Drylanders
Encyclopedia
Drylanders is a 1963 Canadian film directed by Don Haldane from a screenplay by M. Charles Cohen. It was the National Film Board of Canada
’s first English-language feature film
.
to find city life not to his liking. Instead,he opts for the life of a wheat farmer. At first, his farm is prosperous, but he becomes victim to a nationwide drought. He struggles to keep his farm afloat, but dies before he could see the end of the drought. His wife(Frances Hyland
) continues her husbands work on the farm.
Drylanders came about after a documentary on farming and irrigation in Saskatchewan
, suggested by writer Charles Cohen, had been rejected by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
. Director Donald Haldane then suggested making a fiction film. Cohen wrote a personal story, concentrating on the trials of the "Greer" family, who had come from Montreal to try their luck at farming.
The film was filmed in black and white, in SuperScope: a less expensive alternative to CinemaScope
. It was the first time SuperScope had been used at the NFB. Filming began in the summer of 1961, shooting in and around Swift Current, Saskatchewan
. Several stage actors from Toronto were brought in for the principal roles, including Hyland and Douglas. Local actors were signed for some of the smaller supporting roles. Filming on the Prairies took several weeks. A key blizzard scene was shot in winter of 1962 at the NFB studio in Montreal. The production budget rose to about $218,000, roughly twice what was planned.
distributed the film, premiering Drylanders in Swift Current, then releasing across the Prairies, a couple of towns at a time. The film was also released in British Columbia
and Eastern Canada
, eventually playing in more than 500 cinemas nationwide.
The film was offered as part of a double feature or accompanied by the NFB documentary Fields of Sacrifice
. A French-language version, Un autre pays, played across Quebec
. The film was released theatrically in the United Kingdom, United States and Central and South America. It would also play on television in Switzerland, Yugoslavia, China and Malaysia, among other countries.
It played theatrically throughout 1963 and 1964 before making its way to the non-theatrical circuit, where it was shown in schools and community centres on 16 mm. It later enjoyed a second career on television and home video.
as Liza
James Douglas as Daniel Greer
Lester Nixon as Bob McPherson
Mary Savage as Ada McPherson
William Fruet
as Colin (as William Fruete)
Don Francks
as Russel
Iréna Mayeska as Thora
William Weintraub
as Narrator (voice)
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...
’s first English-language feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
.
Synopsis
Drylanders is set in Canada at the turn of the century. Daniel Greer (James Douglas) returns home after the Boer WarBoer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
to find city life not to his liking. Instead,he opts for the life of a wheat farmer. At first, his farm is prosperous, but he becomes victim to a nationwide drought. He struggles to keep his farm afloat, but dies before he could see the end of the drought. His wife(Frances Hyland
Frances Hyland
Frances Hyland, OC was a well-known Canadian theatre actress.Hyland studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, making her professional debut in London as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire, opposite John Gielgud. In 1954, she returned to Canada, becoming a regular at the Stratford Festival in...
) continues her husbands work on the farm.
Production
Drylanders was a fictionalized documentary similar to earlier French-language productions from the NFB's Panoramique series and dramas in the English-language Perspective series. Heavily promoted during its release, the film was modestly successful at the box office.Drylanders came about after a documentary on farming and irrigation in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, suggested by writer Charles Cohen, had been rejected by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
. Director Donald Haldane then suggested making a fiction film. Cohen wrote a personal story, concentrating on the trials of the "Greer" family, who had come from Montreal to try their luck at farming.
The film was filmed in black and white, in SuperScope: a less expensive alternative to CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
. It was the first time SuperScope had been used at the NFB. Filming began in the summer of 1961, shooting in and around Swift Current, Saskatchewan
Swift Current, Saskatchewan
Swift Current is a small city in southwest Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans Canada Highway west from Moose Jaw, and east from Medicine Hat, Alberta. Swift Current grew 0.8% between 2001 and 2006 ending up at 14,946 residents. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Swift...
. Several stage actors from Toronto were brought in for the principal roles, including Hyland and Douglas. Local actors were signed for some of the smaller supporting roles. Filming on the Prairies took several weeks. A key blizzard scene was shot in winter of 1962 at the NFB studio in Montreal. The production budget rose to about $218,000, roughly twice what was planned.
Release
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...
distributed the film, premiering Drylanders in Swift Current, then releasing across the Prairies, a couple of towns at a time. The film was also released in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and Eastern Canada
Eastern Canada
Eastern Canada is generally considered to be the region of Canada east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces:* New Brunswick* Newfoundland and Labrador* Nova Scotia* Ontario* Prince Edward Island* Quebec...
, eventually playing in more than 500 cinemas nationwide.
The film was offered as part of a double feature or accompanied by the NFB documentary Fields of Sacrifice
Fields of Sacrifice
Fields of Sacrifice is a 1964 documentary by Donald Brittain about Canadian war dead. The film visits former battlefields where over 100,000 Canadian soldiers lost their lives in World War I and World War II and examines Canadian military cemeteries and memorials from Hong Kong to...
. A French-language version, Un autre pays, played across Quebec
Quebec
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....
. The film was released theatrically in the United Kingdom, United States and Central and South America. It would also play on television in Switzerland, Yugoslavia, China and Malaysia, among other countries.
It played theatrically throughout 1963 and 1964 before making its way to the non-theatrical circuit, where it was shown in schools and community centres on 16 mm. It later enjoyed a second career on television and home video.
Cast
Frances HylandFrances Hyland
Frances Hyland, OC was a well-known Canadian theatre actress.Hyland studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, making her professional debut in London as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire, opposite John Gielgud. In 1954, she returned to Canada, becoming a regular at the Stratford Festival in...
as Liza
James Douglas as Daniel Greer
Lester Nixon as Bob McPherson
Mary Savage as Ada McPherson
William Fruet
William Fruet
William Fruet is a Canadian film and television director, playwright and screenwriter, best known for co-writing, with Donald Shebib, the influential Canadian film Goin' Down the Road....
as Colin (as William Fruete)
Don Francks
Don Francks
Donald Harvey Francks or Iron Buffalo is a Canadian actor, vocalist and jazz musician.- Life and work :Francks was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is a drummer, poet, native nations champion, motorcyclist, author and peace activist...
as Russel
Iréna Mayeska as Thora
William Weintraub
William Weintraub
William Weintraub, OC is a Canadian journalist, author, filmmaker and lecturer, best known for his long association with Canada's National Film Board ....
as Narrator (voice)