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Monkey on the Back

1956 29 min
Coming soon

This documentary drama, based on the real-life experiences of a drug addict, not only portrays the terrible consequences of the misuse of narcotics but presents the general problem of addiction and, particularly, of the addict as an individual. Dick Smith lost everything valued most in life because of his craving for the narcotics which finally killed him. In relating the story of his attempts to break the habit, the film reveals the essential nature of addiction as both a social and a human problem.

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Monkey on the Back
  • Perspective
    Perspective
    1955 46 films
    This TV series from the mid-1950s blended documentary and fiction to tell Canadian stories from a Canadian perspective.

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Details

This documentary drama, based on the real-life experiences of a drug addict, not only portrays the terrible consequences of the misuse of narcotics but presents the general problem of addiction and, particularly, of the addict as an individual. Dick Smith lost everything valued most in life because of his craving for the narcotics which finally killed him. In relating the story of his attempts to break the habit, the film reveals the essential nature of addiction as both a social and a human problem.

  • director
    Julian Biggs
  • editing
    Julian Biggs
  • producer
    Grant McLean
  • script
    Gordon Burwash
  • photography
    John Foster
  • sound
    Claude Pelletier
  • cast
    Paul Soles
    Bruno Gerussi

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