| Headline Hunters | |
|---|---|
 Title frame | |
| Produced by | Alan Field |
| Narrated by |
|
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
|
Release date |
|
Running time | 11 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Headline Hunters is an 11-minute 1945 Canadian documentary film, part of the wartime Canada Carries On series, produced by Alan Field. The short film was made by the National Film Board of Canada. The film was a tribute to Canadian war correspondents who reported from the front lines in the Second World War.
From the first days of the Second World War, broadcasters and journalists brought the latest war news back to a public in Canada desperate for any news. All the major news outlets sent war correspondents who would report from the front lines, often putting themselves in danger. All the significant Canadian operations overseas from the Battle of Britain, Battle of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and North Africa as well as the Normandy landings have had front-line coverage from Canadian war correspondents.
Besides the headline hunters who wrote for newspapers, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and National Film Board of Canada (NFB) send teams of cinematographers and broadcasters producing radio and newsreel broadcasts. Wherever Canadians are in battle. the war correspondents can be found flying with the Royal Canadian Air Force, on the seas with the Royal Canadian Navy or in an armoured vehicle with the Canadian Army,
In order to relay the war news from the front, a complex organization is behind the correspondents from the military Directors of Public Relations, the censors, dispatch riders, engineers, and the Canadian Press and British United Press offices. Close cooperation with their counterparts in the Canadian military is also crucial to getting the news back to Canada.
Typical of many of the NFB's Second World War documentary short films, Headline Hunters was created as an information film with a limited propaganda message. [1] The film was a compilation documentary that incorporated newsreel footage shot by the Canadian armed forces, especially, the Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit in Great Britain and other Allied film units. Headline Hunters also included footage shot specifically for the film that featured a large number of war correspondents. [1]
Stage actor Lorne Greene was featured in The Voice of Action. Greene was known for his work on radio broadcasts as a news announcer at CBC, as well as narrating many of the Canada Carries On and The World in Action series, made up mainly of morale-boosting propaganda films. [2] His sonorous recitation and deep baritone voice, led to his nicknames, "The Voice of Canada", "The Voice of Doom" and even, the "Voice-of-God". [3] [4]
Headline Hunters was produced in 35 mm for the theatrical market. Each film 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. [5]
Some films were also sold to individual theatres periodically. Columbia Pictures continued to distribute the series, with France Films handling its French counterpart, En Avant Canada, in Quebec and New Brunswick. [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. [6]
Fighting Norway is a 10-minute 1943 Canadian documentary, part of the wartime Canada Carries On series of short films produced by the National Film Board of Canada. The film was directed by Sydney Newman, one of a number of shorts that were intended for theatrical release.
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.
Pincers on Japan(Piège à Nippon)is a 19-minute 1943 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The film was directed by James Beveridge, who also produced and directed a similar NFB documentary, Look to the North (1944). Its companion film, Road to Tokyo, was produced in 1942.
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.
The Battle of Brains is a 13-minute 1941 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 Stanley Hawes and produced by Stuart Legg, contrasted modern warfare with the First World War. The film's French version title is Sur le front scientifique.
The Front of Steel is an 11-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, directed by John McDougall and produced by Stuart Legg, is an account of the value of steel in war production in Canada during the Second World War.
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.
The Battle for Oil is a 19-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 was produced by Raymond Spottiswoode and directed and edited by Stuart Legg.The Battle for Oil describes the strategic value of oil in modern warfare. The film's French version title was La Bataille du pétrole.
Break-through is an 11-minute 1944 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the wartime Canada Carries On series. The film documents the attack on Fortress Europe during the Second World War and the advance of Allied forces to the borders of Nazi Germany. Break-through was produced by James Beveridge. The film's French version title is L'assaut.
Soldiers All is a 20-minute 1941 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada as part of the wartime Canada Carries On series. The film was directed and produced by Stuart Legg. Soldiers All describes the experiences in 1941 of soldiers, airmen and sailors in Great Britain and Canada during wartime. The film's French version title is Frères d'armes.
The Gates of Italy is a 21-minute 1943 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada as part of both the wartime Canada Carries On and The World in Action series. The film was written, directed and produced by Stuart Legg and Tom Daly. The Gates of Italy describes the last days of Benito Mussolini's rule over Italy in 1943 during the Second World War.
Trans-Canada Express is a 20-minute 1944 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the World War II Canada Carries On series. The film was produced by Sydney Newman and directed by Stanley Hawes. Trans-Canada Express documents the importance of the railroad in Canada, emphasizing the use of rail transport during World War II. The film's French version title is D'un océan à l'autre.
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.
The Children from Overseas is a 10-minute 1940 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of its Canada Carries On series.
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.
Food - Weapon of Conquest is a 22-minute 1941 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the wartime Canada Carries On series. The film was written, directed and produced by Stuart Legg. Food - Weapon of Conquest shows the food shortage in Nazi-occupied countries in the Second World War, contrasted with the Allied response to the global food crisis. The film's French version title is Une armée marche sur son estomac.
Pincer on Axis Europe is a 20-minute 1943 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada as part of the wartime Canada Carries On series. The film describes the Allied invasion of North Africa in 1942 during the Second World War.
When Asia Speaks is a 19-minute film produced in 1944 by Stuart Legg and directed by Gordon Weisenborn for the National Film Board of Canada series The World in Action. The film is narrated by broadcaster Lorne Greene. When Asia Speaks describes the disparity between the riches of Asia and the poverty of the masses during the Second World War that have led to nationalist movements in Asia. The film's French version title is Le Réveil de l'Asie.
Road to the Reich is a 10-minute 1945 Canadian documentary film, directed and produced by Tom Daly for the National Film Board of Canada as part of the wartime Canada Carries On series. The film documents the Allied forces advances, after the Normandy landings, through France and Belgium during the Second World War. The French version of Road to the Reich is Aux portes du Reich.
Zero Hour is a 22-minute 1944 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of both the wartime Canada Carries On and The World in Action series. The film was produced by Stuart Legg. Zero Hour describes the Axis and Allied invasions that have taken place during the Second World War.
