Encyclopædia Britannica Films

A visually experimental adaptation of the classic Frank Stockton short story.

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.

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 detailed account of the life and artistic journey of Michelangelo.

Follows Chaucer's pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, telling stories as they ride. Chaucer's England (1958) Shows some background scenery taken in England. Presents a dramatization of the 'PARDONER'S TALE.'.

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.

A sea captain harbors a mysterious swimmer who comes aboard at night. From the story by Joseph Conrad.

This short explores the early planning innovations and the subsequent mistakes that resulted in developing urban sprawl, suburbia, and gentrification in modern day US cities as well as the effects it had on its populace and industry.

Presents man's use and misuse of land throughout the country. Includes conservation measures now in operation and suggests further steps.

Life of a teenage outsider: what makes him that way and how his anger flares into violence.

This 1971 color anti-drug use and abuse film was produced by Concept Films and directed by Brian Kellman for Encyclopedia Britannica. “Weed: The Story of Marijuana” combines time-lapse, montage, illustrations, animation (by Paul Fierlinger and emigre Pavel Vošický) and dramatized, documentary-style interviews to survey the evolving role of cannabis in U.S. society, with emphasis on the legal risks faced by young people. A unique score of experimental synthesizer music is provided by Tony Luisi on an EMS VCS 3 “Putney”

An educational film about frogs produced by Encyclopædia Britannica Films, an educational film production company in the 20th century owned by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc.

An educational film about the nervous system produced by Encyclopædia Britannica Films, an educational film production company in the 20th century owned by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc.

A short film on early 1950s Iran.

Documentary concerning Baltimore's efforts at urban renewal with an emphasis on improving housing in the city's slums.

A short film explaining the difference between amphetamines and barbiturates in sometimes hilarious and often heartbreaking ways, through animation, stock footage shots of pills flying through the air, and meaningful interviews with doctors and addicts about their conditions.

Using a scientific discovery approach, the film explains what wind is, how it forms, and its effects on the environment and human life. It demonstrates how wind can be both beneficial and destructive, showcasing real-world examples of wind-powered work, hurricanes, tornadoes, and sandstorms. Through engaging visuals and scientific observations, the film provides a comprehensive look at the power of wind, making it an informative resource for meteorology, earth science, and environmental studies.

Dramatization short on British romantic poet John Keats.

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)

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.