Legendary Canadian Poets on Film (Ages 15-17)
Explore the lives and work of literary icons such as Margaret Atwood and Leonard Cohen with this selection of films dedicated to Canadian poets. Pour visionner cette sélection en français, cliquez ici.
Explore the lives and work of literary icons such as Margaret Atwood and Leonard Cohen with this selection of films dedicated to Canadian poets.
Pour visionner cette sélection en français, cliquez ici.
Playlist
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Margaret Atwood: Once in AugustMichael Rubbo 1984 57 minIn Margaret Atwood: Once in August, filmmaker Michael Rubbo attempts to discover what shapes the celebrated writer's fiction and what motivates her characters. As one of Canada's most distinguished poets and novelists, Atwood is also one of this country's most elusive literary figures.
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Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr. Leonard CohenDonald Brittain & Don Owen 1965 44 min
This informal black-and-white portrait of Leonard Cohen shows him at age 30 on a visit to his hometown of Montreal, where the poet, novelist and songwriter comes "to renew his neurotic affiliations." He reads his poetry to an enthusiastic crowd, strolls the streets of the city, relaxes in this three-dollar-a-night hotel room and even takes a bath.
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Higher Than Flames Will GoMonique LeBlanc 2020 1 h 43 min
An adaptation of Louise Dupré’s acclaimed book of poetry, Higher Than Flames Will Go is a moving meditation on the vital importance of taking care of our children, a task that remains essential to humanity’s salvation.
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Ten Million Books: An Introduction to Farley MowatAndy Thomson 1981 25 min
Farley Mowat has sold more books than any other Canadian writer – 10 million copies in 22 languages in 50 countries. In this short film, Mowat recalls some of his experiences that have found their way into his work.
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Still Waters: The Poetry of P.K. PageDonald Winkler 1990 38 min
This short film encapsulates the life of P.K. Page, a Canadian woman who has reached international stature as both a painter and a poet. Through an exploration of her life and art, the film shows how her powerful works have extended beyond their inherent confines into the realms of anthropology and ecology.
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Listening for Something... Adrienne Rich and Dionne Brand in ConversationDionne Brand 1996 55 min
The nation, the country, where do we belong in it? In this film through conversation and poetry two poets meet for the telling and the listening. Adrienne Rich is a distinguished American feminist poet, and author of numerous books of prose, poetry, essays and speeches. Dionne Brand is a Trinidadian-Canadian femininst poet, writer and filmmaker. Incisive and inquisitive, the two women meet to discuss the world as they each see it. Claiming any subject, they talk about events as they see them, analytic, contemplative, honest and open ended. Topics include political issues, feminism, racism and lesbianism, among others. The viewer is invited into the exchange by the familiar images of two women talking intimately around a kitchen table, in corridors, or casually outdoors in the United States, Tobago and Canada. Shot in black and white and in colour, the conversation takes us over the territories of their poetry.
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F.R. Scott: Rhyme and ReasonDonald Winkler 1982 57 min
This feature documentary looks at the multi-faceted career of F.R. Scott (1899-1985), a Canadian poet, thinker and constitutional expert whose work and vision of social justice spanned and influenced an entire era. The film looks at Scott's role in the founding of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Party in the 1930s, his years as a teacher of constitutional law, as a modernist poet, and as a champion of civil liberties. Highlights include Scott's courtroom challenges of the Duplessis regime in the 1950s, his controversial support of the War Measures Act during the 1970 October Crisis in Québec, and readings from his poetry.
