The Romance of Transportation in Canada

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The Romance of Transportation in Canada
1952 - The Romance of Transportation in Canada.png
Title frame
Directed by Colin Low
Written by Guy Glover
Produced by Tom Daly
Narrated byGuy Glover
CinematographyLyle Enright
Edited byKenneth Heeley-Ray (sound)
Music by Eldon Rathburn
Production
company
Distributed byNational Film Board of Canada
Release date
  • 1952 (1952)
Running time
11 minutes, 20 seconds
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The Romance of Transportation in Canada is a 1952 animated short film made by the National Film Board of Canada. [1] Part of the postwar Canada Carries On series, it offers a humorous account of the history of transportation in Canada. The film was directed by Colin Low and produced by Tom Daly.

Contents

The Romance of Transportation in Canada featured animation by Wolf Koenig and Robert Verrall and was narrated by Guy Glover. Eldon Rathburn composed the film score. It was the first NFB animated film to be nominated abroad, [2] and the first to be nominated for an Academy Award in animation. [3]

Synopsis

Throughout its history, transportation in Canada was fraught with difficulty especially looking at Canada's vast distances and natural obstacles such as forest, mountains and rivers. Eventually these obstacles were met with unique solutions, beginning with Canada's First Nations whose canoes allowed for transport over inland waterways. Early pioneers faced the same problems but with larger bateau, cargo could be hauled over longer distances on water. On land, the use of ox-drawn carts became the means to cross rough terrain until stagecoaches were introduced.

With the advent of steam power, and the construction of the Trans-Canada Railway finally the great distances of Canada were overcome. In the early 20th Century, the internal combustion engine then made the next step forward for modern travel with the proliferation of automobiles, aircraft, and even "flying saucers" to come.

Production

The Romance of Transportation in Canada was an animated short in the NFB's films Canada Carries On series (first created as a wartime series). [4] The film was a product of the NFB's Unit B production team. [5] The Romance of Transportation in Canada marked the NFB’s first major foray into industrial animation, influenced not by the auteur style of NFB animation studio founder Norman McLaren, but by the United Productions of America (UPA) style. [6]

Reception

The Romance of Transportation in Canada was produced for television broadcast on CBC Television. Individual films were distributed worldwide by the NFB and were also made available to film libraries operated by university and provincial authorities. [7] A total of 199 films in the Canada Carries On series were produced before the series was canceled in 1959. [8]

Canadian film critic Dean Duncan reviewed The Romance of Transportation in Canada and considered it one of Colin Low's finest works. "Here, the title lettering is really cool, the ox is a great character, the snow sections are beautiful, you might even say authoritative. That overhead prairie shot looks real." [9]

Canadian film critic Tom Waugh has also noted that the film's commentary; written and narrated by Norman McLaren's lover, Guy Glover, features "a high camp commentary" with "very queer inflections." [10]

Awards

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Film Board of Canada</span> Public film and digital media producer and distributor

The National Film Board of Canada is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and alternative dramas. In total, the NFB has produced over 13,000 productions since its inception, which have won over 5,000 awards. The NFB reports to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. It has bilingual production programs and branches in English and French, including multicultural-related documentaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman McLaren</span> Scottish Canadian animator (1914–1987)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Munro (filmmaker)</span> Canadian animator, filmmaker and actor

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Wolf Koenig was a Canadian film director, producer, animator, cinematographer, and a pioneer in Direct Cinema at the National Film Board of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Daly (filmmaker)</span> Canadian film producer, film editor and film director

Thomas Cullen Daly was a Canadian film producer, film editor and film director, who was the head of Studio B at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).

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Robert Verrall is a Canadian animator, director and film producer who worked for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) from 1945 to 1987. Over the course of his career, his films garnered a BAFTA Award, prizes at the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival, and six Academy Award nominations.

Stanley Jackson (1914–1981) was a Canadian film director, producer, writer and narrator with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).

Guy Glover was a senior National Film Board of Canada (NFB) producer and administrator who was born in London, U.K. and died in Hudson, Canada.

The 23rd Canadian Film Awards were held on October 1, 1971 to honour achievements in Canadian film. The ceremony, which had been returned to banquet format, was hosted by actor Leslie Nielsen and broadcaster Charlotte Gobeil.

The 20th Canadian Film Awards were held on October 4, 1968 to honour achievements in Canadian film. The ceremony was hosted by broadcaster Bill Walker and actress Louise Marleau.

The 5th Canadian Film Awards were presented on April 30, 1953 to honour achievements in Canadian film.

The 1st Canadian Film Awards were presented on April 27, 1949 to honour achievements in Canadian film.

References

Notes

    Citations

    1. "The Romance of Transportation in Canada". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
    2. "Canadian films honoured abroad." External Affairs 5, No. 9, September 1953, pp. 278–281.
    3. Lenburg 2006, p. 216.
    4. Morris, Peter. "Film Reference Library: Canada Carries On." [ permanent dead link ]Canadian Film Encyclopedia. Retrieved: February 7, 2016.
    5. Ellis and McLane 2005, p. 167.
    6. "Romance of Transportation in Canada." Archived 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine Canadian Film Encyclopedia. Retrieved: February 7, 2016.
    7. Evans 2001, p. 63.
    8. Ohayon, Albert. "Propaganda cinema at the NFB". National Film Board of Canada, July 13, 2009. Retrieved: February 7, 2016.
    9. Duncan, Dean. "Colin Low 1." Film Review by Dean Duncan, March 19, 2015. Retrieved: February 7, 2016.
    10. Waugh, Tom. "The Romance of Transportation in Canada." [ permanent dead link ]Cinematheque Ontario. Retrieved: February 7, 2016.
    11. "The Romance of Transportation in Canada". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 3 February 2023.

    Bibliography

    • Ellis, Jack C. and Betsy A. McLane. New History of Documentary Film. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005. ISBN   0-8264-1750-7.
    • Evsns, Gary. In the National Interest: A Chronicle of the National Film Board of Canada from 1949 to 1989. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2001. ISBN   978-0-8020-6833-0.
    • Lenburg, Jeff. Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film and Television's Award-Winning and Legendary Animators. New York: Applause Books, 2006. ISBN   978-1-5578-3671-7.