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International Perspectives (17)
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180 Is MaxWilliam Pettigrew 1972 16 minThis short documentary invites us to Göteborg, Sweden, where the 23rd world championship match for builders of free-flight model aircraft was held in July 1971. The film follows the successful flights and the failures, as competitors, including a Canadian team, attempt to get their fragile handmade craft airborne by whatever means. -
At the CrossroadsMoira Simpson 1987 58 minThis feature documentary is an inquiry into Canada's economic troubles of the 1970 and '80s. The film summarizes the facts at hand, including some pre-NAFTA speculation about economic dependency on the United States. At roughly thirty percent, the Canada of a few decades ago was more foreign-owned than any other country in the world. Still, however, a great and stubborn national pride in our cultural and social idiosyncrasies persists, resulting in the confidence to look elsewhere besides the United States for economic alliances and models. This episode is the fifth and last part of the series Reckoning: The Political Economy of Canada.
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Almost GiantsGary Toole 1984 24 minIn recent years, Canada has risen from virtual obscurity in women's gymnastics to become one of the top ten countries in the world, directly behind the United States and Eastern Europe. Almost Giants takes a behind-the-scenes look at the training process--from young hopefuls in individual clubs to the selection of competitors for a berth on the national team. Highlights include the team's training and preparation for, as well as participation in, the 1983 World Championships in Budapest, where the Canadian National Women's Gymnastic Team finished in the top twelve.
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The Border Confirmed: The Treaty of Washington (1867-1871)Ronald Dick & Pierre L'Amare 1969 58 minThis documentary explores the years following Canadian Confederation, a delicate period in regard to American attitudes towards Canada. This was a critical time for the two countries, and the complex diplomacy of the Treaty of Washington is brought to life.
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Canada Communique No. 161945 11 minWhite Treasure: Salt used in the industrial front of World War II is mined at Malagash, Nova Scotia. Soviet Medal Awarded to R.A.F. Flier: British Flight Lieutenant Douglas Barber, training in Canada, receives the Soviet Medal for valor at the Soviet embassy in Ottawa. Boys From Under Prepare to Fight Japs: Australians and New Zealanders complete their training under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Also included is the Private Snafu film The Chow Hound, from the American Army-Navy Screen Magazine series.
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Children of WarPremika Ratnam 1986 25 minA short doc about teenagers from war and conflict zones. It focuses on the 1985-86 International Youth for Peace and Justice Tour – featuring young people from Central America, southern Africa and Northern Ireland – and depicts their interaction with Canadian high school students. Contains graphic accounts of violence.
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Canada and the American Revolution (1763-1783)Ronald Dick & Pierre L'Amare 1967 57 minThis feature documentary recounts the opposition between American revolutionaries and Canadian communities settled along the St. Lawrence River during the period leading up to the American Revolution. The flames of rebellion spread northward but Canada resisted encroachment.
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Dangerous Decades (1818-1846)Ronald Dick & Pierre L'Amare 1968 58 minThis documentary, part of a series from the late 1960s, focuses on the contest for the continental interior. It examines the American advantages and the problems plaguing Canada internally. It also looks at the Oregon and Maine boundaries, American anti-monarchism, and a potential sign of a "transcontinental nation to come."
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Flight 6Sydney Newman 1944 10 minThis short wartime documentary describes Canada’s airmail service in 1944. Every night, Trans-Canada Airlines Flight 6 crossed Canada from Vancouver to Montreal with its load of blue and yellow airmail bags, playing an important role in Canadian life and business. Three times a week, cargoes bound eventually for London, Moscow, Lisbon and Paris were flown to Scotland. Letters and parcels for prisoners of war, diplomats, business executives and soldiers went into a thirty-ton Lancaster. When decisions were vital and information had to travel quickly, Canada's air service proved its value.
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The Friendly Fifties and the Sinister Sixties (1850-1863)Ronald Dick & Pierre L'Amare 1968 58 minThis installment of a documentary series from the late 1960s takes us from the 1850s to 1863. We see several historical episodes from this period interwoven in a unique fashion. The film reveals the complex relationship between Great Britain, Canada, the North and the South—before, during, and after the American Civil War.
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Harder Than It LooksTina Viljoen 1986 28 minA penetrating look at how difficult it is for the northern countries--Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark--to remain neutral, caught as they are between the two superpowers. All but Canada were neutral before World War II. Today, only Sweden has not joined a military alliance, but with American and Soviet military forces in the northern seas, even its lone neutrality is at risk. Archival footage from the two world wars, animated maps, and interviews illuminate the historical shaping of each country's stance on neutrality and approach to its own defense, and how these positions work for and against the countries. The film's thesis is that a non-aligned north is the key to separating the superpowers and attaining world peace.
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In Bed with an ElephantKent Martin 1986 59 minThis feature documentary provides a gripping retrospective of United States-Canada relationships through a study of successive presidents and prime ministers. Using archival film footage, it demonstrates that Canadian prime ministers, from John A. Macdonald down, all began their tenures by making overtures to their American counterparts. Attitudes and outcomes have varied widely. The almost comic antipathy between Kennedy and Diefenbaker, for instance, is as palpable here as is the folksy camaraderie of Reagan and Mulroney. Part four of Reckoning: The Political Economy of Canada series.
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The Invasion (1775-1975)1976 10 minIn 1975, as a Bicentennial special, one thousand American history buffs put on period uniforms and re-enacted the 1775 march of General Benedict Arnold's troops into Québec. This short film takes a page of our history which has, perhaps, not yet been completely written.
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Kosovo: Fragile PeaceMoira Simpson 2002 53 minThis feature documentary offers a rare glimpse into the frontlines of democracy building through the eyes of a Canadian mother and her daughter. In the heart of Kosovo, an international mission struggles to bring democracy to a land torn apart by bloodshed. There, Canadian lawyer Carolyn McCool works to build bridges between Kosovo Albanians and Serbs, while her 20-year-old daughter Kate travels with a musical roadshow to generate grassroots support for the election among the youth.
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Multiple ManGeorges Dufaux & Claude Godbout 1969 15 minA many-faced view of humanity, of global man in all his forms and interests. Produced originally in 70 mm (with stereophonic sound) for showing at Man and His World, the Montréal fair that succeeded Expo 67, this film employs the multi-image technique. People of all places, origins, cultures, secular and religious, are here united and seen side by side, creating an impressive, inspiring and challenging portrait. The film's title appears in seven languages. Film without words.
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The New Equation: Annexation and Reciprocity (1840-1860)Ronald Dick & Pierre L'Amare 1968 58 minIn this installment of a documentary series from the late 1960s, we survey the period between 1840 and 1860. Canada considers its options—annexation, continentalism, free trade, and economic nationalism—while the "one continent, one nation, one flag" ideology enjoys strong support on both sides of the border.
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The War of 1812 (1783-1818)Ronald Dick 1967 58 minThis feature-length documentary looks at the Canadian-British-American struggle for the Ohio valley during the War of 1812, and how it contributed to American and Canadian nationalism. It also examines a few of the myths that emerged from the war with a very sardonic eye.
