Nails

1979 0h 13m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 10

Documentary

Synopsis

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This Oscar-nominated documentary short tracks the shift in the relationship of an individual to his work between the 19th century and today. Focusing on how nails are made, we first see a blacksmith laboring at his forge, shaping nails from single strands of steel rods. The scene then shifts from this peaceful setting to the roar of a 20th century nail mill, where banks of machines draw, cut, and pound the steel rods faster than the eye can follow.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Phillip Borsos
Languages: No Language
Countries: Canada

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

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Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 13-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

47 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Conway Baker. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Raymond Hall shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0079608 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 10 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Phillip Borsos directs. Michael Conway Baker scores. Raymond Hall cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Canada. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 13-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
247 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Original score by Michael Conway Baker. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Raymond Hall shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6IMDB entry: tt0079608 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 10 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Original score: Michael Conway Baker
Editing: Raymond Hall
Runtime: 13 min · 0h 13m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Nails (1979)

Also by

Phillip Borsos

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-04-01
★ 7/10
Yes, I know it probably shouldn't be, but this is actually quite a fascinating documentary about the production of the common or garden nail. Starting with the most rudimentary of skilled black-smithery, we follow the industrial processes that create these essential items of just about every size imaginable. Some of these procedures are more manual than others, but the sheer size of the operation to smelt and coil and cut and hammer these objects on everything from mass production lines to those manufactured using a small smithy and an anvil are included, illustrating well just how essential these sharpened bits of metal are to just about everything we build. You can almost smell the molten metal, and the repetitive thrusting of the machinery churns them out by the million, if not billion. Nails notwithstanding, this is an impressive look at the power of mass-scale engineering and is passes ten minutes effortlessly, too.

Production companies