Produced by the Douglas Aviation Company in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, the mid-1960s film The Priceless Laboratory gives viewers a glimpse of Antarctica and discusses the research being conducted there as well as the difficulties and dangers of conducting research in such an inhospitable place. The film opens with scenes of Antarctica’s landscape, including the continent’s high-altitude mountains (01:13), unique deserts, and fields of floating ice (01:47). A small wooden cabin (02:33) is partially built from wood used from the British Expedition of 1907. The film shows viewers more natural landscapes, including a ravine of ice (03:09) and more mountains. Footage shows man’s “invasion” of Antarctica: drills, buildings, planes, and tractors. Scientists and members of the military climb aboard a plane bound for Antarctica (04:27). An aerial shot shows a naval icebreaker ship cutting through the floating ice (05:00). Men unload cargo from a ship (05:38). The film presents viewers with a glimpse into the habitats and equipment of the men who temporarily call Antarctica home. A massive tractor drives on an airfield (06:23). A U.S. Air Force helicopter flies off over an ice field (06:34). Footage shows a small remote U.S. camp (07:03). Another aerial shot shows the massive ice shelf (09:18) on the Ross Sea, with its towering ice cliffs. Men walk along a salty lake (10:52), while others enter a snow cave and explore it (11:21), revealing ice formations that look similar to stalactites. Aerial footage shows Mt. Erebus (12:39), the continent’s only live volcano. A man examines some of the rare plant life found on the continent (14:14). The film then shows some of the wildlife of Antarctica. Eels, Orcas, and Great Whales call the frigid waters home (15:05). A seal playfully rolls around on the snow (16:00). A Skua, the “eagle of Antarctic,” flies overhead (16:27). Emperor penguins run along the snow (17:18); a penguin sits on its egg. A colony of Emperor penguins mingle around with their young (18:02). A man tends to devices used to measure the atmosphere, magnetic fields, and cosmic radiation (19:20; 21:50); July 1964 to July 1965 is the “International Year of the Quiet Sun,” where solar activity will be at a minimum, allowing for a survey to take place. Graphics are used to show the poles and how they interact with cosmic particles. There is a shot of a research station (21:37), and the Douglas Riometer Station with its riometer inside (22:10). A man surveys from the top of a mountain with the view of another mountain off in the distance (23:15). The film ends with a montage of footage of men looking into microscopes, testing samples, and taking in the view atop one of Antarctica’s mountains.
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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 www.PeriscopeFilm.com