Oddball Films presents Mysteries of the Unexplained, a program of 16mm films exploring those mysteries of the universe that have haunted and fascinated us for centuries including Stonehenge, telekinesis, The Loch Ness Monster, Easter Island and (of course) extraterrestrial life; some silly, some serious and all on 16mm film from the archive. Rod Serling narrates the haunting and ponderous In Search of Ancient Astronauts (1973), a documentary that seeks to examine the link between aliens and the ancient world; giving responsibility to the star children for everything from the Mayan calendar to the Pyramids in Egypt. Discover the secrets of a teenage psychic and his incredible telekinetic powers with "The Poltergeist Boy" in Matthew Manning: Study of a Psychic (1974). Travel to Easter Island (1969) and ponder the methods and meanings behind those giant heads in one laughably inept travelogue, and explore the enigmatic monument that still has more secrets to reveal in Stonehenge: Mystery in the Plain (1982). Di$ney wants you to explore the lore of the elusive monster that has eluded its own verification for decades, Nessy, so they decided to animate her in Man, Monsters, and Mysteries (1973), a fun and fascinating look at the human need to create their own mythologies. Plus, come early for NASA-sponsored extra-terrestrial film Who's Out There (1975), narrated by Orson Welles and featuring a young Carl Sagan.
Date: Thursday, April 9th, 2015 at 8:00PM.
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco
Admission: $10.00, limited seating RSVP to: 415-558-8117 or RSVP@oddballfilm.com
Featuring:
In Search of Ancient Astronauts (Color, 1973, excerpt)
An edited version of the 1970 German documentary "Erinnerungen an die Zukunft" (Chariots of the Gods), this examines the theory that aliens have landed on Earth in ancient times and were responsible for many of mankind's oldest mysteries including the pyramids, Easter Island, Stonehenge and more. Demonstrates these fascinating theories with visual "proof" from the ruins of ancient civilizations across the world. Narrated by The Twilight Zone's own Rod Serling.
Matthew Manning: Study of a Psychic (Color, 1974)
Discover the secrets of Britain's own "Poltergeist Boy". Based on the teen psychic's bestselling book "The Link", this film covers Manning's first psychic experiences and how his powers developed, from the terrifying outbursts of poltergeist activity at school and the hysteria it produced, through his discovery and use of automatic writing to channel his energies to more creative work. Also, it covers the medical diagnoses, his metal-bending, remarkable pictures, and his collaboration with many of the world's leading scientists, from a Nobel Prizewinner in physics to major figures in the field of parapsychology.
Easter Island (Color, 1969)
The mystery story of a small south Pacific Island famous for its giant stone figures, twenty to seventy feet high, unlike those of any other time or place. Set on stone platforms these figures, with their backs to the sea, stand for miles like an army at attention. Equal parts travelogue and incompetent ethnographic exploitation this film explores the "Why” of the giant carved heads on Easter Island leaving us with absolutely no more information than before we started. Big heads and a deadpan monologue clue us in to these “mystery heads”. A howler!
Man, Monsters and Mysteries (Color, 1973, Les Clark)
Ever wonder whether or not the Loch Ness monster is real? Well, here’s your chance to get a deep look into the age-old monster lore. This Di$ney-made film uses animation and live-action to provide information and entertainment on the historical controversy over the Loch Ness Monster. It acquaints students with the nature of scientific fact and objectivity. It also demonstrates the importance of the history of science and its relationship to political history. Lastly, it outlines the significant role imagination has played in the great scientific discoveries and to encourage the students to use such qualities.
Stonehenge: Mystery in the Plain (Color, 1984)
This film shows the beauty of Stonehenge and the myths and legends that encourage nearly a million visitors to make a pilgrimage to the site each year. Traces the history of this ancient stone circle on the Salisbury Plain, documents the efforts of scientists and others to unravel the secrets of the ancient observatory, and describes the myths and legends that surround it.
For the Early Birds:
Who’s Out There (Color, 1975)
This NASA-sponsored documentary, hosted and narrated by Orson Welles, explores progressive scientific views about the possibility (or mathematical probability) of extra terrestrial life in the universe. A panel of eminent astronomers, including Carl Sagan, discusses the hypothetical circumstances of contact with such extra terrestrial others. At the beginning of the film, Welles talks briefly about his notorious CBS War of the Worlds broadcast, which many listeners of the program mistook for an actual news report. Several of these listeners speak about the experience.
About Oddball Films
Oddball films is the film component of Oddball Film+Video, a stock footage company providing offbeat and unusual film footage for feature films like Milk, documentaries like The Summer of Love, television programs like Mythbusters, clips for Boing Boing and web projects around the world.
Our films are almost exclusively drawn from our collection of over 50,000 16mm prints of animation, commercials, educational films, feature films, movie trailers, medical, industrial military, news out-takes and every genre in between. We’re actively working to present rarely screened genres of cinema as well as avant-garde and ethno-cultural documentaries, which expand the boundaries of cinema. Oddball Films is the largest film archive in Northern California and one of the most unusual private collections in the US. We invite you to join us in our weekly offerings of offbeat cinema.
