This 1961 film from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale was made with help from a grant from the U.S. Office of Education, Department of Health Education and Welfare. “No, But I Saw the Movie” uses animation and live action to explain the resources of a modern library, tracing the history of recorded communication from cave paintings to modern art and from clay tablets to microfilm.
The film provides a humorous approach to the history of recorded communication from cave paintings and clay tablets to modern art and microfilm.
It begins with a cartoon that illustrates the challenges a caveman would face in contemporary times (0:40). It then proceeds to showcase early versions of alphabets (1:33), including a cuneiform tablet (2:01), a papyrus scroll (2:22), a wax-coated wooden tablet and slate (3:10), and an ancient book (3:23). The audience is then shown a monk copying an illuminated manuscript (3:33), followed by images of ornate book pages (3:43-3:52). Additionally, the film presents a drawing of a university (4:23) and an old book attached to a chain (4:28), before displaying Johann Gutenberg and his printing press (5:41). The modern library is then shown (6:25), followed by a mock movie titled “Dust Jacket Varieties” (7:04) and a collection of book covers, including works by authors such as Sam and Beryl Epstein, Mary Shelley, and Mark Twain (7:02-7:57). The film showcases an old document scanner, a record player, and art within the library (8:18-8:30), as well as an old film projection device (8:48) and a card catalog cabinet (8:50). The audience is presented with various books, including Calvin’s Doctrine of the World and Sacrament by Wallace Eerdmans (9:11) and General Zoology by Tracy I. Storer (9:53). The film also briefly features a man reading Hitler: A Study in Tyranny by Alan Bullock (10:12), and the Encyclopedia of Jazz by Leonard Feather (10:28). The narrator emphasizes that in this world, one cannot rely on native talents, otherwise you will be unequipped to understand the world. He then highlights the importance of the library (11:07-11:40) before bringing the film to a close (12:06).
Produced through the Department of Instructional Materials, Paul Wendt, and Ralph McCoy was the Director of Libraries at SIU.
Written and directed by J. Joseph Leonard.
Design and animation by James Sappenfield.
Edited by Donald Staples.
Photographed by Donald Staples, Keith Hawkins, Donald Magary, and Frank Paine.
Music by Glen Daum.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
