Skip to content
Accessibility
Historical Perspectives (12)
-
The HorseMichael Mills 1978 1 minThis animated short illustrates how at one time horses provided man with unprecedented mobility and how the arrival of the iron horse brought this era to an end. -
C’est pu comme ça anymore (English Version)Michel Brault & André Gladu 1977 26 minSexton Rosie Pratte, fiddler Charles Pagé, and the last French-speaking families of Old Mines (Vieille Mine), Missouri, talk about life in the old days. They are descendants of French-Canadian voyageur-traders who settled in the Aux-Arcs mountains (Ozarks). A fragile memory that persists…
-
Eye Witness No. 63Jack Long & Walford Hewitson 1954 11 minThese vignettes from 1954 cover various aspects of life in Canada and were shown in theatres across the country. Subjects included here are: Veteran Steamer Ends Record Service: On the mountain-circled Arrow Lakes of British Columbia, the Minto, an old stern-wheeler whose service dates back to the 1890's gold rush, makes her last round of calls. Inside Story of a Lady's Mink Coat: From raw pelts to fur auction, to dressing plant to fashion designer, we follow the several stages in the manufacture of a beautiful, luxurious mink coat.
-
Fields of Endless DayTerence Macartney-Filgate 1978 58 minIn a series of dramatic and documentary episodes, Fields of Endless Day outlines the presence of Black people in Canada, from the 17th century to the wartime participation and activist groups of the first half of the 20th century. The film seeks to uncover the "roots" of Canada's Black population, tracing the history of their struggles and triumphs over a period of almost three hundred and seventy-five years.
-
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.
-
Land for Pioneers1944 16 minBoth exploration and the fur trade opened up Canada's Northwest Territories, a land for pioneers. The magic of gold once lured thousands into the Yukon, but greater riches lie east of the Klondike, imbedded in the rocks and tundra of the Canadian Shield. The farm areas, the fisheries, the forests, and the rivers of northern British Columbia and the Prairie provinces also promise wealth. The Alaska Highway opened up potential grain fields, and air routes form a close link with the busy centers of the South, encouraging industrial development.
-
Le P’tit Canada (English Version)Michel Brault & André Gladu 1979 29 minThis was the name given to French-Canadian neighbourhoods that sprung up around textile mills in New England. Historian Richard Santerre and the family of Rita Paquin talk about their lives and how song nights have managed to preserve a certain Quebec heritage to this day.
-
My Mother's VillageJohn Paskievich 2001 1 h 41 minIn a documentary that spans two continents and several generations, acclaimed director John Paskievich delves into the experience of exile and its impact on the human spirit.
Almost fifty years after his family fled Ukraine for freedom in Canada, the filmmaker visits his parents' homeland. It's a place both familiar and foreign. Drawing on his years growing up in Winnipeg, Paskievich explores how children of refugees and immigrants are caught between two worlds. While they struggle to put down roots in a new country, they must also preserve traditions of a distant land they have never known.
Paskievich's journey through Ukraine is interwoven with stories of displacement from other prominent Ukrainian Canadians--authors George Melnyk and Fran Ponomarenko, filmmaker Bohdana Bashuk, director Halya Kuchmij and dancer Lecia Polujan. A rich tapestry of memory and history, My Mother's Village brings to light the humour, anger, joy and complexity of living between borders. -
Men Against the IceDavid Bairstow 1960 28 minA look at the history of Arctic travel and the perils confronting early explorers in search of fabled riches and the Northwest Passage. Modern developments in air and sea navigation are also noted.
-
Postcards from Canada2000 41 minSweeping in from the frozen vistas of the Arctic to the frenzy of rush-hour traffic, from deep within the Canadian Shield to the orbiting Radarsat satellite, Postcards from Canada takes us on a whimsical trip through this magnificent nation. Narrated by Peter Gzowski, this film shows us the wonder of the wilderness, the impact of Canadians on the land and the ingenuity we have shown in turning huge obstacles into advantages.
Shot in stunning 35 mm, Postcards from Canada updates the popular 1967 film Helicopter Canada with breathtaking images and aerial photography. And like postcards themselves, these snapshots of Canada are tantalizing glimpses that will make you "wish you were here"--and be glad that you are. -
The Romance of Transportation in CanadaColin Low 1952 11 minA light-hearted animated short about how Canada's vast distances and great obstacles were overcome by settlers. The story is told with a tongue-in-cheek seriousness and takes us from the intrepid trailblazers of long ago to the aircraft of today and tomorrow.
-
Shining Mountains - Land of RichesGuy Clarkson 2005 47 minThis documentary from the Shining Mountains series explores the discovery of the Rockies by retracing the footsteps of its earliest European visitors. At first nothing more than an obstacle to fur trading, the Rockies became, with the arrival of the first CPR train, an all-too accessible Shangri-La, a playground for Easterners armed with easels, cameras and climbing gear. Here, the filmmaker joins modern-day adventurers and historians to relive these early explorations. It's a journey by dog team, locomotive, canoe and climbing party to the roof of the Canadian Rockies. From there, one can almost see forever, and that's the problem. The future is cause for concern.
