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Tom Radford (7)
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A Slow HelloTom Radford 1974 27 minThis short documentary introduces a new breed of cowboy: one with a Master's degree in Business Administration. Although this new cowboy is gradually phasing out the old romantic image, in British Columbia's beautiful Nicola Valley a few cowpunchers still remember the good old days and, when they can, relive them. This is a look at the cowboy's life in transition as the demands of the marketplace streamline the cattle industry. -
Triangle IslandTom Radford & Ray Harper 1979 13 minForty miles northwest of Vancouver Island lies Triangle Island, an ecological reserve and home of close to one million birds. Bristol Foster, head of the British Columbia Ecological Reserves Program, guides us across the island through colonies of birds and sea lions. He stresses the need of preserving the ecological balance for the survival of future generations.
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The Forests and Vladimir KrajinaTom Radford 1978 29 minVisually seductive, this film uncovers a few hard truths under the packaging. Dr. Vladimir Krajina, botanist and teacher, is waging a successful battle in British Columbia for the creation of ecological reserves. He explains the importance of such sanctuaries and why people must know and respect nature's laws if the future needs of industry and the desire for a high quality of life are to be reconciled.
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Every Saturday NightTom Radford 1973 27 minThis documentary short introduces us to The Badlanders, an Alberta band from the Drumheller area. When hard times came to southern Alberta during the 1930s, a generation of young musicians turned to their instruments to lighten the gloom and earn extra money by playing at Saturday night country dances. The film invites you to meet and listen to members of the original band, as well as some members of the younger generation who just don't dig the country music vibe.
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Man Who Chooses the BushTom Radford 1975 28 minFor five or six months at a time, Frank Ladouceur lives alone, trapping muskrat in the vast, desolate wilderness of northern Alberta. His family last visited him there some 14 years ago, and Frank’s own visits to the family home in Fort Chipewyan are few and far between. This is the story of an independent Métis man who is remarkably determined and self-sufficient, and who is ceaselessly called to return to the bush. Early experiences at Holy Angels residential school are recounted by his daughter. A Christmas play at the local school is presented in Cree. After a family Christmas meal, the fiddle and guitar are taken out and the Red River Jig begins.
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Honour of the CrownTom Radford 2001 47 minFrançois Paulette has devoted more than 25 years of his life to resolving a battle that is more than a century old. Senior negotiator for the Smith's Landing First Nation, Paulette is determined to see the Canadian government honour promises made to the Thebatthi (Chipewyan) people in an 1899 treaty. Shot in northern Alberta and Ottawa, Honour of the Crown is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the turbulent final years of this fight.
Plunged into seemingly endless negotiations, Paulette and his brother, Chief Jerry Paulette, struggle to reclaim nine tracts of land and $33 million in compensation. Featuring interviews with tribal, provincial and federal government representatives, this documentary provides a rare glimpse into one community's success in settling a 100-year-old treaty obligation of the Crown. -
China Mission: The Chester Ronning StoryTom Radford 1980 57 minTom Radford's documentary chronicles the life of Chester Ronning, best remembered for his close and longstanding relationship with China. Over the course of his life, Ronning worked as a cowboy, ambassador, college president, missionary and a member of the Alberta legislature. But throughout all of his careers, his lifelong ambition was to explain China to the western world. His story is a rare example of the meeting of East and West in a compassionate, remarkable man.
