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Made in Canada
Oh, nostalgia! Take a trip down memory lane with this collection of films that paint a slightly different picture of our nation than we know today.
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The National ScreamRobert Awad & David Verrall 1980 27 minThis lively satire uses animation and a pseudo-documentary style to depict Canada's search for a national identity. The National Scream explains, amongst other elements of Canadiana, how and why the beaver became the country's symbol. -
The RailrodderGerald Potterton 1965 24 minThis short film from director Gerald Potterton (Heavy Metal) stars Buster Keaton in one of the last films of his long career. As "the railrodder", Keaton crosses Canada from east to west on a railway track speeder. True to Keaton's genre, the film is full of sight gags as our protagonist putt-putts his way to British Columbia. Not a word is spoken throughout, and Keaton is as spry and ingenious at fetching laughs as he was in the old days of the silent slapsticks.
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Log Driver's WaltzJohn Weldon 1979 3 minEasily one of the most often-requested films in the NFB collection, this lighthearted animated short is based on the song “The Log Driver’s Waltz” by Wade Hemsworth. Kate and Anna McGarrigle sing along to the tale of a young girl who loves to dance and chooses to marry a log driver over his more well-to-do competitors.
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PrecisionGeorges Dufaux 1966 9 minThis short film showcases the famed Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride. The Musical Ride features RCMP officers and their horses engaged in a sophisticated set of exercises and drills choreographed to music. The camera captures the magic of the event, following along at every angle and even offering an awe-inspiring bird’s eye view. Music, colour, movement, and horsemanship combine to produce a breathtaking spectacle.
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Who Are We?Zlatko Grgić 1974 9 minThis short animation takes us on a humorous tour through the varied phases and faces of Canadian history, but the goal of defining a national identity doesn’t prove simple. The film sees Canadians as pragmatists, adaptable to whatever circumstances they encounter. It’s a boisterous, bubbling analysis of the Canadian character and although it may not answer the question of the film’s title, it certainly has fun trying.
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MomentumColin Low & Tony Ianzelo 1992 20 minGo head-to-head with an icebreaker. Plunge down a twisting mountain gorge. Soar through the clouds in the nosecone of a jet, then speed along with a dog team as it races across a frozen Arctic lake. A sweeping, moving tribute to Canada's stunning geography and rich cultural heritage, Momentum leaps off your screen--and touches your heart. Filmed entirely in IMAX, this film wowed audiences from around the world when it premiered at Expo 92 in Seville, Spain, the greatest world's fair of the last quarter century.
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Instant FrenchAndré Leduc 1979 1 minThis animated short is a take on the "As Seen on TV" commercials, or the K-Tel ads of yesteryear. In this parody version, the ad attempts to sell an electronic device that allows one to speak fluent, effortless French.
Please note that this film was produced in 1979 and reflects certain attitudes and thinking of its era. The last scene of the film includes negative stereotyping of Jews living in Quebec. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. While the film does not represent today’s views as perspectives of Canadians (and the NFB) have evolved and we have become more conscious regarding issues of discrimination and minority rights, the film is presented in its original version because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these stereotypes never existed. -
The MoveLarry Bauman 1985 5 minIn this short documentary from the Canada Vignettes series, a Saskatchewan grain elevator is moved across the snow-covered prairie to a new home after nearly a half-century of use; from Greenstreet to Marshall, Saskatchewan (about 20 miles away). The film follows the lifting and transporting of the 9-storey, 200-ton structure, and examines the feelings of the people as they witness the final passing of their town's one and only grain elevator.
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Propaganda MessageBarrie Nelson 1974 13 minVIEWER ADVISORY
Produced in collaboration with Information Canada, a branch of what’s now the Department of Foreign Affairs, this sponsored short film is an ad for national unity in Canada. In this satirical view of Canadian society, a series of images and words illustrate various prejudices, serving as a pretext to show that despite their differences, Canadians from all backgrounds form a unified nation thanks to federalism. Today, some of the cultural depictions and language in the film are considered outdated and offensive.
A cartoon film about the whole heterogeneous mixture of Canada and Canadians, and the way the invisible adhesive called federalism makes it all cling together. That the dissenting voices are many is made amply evident, in English and French. But this animated message also shows that Canadians can laugh at themselves and work out their problems objectively. -
FacesPaul Bochner 1978 1 minThis short animation attempts to show the landscape of Canadians through a series of transforming faces -- young, old and from many different backgrounds, illustrating the great variety of people living in the country.
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William Shatner Sings O CanadaJacob Medjuck 2011 5 minWhen William Shatner gets a Lifetime Achievement Award from Canada's Governor General, he shows appreciation as only Shatner can. In this short film, the most famous space cadet in showbiz takes helm of our heritage and treats us to a memorable rendition of Canada's national anthem.
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The Maple LeafPaul Bochner 1978 1 minIn this animated short, the maple leaf on the Canadian flag turns into two profiles that illustrate the many relationships between people.
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Impressions of Expo 67William Brind 1967 8 minThis short film served as an invitation to the World's Fair that was held in Montreal in 1967. It was largely considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century with over 50 million visitors. The film presents impressions of the event and of Montreal at its liveliest and most exciting moment in history.
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Trans Canada SummerRonald Dick , Jack Olsen , … 1958 56 minThe camera follows the Trans-Canada Highway from east to west, revealing the people, the resources and the geography of Canada. Included are some of the engineering feats accomplished in the building of the highway.
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Helicopter CanadaEugene Boyko 1966 50 minThis short documentary offers a narrated tour—from a helicopter—of the ten Canadian provinces in 1966. The result is a big, beautiful and engrossing bird's-eye portrait of the country. Nothing here is quite the same as seen before, even Niagara Falls. Canadians will be thrilled by this panoramic view of familiar territory. This film was produced for international distribution on the occasion of the Canadian centennial.
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The Voyageurs1964 19 minThis short film tells the tale of the men who drove big freighter canoes into the wilderness in the days when the fur trade was Canada's biggest business. The film recreates scenes of the early 19th century with a soundtrack by an all-male chorus.
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How to Build an IglooDouglas Wilkinson 1949 10 minThis classic short film shows how to make an igloo using only snow and a knife. Two Inuit men in Canada’s Far North choose the site, cut and place snow blocks and create an entrance--a shelter completed in one-and-a-half hours. The commentary explains that the interior warmth and the wind outside cement the snow blocks firmly together. As the short winter day darkens, the two builders move their caribou sleeping robes and extra skins indoors, confident of spending a snug night in the midst of the Arctic cold!
