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Canada under British Rule (1764-1867) (14)

  1. Available in English Options
5 years old
18 years old
  • The Battle of the Châteauguay
    The Battle of the Châteauguay
    Marcel Carrière 1978 29 min
    The Battle of Châteauguay, fought in 1813 to push back American troops invading Canada, is recounted in this dramatic short film by the hero of the battle, Lt-Col. Charles-Michel de Salaberry.

    Recreated battle scenes illustrate de Salaberry's military strategy, while animation is used to relate the events leading up to this important battle (the French and American revolutions, the reign of Napoleon, the naval battles between the English and the Americans, and Yankee expansionist policies).

    A lively history film, it provides an unusual look at the War of 1812.
  • Charles Tupper: The Big Man
    Charles Tupper: The Big Man
    Morten Parker 1961 28 min
    This short historical reenactment is a portrait of Canadian Father of Confederation Charles Tupper. The film harks back to a time when the idea of a federal union was still hotly debated, when it was unclear whether Nova Scotia would come in or remain out. It studies a bigger-than-life politician who won over both his bitterest opponent, Joseph Howe, and the people of this Maritime province, to finally lead Nova Scotia into the Canadian Confederation in 1867.
  • David Thompson: The Great Mapmaker
    David Thompson: The Great Mapmaker
    Bernard Devlin 1964 28 min
    This short film recreates the story of David Thompson – a man who, over the course of his lifetime, mapped a-million-and-a-half square miles of uncharted territory. His achievement remains unsurpassed.
  • The Fate of America
    The Fate of America
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    Jacques Godbout 1997 1 h 21 min
    Two well-known Quebec artists (filmmaker Jacques Godbout and playwright René-Daniel Dubois) look at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Whose version of this historic event should prevail? Is history best served by documentary or fiction? We also meet Baron Georges Savarin de Marestan and Andrew Wolfe-Burroughs, direct descendants of Montcalm and Wolfe, both of whom died in the battle that would give birth to Canada and to the province of Quebec. In French with English subtitles.
  • George-Étienne Cartier: The Lion of Québec
    George-Étienne Cartier: The Lion of Québec
    John Howe 1962 27 min
    This short biopic profiles Montreal lawyer-turned-politician George-Étienne Cartier as he campaigns to unite English and French Canada under Confederation. The political world of a century ago comes to life as we hear debates in the Parliament of Upper and Lower Canada amidst political strife and personal feuds. Ultimately, Cartier skilfully allays the fears of party and sectional leaders, convincing them that federal union would protect, rather than weaken, Quebec’s cherished rights of language and religion. The eloquent and enigmatic Cartier was instrumental in shaping the Canada that was soon to emerge.
  • The Invasion (1775-1975)
    The Invasion (1775-1975)
    1976 10 min
    In 1975, as a Bicentennial special, one thousand American history buffs put on period uniforms and re-enacted the 1775 march of General Benedict Arnold's troops into Québec. This short film takes a page of our history which has, perhaps, not yet been completely written.
  • John A. Macdonald: The Impossible Idea
    John A. Macdonald: The Impossible Idea
    Gordon Burwash 1961 27 min
    This short fiction film tells the story of John A. MacDonald’s rise to power. Canada’s first Prime Minister and one of the Fathers of the Confederation, MacDonald didn’t enjoy an easy political career. When he first shared his vision of a Dominion reaching from sea to sea – an audacious proposal regarded as uncertain even by his supporters – his opponents derided him. “The fox is out of tricks," they taunted. "Bankrupt of ideas, he offers us clouds." This film offers us a memorable flashback
  • Joseph Howe: The Tribune of Nova Scotia
    Joseph Howe: The Tribune of Nova Scotia
    Julian Biggs 1961 28 min
    This short drama is a portrait of Nova Scotian journalist and politician Joseph Howe (1804-1873) and his battle for freedom of press. When, in 1835, Howe was accused of seditious libel, no lawyer dared defend him. Choosing to defend himself, he addressed the jury for over 6 hours, urging jurors to leave an unshackled press as a legacy to their children. Though the judge instructed the jury to find Howe guilty, jurors took only 10 minutes to acquit him - a landmark event in the evolution of press freedom in Canada.
  • Lord Durham
    Lord Durham
    John Howe 1961 28 min
    This short drama is a portrait of colonial administrator, Governor General and statesman Lord Durham (1792-1840). When Durham recommended self-government in Canada, he closed the door on his own political success. But in the end, the policies he declared for Canada became the pattern for self-rule in the rest of the Commonwealth.
  • Louis-Joseph Papineau: The Demi-God
    Louis-Joseph Papineau: The Demi-God
    Louis-Georges Carrier 1961 26 min
    This short drama is a portrait of Quebec lawyer and politician Louis-Joseph Papineau (1786-1871). A proud, defiant man, skillful in parliamentary debate, and Speaker of the Lower House, his heart was with the people being pillaged by the business elite. When legislation became the instrument of private advantage, Papineau brought government to a standstill.
  • Lord Elgin: Voice of the People
    Lord Elgin: Voice of the People
    Julian Biggs 1959 28 min
    This short film tells the story of Lord Elgin, a man’s whose faith in a nation’s right to self-determination was stronger than the threat of the mob or his own fear of failure. Successor to Lord Durham, he established the principles on which Canadian government stands today.
  • Men Against the Ice
    Men Against the Ice
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    David Bairstow 1960 28 min
    A 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.
  • Tintamarre - On the Trail of Acadians in North America
    Tintamarre - On the Trail of Acadians in North America
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    André Gladu 2004 1 h 19 min
    This feature documentary pays homage to the special character of an enduring people: the Acadians. Two hundred years after Expulsion of the Acadians by the British (1755–1764), Acadian culture is still very much alive. But why do Acadians—whose ancestors founded the first colony in North America—have to keep making a racket to tell the world they're still here?
  • William Lyon Mackenzie: A Friend to His Country
    William Lyon Mackenzie: A Friend to His Country
    Julian Biggs 1961 28 min
    This documentary short is a portrait of Scottish-born journalist, politician, and rebellion leader William Lyon McKenzie. The first mayor of Toronto, he was an important leader during the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion. This film portrays his election, his later defeat, his exile, and his fight for responsible government.