Canada Carries On
Encyclopedia
Canada Carries On was a series of short films by the National Film Board of Canada
, which ran from 1940 to 1959. The series was initially created as morale boosting propaganda films during World War II
. With the end of the war, the series lost its financial backing from the Wartime Information Board
, but continued under as an NFB series of theatrical shorts that included newsreel
s as well as animated shorts.
The series was initially produced by Stuart Legg
, who also directed many of the early films in Canada Carries On. The first film in the series was Legg's Atlantic Patrol, released in April 1940, about the Canadian Navy's role in protecting convoys from Halifax to the United Kingdom from U-boat
attack. One of the most famous films from this series was his Churchill's Island
, released in Canada in June 1941, and winner of the first-ever Academy Award for documentary.
The success of Canada Carries On inspired a second NFB series The World in Action
, which was more tailored to international audiences.
, and the NFB had an arrangement with Famous Players theatres to ensure that Canadians from coast to coast had access to the films. After the six-month theatrical tour ended, films were made available on 16 mm to schools, libraries, church basements and factories, extending the life of these films for another year or two. Films were also made available to film libraries operated by university and provincial authorities. A total of 199 films were produced before the series was canceled in 1959.
and New Brunswick
by France Film Distribution in some 60 theatres. 8 to 12 issues were produced each year in French; some versions of English titles, others original, for a total of 173 French titles before the program's cancellation in 1959.
, the UK and USA (by Telenews), in India (by Fox Film Corporation) and the West Indies (by Inter-continental). These were usually titles that dealt with international rather than Canadian issues. One such film was Warclouds in the Pacific, released just one week before the attack on Pearl Harbor
, warning of an imminent Japanese attack.
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
, which ran from 1940 to 1959. The series was initially created as morale boosting propaganda films during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. With the end of the war, the series lost its financial backing from the Wartime Information Board
Wartime Information Board
The Wartime Information Board was a Canadian government agency established on September 9, 1942, succeeding the Bureau of Public Information, to deal with the conscription crisis in Canada....
, but continued under as an NFB series of theatrical shorts that included newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
s as well as animated shorts.
The series was initially produced by Stuart Legg
Stuart Legg
Stuart Legg was a documentary film-maker.As part of the British Documentary Film Movement, he worked with the General Post Office film unit from 1933, before replacing Paul Rotha as head of Strand Films in 1937...
, who also directed many of the early films in Canada Carries On. The first film in the series was Legg's Atlantic Patrol, released in April 1940, about the Canadian Navy's role in protecting convoys from Halifax to the United Kingdom from U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
attack. One of the most famous films from this series was his Churchill's Island
Churchill's Island
Churchill's Island is a 1941 propaganda film chronicling the defence of Great Britain during World War II...
, released in Canada in June 1941, and winner of the first-ever Academy Award for documentary.
The success of Canada Carries On inspired a second NFB series The World in Action
The World in Action
The World in Action was a series of propaganda films from the National Film Board of Canada , created to boost morale and show the Allied war effort during World War II.The series was inspired by the success of the NFB's Canada Carries On series...
, which was more tailored to international audiences.
Canadian distribution
The series was produced in 35 mm for the theatrical market. Each film was shown in approximately 800 theatres across Canada, over a six month period. Films were distributed by Columbia PicturesColumbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, and the NFB had an arrangement with Famous Players theatres to ensure that Canadians from coast to coast had access to the films. After the six-month theatrical tour ended, films were made available on 16 mm to schools, libraries, church basements and factories, extending the life of these films for another year or two. Films were also made available to film libraries operated by university and provincial authorities. A total of 199 films were produced before the series was canceled in 1959.
En avant Canada
The French-language series En avant Canada was distributed in QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
by France Film Distribution in some 60 theatres. 8 to 12 issues were produced each year in French; some versions of English titles, others original, for a total of 173 French titles before the program's cancellation in 1959.
International distribution
Some films were distributed internationally in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the UK and USA (by Telenews), in India (by Fox Film Corporation) and the West Indies (by Inter-continental). These were usually titles that dealt with international rather than Canadian issues. One such film was Warclouds in the Pacific, released just one week before the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, warning of an imminent Japanese attack.
