at Harvard. Taken by the story of how George Washington took command of the American Army under an elm in Cambridge, Arthur decides to take a scion from the historic "Washington elm" back to Professor Meany and head gardener Ludwig Metzger at the UW. In 1927, Dean Condon receives a request for the return of the scion to replace the now-dead Cambridge elm tree, and in 1931 a grand-scion grown by Metzger from the UW elm does go back to Harvard University.

Jacques Cousteau tours the sea in the last surviving wooden whaling boat, views an experiment with a whale at Marine World in California and conducts a series of studies with whales in the open sea. Balloons, kites, small boats and underwater photography are used to investigate these giant mammals in the Indian Ocean.

Three generations of Tunisian women discuss the changes in the roles of women over the past twenty years. Changes in Tunisian law in 1956, 1957 and 1964 guaranteed women the right to vote, the right to sue, the right to hold public office and to abolish the marriage customs that were against the natural dignities of women. Shows the reluctance of the women of one family to claim their new rights and how the husband forced the wife to "give up the veil."