A lot of people think that when film was first created the motives of filmmakers were very different than they are today. I exponentially disagree with this claim. The purpose of film hasn't changed but modern directors are working on a much different technological level with a clearer idea of how to tell a story and how their audience will respond. Film only has five purposes; to document, to entertain, to convince, to educate and to titillate. You won’t find this in any film book. It’s Shawn McLoughlin’s theory.

Film played a major role in WWII and every single propaganda film conformed to at least one of the “five purposes” (see Overlord for example). Seeing how useful this footage was, it wasn’t long before films were made with an even more limited and impressionable audience in mind; American schoolchildren. In the 1940s it was decided that children would react better to visual stimuli than a boring lecture, so 8 and 16mm film projectors were brought into the classroom to begin filling students' psyche with all sorts of well meant but often odd lessons.

There are four DVDs in this set, each featuring a collection of films with a similar theme. Describing all of these films to you would be an exercise in frustration so I'm just going to give you a rundown of my favorites.

Disc 1 – Sex and Drugs
If you can get past the titular absence of Rock & Roll, you’re gonna be awed by these fantastic films that teach us of the dangers of drugs and include early attempts at sex education. The best of the bunch? LSD: Case Study (1969), Know For Sure (1941), Marijuana (1968) and The ABC Of Sex Education For Trainables (1975).

LSD: Case Study is the first film on the disc and it sets the tone for the entire set. In it a woman describes her first trip on LSD. After taking the substance she goes to buy a hot dog which she thinks is talking to her… but she eats it anyway and thusly murders it. Awesome. Know For Sure tells us all about the dangers of Syphilis, both how to treat it and how to avoid getting it. The dully titled Marijuana is interesting because it’s hosted by Sonny Bono (The Sonny And Cher Show) who offers a relatively impartial defense of the drug. Unfortunately Sonny looks about as drugged as one can get, which kind of defeats the purpose. The ABC Of Sex Education For Trainables is an interesting oddity because it’s actually a film aimed at special education teachers and parents instead of the students themselves. It makes an interesting and commendable attempt to show the difficulties of working with mentally impaired people. It’s extremely fascinating.

In addition to these, you also get Human Growth, Narcotics: Pit Of Despair, Barbiturates: Case Study, It’s Wonderful Being A Girl, Amphetamines: Case Study, Social-Sex Attitudes In Adolescence, LSD: Insight Or Insanity? and finally, Heroin: Case Study.

Disc 2 – Social Engineering 101
Master your social graces with the films on this disc! Soapy The Germ Fighter (1951), Why Doesn’t Cathy Eat Breakfast? (1972), Manners In School (1959) and The Outsider (1951) are my favorites.

Soapy is a psychedelic trip of a film with a talking bar of soap explaining good hygiene to a child named Billy who thinks washing is for sissies. Bonus points for the horribly bland narration preceding Soapy’s arrival. Cathy is asked the titular question - why don't you eat breakfast - repeatedly throughout the film as she prepares for school, but a better questions would be “what are you doing in my house, narrator?” Manners In School is, like Soapy, one mindfuck of a film. The ill-mannered Larry is advice about his behavior by an animated chalk drawing named, naturally enough, Chalky. The script is hilarious, and the child who plays Larry (uncredited) does so with an unabashed glee. “What d’ya want me to do, curtsey when I come to school?” Finally, The Outsider offers insight into the life of a very Southern and very bi-polar girl who thinks everyone in her school is picking on her and talking about her behind her back. Brilliant.

Other films on this disc include Lunchroom Manners, Appreciating Your Parents, Shy Guy, Right Or Wrong?, Personality & Emotions, and Why Vandalism?

Disc 3 – Driver’s Ed
Probably my favorite of all the discs, and the most consistently entertaining, this compilation actually has a number of films that my incredibly out-of-date high school actually ran when I attended in the late 90’s. The best of the bunch are Tomorrow’s Drivers (1954), The Talking Car (1969), the infamous The Last Prom (1980) and Highball Highway (1963).

Tomorrow’s Drivers (made here in Phoenix) involves a training course where kindergarteners drive mini cars in a controlled environment. The idea is to learn good traffic behavior long before they are the legal age to drive. Adding to the awesomeness of the whole deal, Jimmy Stewart (Vertigo) narrates the film. The Talking Car teaches children to look both ways before crossing, not to dash into streets, etc.. Who’s the kid with talking cars in his dream? It’s none other than Brian Forster of TV’s The Partridge Family! The Last Prom wasn’t shown in my high school, but was used for many years and is still talked about by driver’s ed students like an urban legend. It’s a gory tale of high schoolers who get blitzed at their prom, drive off and get into a very bad accident. The driver survives, but has to live life knowing his friends’ deaths are his fault. As outdated as the fashions, vehicles, and music are, it’s incredibly effective. Thanks to The Educational Archives, I finally got to see the film that was only talked about in hushed voices. In the similarly themed Highball Highway a man loses his leg in an accident and while bedridden contemplates the fates of his passengers. It’s a bit classier than the previous film, which aimed to shock.

