Safe In Port

★★★★ · Great scenery and color · Visual16 · 2005-09-17

Having watched all the Frith films on the site, I have developed a special love for them. The camera work is well done, I think they used a Bell and Howell camera, and the color is out of this world. Unlike most of the Technicolor films on the site, these have magical blue, brown, olive green tones that used a different type of color film. I like the narration and script because it isn't condescending like many other educational films. Safe in Port continues the vibe of Oil Today and the Customs films. There are moments of intense focus and beauty. Perhaps the fact that the subject matter was…

★★★ · Sam REALLY needs to get some friends. · Spuzz · 2004-06-21

Sam and Mack.... you know, from 'Mother Mack trains her puppies??' (rolls eyes like you havent seen anything here) hang out on the dangerous rocks of the seashore and witness, of all things, a pier being built. While I'm always for seeing stuff built (especially stuff I havent seen being built before on film!) I sorta wonder where Frith films GETS their topics for their films.. I mean puppies? Ship docking? Kids getting hit by cars? Fire? It's all very quizzical. Anyways the film is not bad on a kids level, older people may sort of get bored.

★★★ · Clay and sand · Steve Nordby · 2004-06-26

Frith films, purveyor of the wimpy "Jay Can Do It", shows a different boy, a REAL boy, Bobby, watch the erection of a pier. Bobby wants to see the men at work, hang out with them, check out their pipes, and inspect the large lumps of clay. Pile drivers. Wood that stays firm and straight. Steel rods. 15 tons of rock. I think the Frith film people just looked around saying "Hey, we're in Los Angeles and it's growing fast. Let's make a movie about something!" But there is actually some interesting information about how piers and breakwaters are built in this film, which elevates it above the…