This short documentary offers a satirical history of Halifax, written and sung in honour of the city's founder by balladeer James Bennet. Clad in period costumes, Bennet travels through time against a background of old photographs and paintings, archival and contemporary film footage, until he ultimately finds himself in the midst of the city's present-day building boom.
This short documentary offers a satirical history of Halifax, written and sung in honour of the city's founder by balladeer James Bennet. Clad in period costumes, Bennet travels through time against a background of old photographs and paintings, archival and contemporary film footage, until he ultimately finds himself in the midst of the city's present-day building boom.
Edward Cornwallis, the British governor of Nova Scotia from 1749 to 1752, was a man whose career was marked by violence against Mi’kmaq. Because of his views regarding racial superiority, should his statue be removed and all public commemorations of him be stopped? Explain. How should we proceed when commemorations of individuals like Cornwallis no longer fit today’s ethical standards? If statues of controversial and problematic figures are removed, does this contribute to the erasing of history?
Ballad to Cornwallis, Diane Beaudry, provided by the National Film Board of Canada