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Britain on Film

Documentaries

Factual: History

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media: Arts

Using Rank's Look at Life documentary shorts to examine 1960s British society.

Using the Rank Organisation's Look at Life documentary shorts to examine British society during the 1960s.

BBC Four

Britain on Film: Series 1

Breid McLoone

David Okuefuna

Britain on Film: Series 1: Episode 8: Animal Magic

Factual: Pets & Animals

Animal Magic

Episode 8

Episode 8: Animal Magic

Series 1

BBC Four - Britain on Film, Series 1, Animal MagicSearch BBC

A look at 1960s short films documenting Britain's ambiguous relationships with animals.

A look at the 1960s short films that documented Britain's ambiguous relationships with animals, including the fur trade, fox hunting, animals in circuses and pets.

In 1959, Britain's biggest cinema company, the Rank Organisation, decided to replace its newsreels with a series of short, quirky, topical documentaries that examined all aspects of life in Britain. For the next ten years, Look at Life chronicled - on high-grade 35mm colour film - the changing face of British society, industry and culture. Britain on Film draws upon the 500 films in this unique archive to offer illuminating and often surprising insights into what became a pivotal decade. 

This episode examines Britain's ambiguous relationships with animals. Look at Life's coverage - which ranges from the fur trade, fox hunting and animal-based entertainments in circuses to our passion for pets - shows just how far attitudes to other species have shifted since the 1960s.

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Series using the Look at Life documentary shorts to examine 1960s British society.

Series using the Rank Organisation's Look at Life documentary shorts to examine British society during the 1960s.

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