This film is part of Free
Canada at War
In 1940 the war still seemed distant to US citizens. But what it was like for the 11 million ‘other Americans’ who were already at war? The March of Time cameras go north of the border to Canada to find out.
Overview
A kaleidoscope of images depicts a nation mobilising for war in this 1940 report. Canada entered the war a week after Britain and Roosevelt’s 1940 pledge to come to the aid of her northern neighbour, if invasion threatened, meant that Americans were naturally interested in Canada’s progress. Footage of letters being censored, soldiers on the march, queues to buy war bonds, and pipe-smoking Nazis in internment camps capture the era’s strange mixture of excitement and fear.
In his book ‘The March of Time: 1935 - 1951’, newsreel historian Raymond Fielding notes the odd circumstances by which this film came to be banned in the Canadian province of Ontario. Although the film was an engaging and wholly sympathetic portrayal of Canada’s war effort, the Premier of Ontario, Mitchell Hepburn, felt that the film functioned as propaganda for the Mackenzie King government (which he opposed) and as Chairman of the Board of Appeals for Ontario Board of Censors, banned the film in March 1940. Hepburn’s decision caused March of Time producer Louis de Rochement to remark that the film could be seen everywhere in the world except ‘Russia, Nazi Germany and… Ontario’.
Related
Victory Parade Victory Parade
Documentary 1946 21 mins
Soldiers from the far reaches of the British Empire arrive in London to take part in the official commemoration of the end of war in Europe.
Commonwealth Foundation Commonwealth Foundation
Documentary 1969 12 mins Location: Brixton
Beach, church and carnival – Chief Inspector of Brixton Police sent to Trinidad to learn about West Indian customs.
Child Child
Documentary 1947 18 mins Silent
Advice for village families on raising children to become strong, healthy citizens
Carnival Fantastique Carnival Fantastique
Documentary 1960 18 mins
Vibrant documentary that captures Trinidad's famous street carnival in 1960.
Messages from Bhupen Khakhar Messages from Bhupen Khakhar
Documentary 1983 37 mins
"Good taste can be very killing": personal reflections from the self-trained Indian painter.
Mauritius 1941 Mauritius 1941
Amateur film 1941 14 mins Silent
The film shows Port Louis, the capital; workers on sugar plantations and road mending as well as colonial life in the then British dependency.
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.