Churchill's Island

Last updated
Churchill's Island
Screen shot Churchill's Island.png
Opening title showing the island of Great Britain and Ireland
Directed by Stuart Legg
Written byStuart Legg
Produced byStuart Legg
Narrated by Lorne Greene
Edited byStuart Legg
Music by Lucio Agostini
Production
companies
National Film Board of Canada
Associated Screen Studios, Montreal
Distributed byNational Film Board of Canada
Columbia Pictures of Canada
Release date
  • 1941 (1941)
Running time
21 minutes, 27 seconds
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4,900.15 [1]

Churchill's Island (La Forteresse de Churchill [2] ) is a 1941 propaganda film chronicling the defence of Britain during the Second World War. The film was directed by Stuart Legg and produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) for the Director of Information, Government of Canada. [3]

Contents

Synopsis

Churchill's Island describes the military and civilian elements that were involved in the Battle of Britain. The Royal Air Force in an epic battle with the Luftwaffe, was able to wrest control of the skies, while the Royal Navy controlled the sea lanes around the embattled island. Other aspects of the struggle that are depicted included the British coastal defenses, the establishment of a mechanized cavalry, the role of merchant seamen and, after the Dunkirk evacuation, the re-building of a decimated British Army.

Production

Originally produced for the NFB's Canada Carries On series of documentary short films, it was released internationally in The World in Action series. [4] Typical of the NFB's series, Churchill's Island relied heavily on newsreel footage. The British sequences were from the British Ministry of Information. The deep baritone voice of stage actor Lorne Greene (nicknamed "the Voice of Doom") was featured in the narration.

Reception

The National Film Board of Canada was able to promote Churchill's Island as an Oscar winner, giving the newly created film agency much needed cachet. Churchill-Island-banner.jpg
The National Film Board of Canada was able to promote Churchill's Island as an Oscar winner, giving the newly created film agency much needed cachet.

Churchill's Island was produced in 35 mm for the theatrical market. Each film in the series was shown over a six-month period as part of the shorts or newsreel segments in approximately 800 theatres across Canada. The NFB had an arrangement with Famous Players theatres to ensure that Canadians from coast to coast could see them, with further distribution by Columbia Pictures. [6]

After the six-month theatrical tour ended, individual films were made available on 16 mm to schools, libraries, churches and factories, extending the life of these films for another year or two. They 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.

Honors

Churchill's Island received the first Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject, awarded at the 14th Academy Awards ceremony in 1942. [7] It also represents the first Oscar for the NFB, which had been created just two years earlier in 1939.

Preservation

The Academy Film Archive preserved Churchill's Island in 2005. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Warclouds in the Pacific</i> 1941 film

Warclouds in the Pacific is a 20-minute 1941 Canadian documentary film, part of the Canada Carries On series of short films by the National Film Board of Canada. The film was produced, written and directed by Stuart Legg and narrated by Lorne Greene. Warclouds in the Pacific, which warned of an imminent Japanese attack, was released just one week before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

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 created as morale-boosting propaganda films during the Second World War. With the end of the war, the series lost its financial backing from the Wartime Information Board, but continued as an NFB series of theatrical shorts that included newsreels as well as animated shorts.

The World in Action was a monthly series of propaganda films from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), created to boost morale and show the Allied war effort during the Second World War.

<i>Inside Fighting China</i> 1941 Canadian film

Inside Fighting China is a 1941 22-minute Canadian short documentary film produced by the National Film Board of Canada for distribution by United Artists, as part of the wartime The World in Action series. The film documents China's resistance to Japan's invasion during the Second World War. Inside Fighting China is directed by Stuart Legg, and narrated by Lorne Greene. The film's French version title is La Chine sous les armes.

<i>Now — The Peace</i> 1945 Canadian film

Now — The Peace is a film produced and directed in 1945 by Stuart Legg for the National Film Board of Canada series The World in Action, with unaccredited narration by Lorne Greene. Over its nearly 21-minute running time, circumstances during the immediate postwar period following the Second World War, leading to the formation of the United Nations are discussed.

<i>Wasp Wings</i> 1945 Canadian film

Wasp Wings is a 42-minute 1945 Canadian documentary film made by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Overseas Film Unit and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The film takes its name from the colourful markings known as invasion stripes that were painted on Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft on D-Day, making them look like "angry wasps".

<i>Train Busters</i> 1943 Canadian film

Train Busters is a 13-minute 1943 Canadian documentary film, directed by Sydney Newman. The film was made by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Overseas Film Unit and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the NFB's Canada Carries On series. Train Busters depicts the Allied night bombing campaign over German-occupied Europe that was complemented by close air support missions flown by the RCAF targeting enemy trains.

<i>Wings on Her Shoulder</i> 1943 Canadian film

Wings on Her Shoulder is a 10-minute 1943 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the NFB's The World in Action series. The film, directed by Jane Marsh, depicts the role of the Woman's Division in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) during the Second World War, who freed up men for flying duties.