1940
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| Atlantic Patrol | Stuart Legg Stuart Legg Stuart Legg was a documentary film-maker.As part of the British Documentary Film Movement, he worked with the General Post Office film unit from 1933, before replacing Paul Rotha as head of Strand Films in 1937... |
| Children from Overseas | Stanley Hawes Stanley Hawes Stanley Gilbert Hawes was a British-born documentary film producer and director who spent most of his career in Australia, though he commenced his career in England and Canada. He was born in London, England and died in Sydney, Australia... |
| Front of Steel | John McDougall |
| Home Front | Stanley Hawes |
| Letter from Aldershot | John Taylor |
| Letter from Camp Borden | Raymond Spottiswoode |
| Squadron 992 | |
| Un du 22ième |
1941
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| Battle of Brains | Stanley Hawes Stanley Hawes Stanley Gilbert Hawes was a British-born documentary film producer and director who spent most of his career in Australia, though he commenced his career in England and Canada. He was born in London, England and died in Sydney, Australia... |
| Churchill's Island Churchill's Island Churchill's Island is a 1941 propaganda film chronicling the defence of Great Britain during World War II... |
Stuart Legg Stuart Legg Stuart Legg was a documentary film-maker.As part of the British Documentary Film Movement, he worked with the General Post Office film unit from 1933, before replacing Paul Rotha as head of Strand Films in 1937... |
| Food - Weapon of Conquest | Stuart Legg |
| Guards of the North | Raymond Spottiswoode |
| Heroes of the Atlantic | J. D. Davidson |
| Soldiers All | |
| Strategy of Metals | Raymond Spottiswoode |
1942
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| Battle for Oil | Stuart Legg Stuart Legg Stuart Legg was a documentary film-maker.As part of the British Documentary Film Movement, he worked with the General Post Office film unit from 1933, before replacing Paul Rotha as head of Strand Films in 1937... |
| Battle of the Harvests | Stanley Jackson |
| Everywhere in the World | Stuart Legg |
| Forward Commandos | Raymond Spottiswoode |
| Geopolitik - Hitler's Plan for Empire | Stuart Legg |
| High Over the Borders | Raymond Spottiswoode |
| Inside Fighting Canada | Jane Marsh Jane Marsh Beveridge Jane Marsh Beveridge was a sculptor, composer, filmmaker and writer during her long and varied life. A native of Ottawa, Ontario, she earned her bachelor's degree from Sarah Lawrence College.-Early years:... |
| Quebec, Path of Conquest | Radford Crawley |
| Road to Tokyo | |
| This Is Blitz | Stuart Legg |
1943
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| Banshees Over Canada Banshees Over Canada Banshees Over Canada is a 1943 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada. Produced by Sydney Newman and directed by James Beveridge, the nineteen-minute film examines British preparations for a German bombing raid, as well as the resultant destruction caused by the raid... |
James Beveridge James Beveridge James Beveridge was a film-maker. He co-founded the National Film Board of Canada with John Grierson, and during the Second World War he directed and produced more than eighty documentary films... |
| Coal Face, Canada | Robert Edmonds |
| Fighting Norway | Sydney Newman Sydney Newman Sydney Cecil Newman, OC was a Canadian film and television producer, who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s... |
| The Gates of Italy | Stuart Legg Tom Daly Tom Daly (filmmaker) Tom Daly was a Canadian film director and producer, who was the head of Studio B at the National Film Board of Canada in the 1950s and '60s... |
| Pincer on Axis Europe | |
| Proudly She Marches | Jane Marsh |
1944
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| Air Cadets | Jane Marsh |
| Break-through | James Beveridge |
| Fighting Sea-Fleas | Sydney Newman Julian Roffman Nicholas Read |
| Flight 6 | Sydney Newman |
| Future for Fighters | Stuart Legg James Beveridge |
| Look to the North | James Beveridge |
| Mosquito Squadron | Ernest Borneman |
| Target - Berlin | Ernest Borneman |
1945
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| Atlantic Crossroads | Tom Daly |
| Back to Jobs | Nicholas Balla |
| Gateway to Asia | Tom Daly |
| Headline Hunters | Alan Field |
| Music in the Wind | Guy Glover |
| Ordeal by Ice | Tom Daly |
| Road to the Reich | Tom Daly |
| Salute to a Victory | |
| Suffer Little Children | Sydney Newman |
| This Is Our Canada | Stanley Jackson |
1946
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| Bronco Busters | Laurence Hyde |
| Canada, World Trader | Tom Daly |
| The Challenge of Housing | Tom Daly |
| A City Sings | Gudrun Parker |
| Everyman's World | Sydney Newman |
| Fashions by Canada | |
| The New North | Hamilton Wright |
| Science Goes Fishing | Jean Palardy |
| Ski Skill | Bernard Devlin Roger Blais |
