Record

AV - Audio-Visual Archive
- 3 - Films

RefNo	AV/3/10
Previous numbers	LSA/1823
Previous numbers	7 - ARF1488
Level	Item
Title	Film BBC Horizon - 'Rutherford'
Creator	Brian Gibson for BBC 'Horizon' programme
Date	[1970]
Description	Horizon documentary entitled 'Rutherford' produced for the BBC by Brian Gibson. Film content: Archival footage - nuclear explosion Cavendish Laboratory Cambridge Clip from 'Rutherford' film of 1935 (AV/3/9) Family photos Sir Harrie Massey speaking on camera about Lord Rutherford - early life Archive footage early 1900s - Christchurch Canterbury College Science Department Photo of Rutherford's wife-to-be Cavendish Lab Cambridge and student photos 1898 Sir Edward Bullard speaks to camera - Rutherfords Radio Transmitter and receiver of 1896 Professor J J Thompson Experiment described - Bekerell Uranium - gold leaf electroscope for measuring Alpha and Beta particles Letter noting his time at Cambridge Early archival footage (nitrate originating source) - Montreal - Frederick Soddy Dr A S Russell interviewed - pupil of Rutherford - discusses Soddy Archival (originating nitrate) snow skating on pond Thorium salt - discussed - experiment shown 1904 book - Radio Activity - classic text. Illustration - disintegration of radium atom 1907 travel Europe and Nobel prize. Manchester University Physics Department Rutherford house and moter car - golf Manchester University footage 1908 experiment firing Alpha particles Theory - written in Rutherford hand founding Nuclear Physics Archival (originating nitrate) WW1 footage Written notes - first experiment - splitting the Atom HG Wells reference regarding Soddy and Rutherford inspiration Archival (originating nitrate) WW1 footage HG Wells predicts Atomic explosions 1919 Rutherford becomes Professor at Cavendish Lab Rutherford house in Cambridge Archival shots - home movie - children playing in garden Rostrum shots various - Rutherford 1928 Young scientists Walton and Cockcroft 1930s device for artificailly accelerating hydrogen atoms under huge voltages - constructed from old petrol pumbs, bits fo meta and a couple of tea chests - designed to achieve next phase in Nuclear Physics Professor E T S Walton discusses the above Press and Rutherford cautious dealings Lord Rutherford of Nelson Locomotive 5665 - seen leaving the train station Rutherford archive photographs - relaxing on beach and wonderful shot - floating in the sea Reference to his death in 1937. Bronze bust Final scenes - lab equipment being covered up whilst a recording of Rutherford is speaking Lecture room - chalkboard cleaned down. Lights switched off Fade to black - programme ends 16mm film Colour Sound: Optical 30 mins duration. Condition: Magenta Bias
Language	English
Extent	1000 feet - 30 minutes
PhysicalDescription	Length: 1,000 feet - 30 minutes (Running speed: @24fps); Film Stock: Colour Positive Print from Original neg. Reversal Master Single Perf. Other; 88816mm Colour B-Wind (Reversal) Print with Optical Sound Track. Presented: Head out/ Emulsion out. Wound on 3 inch film core. Countdown Leader. White Spacing Leader added at Head/Tail. NB; Print has suffered deterioration. Colour loss (Magenta colour bias - pink) Early warp evident.
AccessStatus	Open
AccessConditions	Digitised copy available. For more information contact library@royalsociety.org. Z:\AV archive\Digitised films
Copyright	BBC
AdminHistory	Horizon documentary produced to exceptional standard by Brian Gibson for BBC. Gibson was an award winning British documentary filmmaker turned successful director of American TV and film. As a fictional filmmaker, he displayed an affinity for music-oriented stories. Originally trained to become a medical doctor but shifted to filmmaking, joining the BBC as a scientific documentary filmmaker. He was one of the producers of 'Horizon' an acclaimed BBC series that ran for over 15 years. Hailed as the finest science programme on British TV, the series featured self-contained documentaries rather than magazine-style compilations and provided an excellent showcase for Gibson's science films, as well as the model for PBS's "Nova". Gibson left documentary filmmaking to make his American debut with the disappointing sequel, "Poltergeist II: the Other Side' (1986). He fared better on TV, with several high-profile TV movies and mini-series including "Murderers Among Us: the Simon Weisenthal Story" (HBO, 1989) and "Drug Wars: The Camarena Story " (NBC, 1990) The
RelatedMaterial	1 x Archival Gold DVD; 2 copies viewing DVD

Fellows associated with this archive

Code	PersonName	Dates
NA2443	Rutherford; Thomas (1712 - 1771)	1712 - 1771

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