<i>Global Air Routes</i> 1944 Canadian film

Global Air Routes is a 14-minute 1944 Canadian documentary film produced by the National Film Board of Canada, directed and edited by Stuart Legg. The film is part of The World in Action series. Legg directed a number of documentaries for both The World in Action and earlier Canada Carries On series. Many of the documentaries were created as morale-boosting propaganda films during the Second World War.

<i>Ferry Pilot</i> (1942 film) 1942 Canadian film

Ferry Pilot is a film produced in 1942 by Stuart Legg and Ross McLean for the National Film Board of Canada series The World in Action, in cooperation with the United Kingdom Ministry of Information and the Crown Film Unit. The film has an unaccredited narration by broadcaster Lorne Greene.

<i>Our Northern Neighbour</i> 1944 Canadian film

Our Northern Neighbour is a film produced in 1944 by Stuart Legg and directed by Tom Daly for the National Film Board of Canada series The World in Action. The film is narrated by broadcaster Lorne Greene.

<i>Everywhere in the World</i> 1941 Canadian film

Everywhere in the World is a 16-minute 1941 Canadian documentary film about the contributions of the United States and Commonwealth countries to the Allied war effort, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the wartime Canada Carries On series. The film was produced by Stuart Legg. The film's French version title was Partout au monde.

<i>The Home Front</i> (1940 film) 1940 Canadian film

The Home Front is a 10-minute 1940 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the wartime Canada Carries On series. The film was produced and directed by Stanley Hawes.

<i>Inside Fighting Canada</i> 1942 Canadian film

Inside Fighting Canada is an 11-minute 1942 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the wartime Canada Carries On series. The film, directed by Jane Marsh and produced by James Beveridge, was an account of the Canadian military during the Second World War. The film's French version title is Canada en guerre.

<i>Inside Fighting Russia</i> 1942 Canadian film

Inside Fighting Russia is a 1942 22-minute Canadian short documentary film produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) for distribution by United Artists, as part of the wartime The World in Action series. The film documents Russia's fight against Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Inside Fighting Russia is produced by Stuart Legg, and narrated by Lorne Greene. The film's French version title is La Russie sous les armes.

<i>Back to Jobs</i> 1945 Canadian film

Back to Jobs is a nine-minute 1945 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the postwar Canada Carries On series. The film describes soldiers in the Second World War returning home and back to a civilian life. The French version title of Back to Jobs is Nos soldats reviennent .

<i>The Voice of Action</i> 1942 Canadian film

The Voice of Action is a 16-minute 1942 Canadian documentary film, directed by James Beveridge and produced by Raymond Spottiswoode. The short film was made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the wartime Canada Carries On series. The Voice of Action describes the importance of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in the Second World War. The French version title of The Voice of Action is Dynamisme des ondes.

<i>Squadron 992</i> 1940 British film

Squadron 992 is a 23-minute 1940 British propaganda film produced by the General Post Office GPO Film Unit of the British Ministry of Information and re-distributed by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of their wartime Canada Carries On series. The film was directed by Harry Watt and produced by Alberto Cavalcanti. Squadron 992 describes the training and operations in 1940 of No. 992 Squadron RAF, a Royal Air Force (RAF) barrage balloon unit stationed in the United Kingdom. The film's French version title was Escadrille 992.

<i>The War for Mens Minds</i> 1943 Canadian film

The War for Men's Minds is a 21-minute 1943 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the wartime The World in Action series. The film was produced by Stuart Legg. The film describes the impact of propaganda from the Axis powers in 1943, during the Second World War. The French version title is À la conquête de l'esprit humain.

<i>Letter from Overseas</i> 1943 Canadian film

Letter from Overseas is a 15-minute 1943 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the wartime The World in Action series. The film describes the training and operational use of Canadian Army soldiers in 1943 during the Second World War.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Ellis 2000, p. 152.
  2. ↑ "Notre collection: La Forteresse de Churchill" (in French). National Film Board of Canada . Retrieved: September 28, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Churchill's Island". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  4. ↑ Goetz, William. "The Canadian Wartime Documentary: 'Canada Carries on' and 'The World in Action'. Cinema Journal, 16 (1977), pp. 59–80.
  5. ↑ Khouri 2007, p. 117.
  6. ↑ Ellis and McLane 2005, p. 122.
  7. ↑ "Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject." Oscar Awards. Retrieved: September 28, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.

Bibliography

  • Ellis, Jack C. John Grierson: Life, Contributions, Influence. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, 2000. ISBN   978-0-80932-242-8.
  • Ellis, Jack C. and Betsy A. McLane. New History of Documentary Film. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005. ISBN   0-8264-1750-7.
  • Khouri, Malek. Filming Politics: Communism and the Portrayal of the Working Class at the National Film Board of Canada, 1939-46. Calgary, Alberta, Canada: University of Calgary Press, 2007. ISBN   978-1-55238-199-1.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.