The remaining films are Joy Ride, Alco Beat, The Bottle & The Throttle, Safety Belt For Susie, I Like Bikes, But… and The Crossroads Crash.

Disc 4 – On the Job
The final disc is less about the classroom than the real world. Most of these are instructional videos that you might see at a recruiter’s office, or during orientation at a job. I thought this would be the least interesting disc in the set but I really enjoyed it. The stand outs are Promotion By-Pass (1958), The Trouble With Women (1959), Shake Hands With Danger (1980) and Purely Coincidental (1970).

in Promotion By-Pass, a guy who's too old for the job he yearns for gets passed up by a younger more vibrant candidate. He tells his boss to piss off (in so many words). The hilariously titled The Trouble With Women deals with one sexist sonuvabitch trying to talk his recruiter out of hiring so many women, but in turn is taught the importance of women in the workplace. Shake Hands With Danger, a hilariously staged and bloody accident packed spectacle, is meant to scare machinists into making sure they pay attention and know how to operate the machines.This single film is worth the price of the set. Pay extra attention to the theme song, which is 24-karat comedy gold. Finally, Purely Coincidental shows employees of two different food plants dealing with the tragic consequences of the other employee’s “purely coincidental” actions. But it also makes you think about giving up eating altogether when you see how unsanitary these food plants look.

Rounding out the disc are Down & Out, Barbers & Beauticians, You & Your Work, When You Grow Up, The Grapevine, How To Keep A Job, Hidden Grievance and All Together.

The Educational Archives is a monument to both nostalgia and misinformation. You really owe it to yourself to check it out if you think you’re at all interested. I highly doubt that you’ll be disappointed. These films are far more entertaining now than they were in their day.

The DVD Presentation
How do these films look? Well to be quite honest, most of the films look really bad. There are horrible jump cuts due to missing frames, scratches all over the prints and various other signs of bad damage. But it's all part of the charm of the classroom experience. Audio is…well… audible. You can clearly hear what is being said. On discs 3 & 4 there is a 5.0 option which is interesting and will be further elaborated on in the special features section.

So yes, the films look and sound like shit. This type of treatment on say, Gone With The Wind would have people up in arms, but its entirely appropriate for the films in The Educational Archives. Another great thing about this set is that Fantoma included notes on each film, helping to put them in perspective. These can be seen if you select the film index instead of “Play All.” Subtitles would have been nice for those that need them.

And the Extras Are?
Bonus Interactive Filmstrips (Discs 1 & 2)
On the first couple of discs we get a slideshow in addition to the films. If any of you remember these in the classroom, they probably came with an audio tape that beeped when it was time to go to the next slide. On DVD they're silent and set up like a standard photo gallery. You hit “Next” to move through the screens. Disc one includes We Grow: Film 7 – Growing Things a 23 frame short about a young boy learning how children grow into adults. Disc two features Your Fight Against Fear a 41 frame short about fears and the importance of finding ways to overcome them. I enjoyed these, especially the fear film since it shows what people feared at the time. One female character is worried about performing as a wife when she is just getting out of high school! I wish they included these on the other discs.

Optional “Classroom Experience” (Discs 3 & 4)
On the last two discs, a 5.0 audio option is available. Dubbed “The Classroom Experience,” all the sound from the films is pushed to the front speakers while the rear speakers are filled with the flickering of a projector. This is a pretty cool option as it does make you feel like you’re in a classroom, but I don’t know why it’s only available on two of the discs.

Limited Edition Lunchbox Packaging (w/ Thermos)
The packaging is kick ass! A fully fledged tin lunchbox (embossed with film reels and images from the films) houses a real thermos just like you used to take to school as a kid. All four of the discs are in clear CD-style jewel cases and the liner notes for the discs are in a little folder that is inspired by the classic Pee-Chee style folders. It’s awesome.

The Bottom Line
Light on extras, but overboard with awesome content, The Educational Archives is a must for anyone who fondly remembers threading film through the classroom projector. Even if you aren’t one of those, you'll still love the kitschy and often outdated "information" that these classroom films will deliver. LSD, The Last Prom, Soapy The Germ Fighter, The Talking Car and The Trouble With Women? All of these are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

If you’re at all interested, rent a disc. Don’t delay on purchasing though; only 10,000 individually numbered copies of this beautiful set were made.