Grierson
1973
57 min
Coming soon
This feature film is a portrait of John Grierson, the first Canadian Government Film Commissioner and founder of the National Film Board in 1939. Interweaving archival footage, interviews with people who knew him and footage of Grierson himself, this film is a sensitive and informative portrait of a dynamic man of vision. Grierson believed that the filmmaker had a social responsibility, and that film could help a society realize democratic ideals. His absolute faith in the value of capturing the drama of everyday life was to influence generations of filmmakers all over the world. In fact, he coined the term …
Details
This feature film is a portrait of John Grierson, the first Canadian Government Film Commissioner and founder of the National Film Board in 1939. Interweaving archival footage, interviews with people who knew him and footage of Grierson himself, this film is a sensitive and informative portrait of a dynamic man of vision.
Grierson believed that the filmmaker had a social responsibility, and that film could help a society realize democratic ideals. His absolute faith in the value of capturing the drama of everyday life was to influence generations of filmmakers all over the world. In fact, he coined the term "documentary film."
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directorRoger Blais
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producerRoger Blais
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executive producerDavid Bairstow
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commentaryDonald Brittain
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photographyEugene BoykoLewis McLeodMichel Thomas-d'HosteMagi TorruellaJacques Fogel
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animation cameraRaymond Dumas
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soundBev DavidsonColin CharlesGildas LeSausseRon SeltzerHans Oomes
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editingLes HalmanJohn KramerAnnick de Bellefeuille
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sound editingBernard BordeleauAndré Galbrand
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re-recordingJean-Pierre Joutel
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narratorMichael Kane
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advisorJames Beveridge
Education
Ages 16 to 17
History and Citizenship Education - Culture and Currents of Thought (1500-present)
Media Education - Documentary Film
Media Education - Film and Video Production
Technology Education - Society and Technology
Ask filmmaking students to discuss Grierson's view that reality must be shaped into a narrative in order to be comprehended. Have students practise short documentaries on the same subject, to compare how the message changes with the filmmaker. Ask students to examine the relationship between documentary and democracy, and why Canada was a fertile ground for documentary development. Have students debate Grierson's view that TV is a "domestic instrument of ease."
