People Apart

'People Apart' is a 1957 documentary film which attempts to demystify that most mysterious and terrifying of illnesses, epilepsy. It's aims are succinctly summed up by the above title card.

Here, an actor completely commits himself to demonstrating some of the physical symptoms of an attack.

These may look like snapshots from a torture chamber with a hair salon attached, but they actually depict an attempt to help and understand - albeit one that involves diodes and induces an epileptic seizure.

Fascinating, frightening stuff, brilliantly and sensitively realised.