| Small Fry | Jack Olsen |
1947
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| Canada Dances | Nicholas Balla |
| Careers and Cradles | Jack Olsen |
| Eyes on Canada | |
| Johnny at the Fair | Jack Olsen |
| Mexico Today | |
| Montreal by Night | Jean Palardy Arthur Burrows |
| Peoples of Canada | James Beveridge |
| River Watch | Roger Morin |
1948
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| Arctic Jungle | Sydney Newman |
| Art for Everybody | Laurence Hyde |
| Champions in the Making | Sydney Newman |
| The Home Town Paper | Morten Parker |
| Inside the Atom | Jack Olsen |
| It's Fun to Sing | Roger Blais |
| Maps We Live By | Gudrun Parker |
| Mercy Flight | Evelyn Cherry Lawrence Cherry |
| Pay-Off in Pain | Robert Anderson |
| Science in Bloom | Nicholas Balla |
1949
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| 55,000 for Breakfast | Lawrence Cherry Evelyn Cherry |
| Ballet Festival | Roger Blais |
| A Capital Plan | Bernard Devlin |
| Famous Fish I Have Met | Jack Olsen |
| Passport to Canada | Roger Blais |
| Red Runs the Fraser | E. Taylor |
| Sight and Sound | Gudrun Parker Nathan Clavier |
| Summer Is For Kids | Stanley Jackson |
1950
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| City in Siege | James Parker Allen Stark |
| Cliff Hangers | Don Mulholland |
| Gentleman Jekyll and Driver Hyde | David Bairstow |
| Hunters of the North Pole | Nils Rasmussen |
| Life Under A Leaf | Ronald Weyman |
| Our Town is the World | Stanley Jackson |
| Snow Fiesta | Harry Foster |
1951
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| After Prison What? | Ronald Weyman |
| Cadet Holiday | David Bairstow Robert Humble Douglas Wilkinson |
| Flying Skis | Harry Foster |
| Gangway for Navy | Jack Olsen |
| Inside Newfoundland | Sydney Newman Roger Morin |
| It's The Fashion! | Ronald Weyman |
| The Man in the Peace Tower | Roger Blais |
| The Outlaw Within | Morten Parker |
| Penitentiary | Ronald Weyman |
| Rescue Mission | Ronald Weyman |
| Screaming Jets | Jack Olsen |
| Struggle for Oil | Ronald Dick |
| Talent Showcase | Roger Blais Douglas Tunstell Sydney Newman |
1952
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| Arctic Saga | Douglas Wilkinson |
| Beyond the Frontier | Ronald Dick |
| Canada's Atom Goes To Work | Roger Blais |
| Horizons of Quebec | Raymond Garceau |
| The Mountain Movers | Ronald Weyman |
| The Romance of Transportation in Canada | Colin Low |
| Singing Champions | Roger Blais |
1953
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| Citizen Varek | Gordon Burwash |
| Farewell Oak Street | Grant McLean |
| Germany - Key to Europe | Nicholas Balla |
| The Harbour | Earnest Kirkpatrick |
| Here's Hockey! | Leslie McFarlane |
| Herring Hunt | Julian Biggs |
| In Search of Home | Roger Blais |
| Inland Seaport | Ronald Weyman |
| Mission Ship | Robert Anderson |
| Mister Mayor | Raymond Garceau |
| Tempest in Town | Raymond Garceau |
1954
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| Bottleneck | Leslie McFarlane |
| British Empire and Commonwealth Games | Jack Olsen |
| Bush Doctor | Jean Palardy |
| College in the Wilds | Julian Biggs |
| Corral Corral (film) Corral is a 1954 National Film Board of Canada documentary by Colin Low, partly shot in the Cochrane Ranch in what is now Cochrane, Alberta.... |
Colin Low |
| Diggers of the Deeps | Grant McLean |
| Sorel | Jean Palardy |
1955
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| The Dikes | Roger Blais |
| Gold | Colin Low |
| Harvest in the Valley | Larry Gosnell |
| High Tide in Newfoundland | Grant McLean |
| The Jolifou Inn | Colin Low |
| The Lumberjack | Jean Palardy |
| The Maple Leaf | J. V. Durden |
| Needles and Pins | Roger Blais |
| Problem Clinic | Ronald Weyman |
| Return of the Indian | Grant McLean |
1956
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| Fishermen of Pubnico | Leonard Forest |
| Frontiers to Guard | Ian MacNeill |
| The Lively Pond | Nicholas Balla |
| The Shepherd | Julian Biggs |
1957
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| Bridge Under the Ocean | Raymond Garceau |
| Carnival in Quebec | Jean Palardy |
| Snow Fighters | Leslie McFarlane |
1958
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| The Awakening Mackenzie | Hector Lemieux |
| Fraser's River | Gordon Sparling |
| Industrial Canada | Guy L. Coté |
| The Man From Karachi | Leslie McFarlane |
| Songs of Nova Scotia | Grant Crabtree |
| Street to the World | Louis-Georges Carrier |
1959
| Title | Director |
|---|---|
| The Atom - Servant of Man | Edmund Reid |
| The Chairmaker and the Boys | Tim Wilson |
| The Magic Mineral | Roger Blais |
| Man of Music | Roger Blais |
| The Modern Prospector | Jean-Yves Bigras |
| Portrait of Canada | Hector Lemieux |
| Railroaders | Guy L. Coté |
Further reading
- Goetz, William, 'The Canadian Wartime Documentary: "Canada Carries on" and "The World in Action"', Cinema Journal 16 (1977), pp. 59-80