Synopsis
Images of Life begins with footage of a variety of daily activities, from cooking to working and tending to animals, carried out by humans across the globe (00:20-01:50). Produced in 1977 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the United States Agency for International Development, the film was written and directed by Gene Starbecker in collaboration with Hearst Metrotone Productions. The informational reel was one of three films and part of a larger space age series intended to show developing nations how new technologies could help improve living conditions globally. The narrator emphasizes that all people have the same basic needs and are subject to the circumstances and locations in which they were born. Lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water are resources for irrigation, drinking, and hydroelectricity (03:15-03:30). The film examines how decision-makers must use data to determine the best use of the environment's resources. At 04:03 we see overhead shots of land within a rain belt that has had extensive tree removal. The narrator emphasizes the importance of national planners using tools to determine the effects of decisions made regarding natural resources. Space technology offers a powerful tool to measure such effects on a grand scale. A view of earth from outer space is shown at 04:44. Earth Resources Satellite Technology, or Landsat, was developed and launched in 1972 by NASA to monitor the earth's landmasses. A graphic visual shows the unmanned…
Uploader's description on archive.org
Details
- Running time
- 25 minutes
- Collection
- Ephemeral Films
Subjects on the Internet Archive
- Stock Footage