51. The Novel: What It Is, What It's About, What It Does (33:54)

Date:
1962
Main contributors:
Clifton Fadiman, Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, C. Walter Hodges, Robert Johnson, Leon Bijou, Michael Livesey, John Barnes
Summary:
Presents Clifton Fadiman discussing the elements common to all novels--plot, characters, setting, style, and form; and illustrates basic concepts through use of dramatic excerpts. Examples are used to distinguish between horizontal and vertical novels. Excerpts from Pride and Prejudice and A Farewell to Arms are used to emphasize the range in style executed by authors. Dramatizations of selections from Moby Dick and the works of Charles Dickens are used to illustrate the special qualities which set good novels apart from those that are simply entertaining. Uses specific examples to show the author's ability to create a world that is unique and complete, peopled with believable, living characters.

52. The sea (27:20)

Date:
1962
Main contributors:
Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, Ralph Buchsbaum, Michael Birch, William Kay, H. Pederson, J. Bishop, W.G. Bell, W. Peltz, K. Knutson
Summary:
Depicts the world of the sea describing the geography of the ocean floor, plant and animal distribution, and scientific exploration. Shows life on the seashore, in tidal areas, in the semi-shallow coastal waters, in the open sea, and in the dark ocean depths. Describes the food chain from the tiny plankton to the larger fish. Points out that the sea has the richest variety of animal life on earth.

53. The Soviet challenge (the Industrial Revolution in Russia) (26:17)

Date:
1962
Summary:
Surveys two phases of the industrial revolution in Russia from 1917 to date--the rapid development of heavy industry which has transformed the nation's economy, and the continuing struggle to collectivize and develop the nation's farmland. Considers the effects of the Soviet plan on all phases of Russian life and the challenge it presents to all the nations of the free world.

54. The Universal Machine (28:50)

Date:
1962
Summary:
Comments on the fact that the computer revolution represents a fundamentally different kind of advance because, unlike past industrial advances, the computer manipulates processed information at incredible speeds. Explains the problem of what to use as a universal "machine language."

55. There be dragons (29:27)

Date:
1962
Summary:
Indicates that how science is used is man's responsibility alone. Opens in a hospital labor room where a woman is preparing to deliver her first baby. During the delivery, her semi-conscious mind conjures up a vision of scientific advances as they will relate to her child. Dreamlike sequences concerning science express the woman's apprehensions and hopes.

56. Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) (29:00)

Date:
1962
Summary:
Acknowledge as one of the greatest observational astronomers who ever lived, Tycho (TY-ko) Brahe (BRAH-ee) managed to make enormous strides without the help of telescopes. During his lifetime he discovered that comets are the product of interplanetary space rather than of the earth, as had long been believed. His inventions included a number of highly accurate instruments, and among his publications was a most valuable table of refractions. Toward the end of his life, he was joined by Johannes Kepler, who functioned as Brahe’s assistant and, after the great astronomer’s death, continued the work his friend had begun.

57. Weather : why it changes (10:19)

Date:
1962
Summary:
Shows the role of the large drifting air masses of the earth's atmosphere in causing over-all weather changes. Concentrates on the U. S. weather changes resulting from air masses drifting from the polar and tropical regions. Emphasizes the six important areas where these develop. Uses animation and cloud photography to explain warm, cold, and occluded fronts.