Canadian Short Films Online: Canada Vignettes
Canadian Movies c/o The National Film Board of Canada Website
Aug 5, 2009
During the 1970s and 80s, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) produced several short films portraying Canada's evolving cultural identity. The films ranged from one to five minutes and was aired on CBC and other Canadian broadcasters during commercial breaks. The vignettes were popular for their simple, yet profound messages regarding society, history and multiculturalism.
Faces by Paul Bochner (1978)
“Faces” is one of the most popular Canada Vignettes. Lasting over a minute in duration, the film displays a fluid transition of pencil sketches representing a multicultural landscape as diverse as Canada's environment. The film's duration is one minute and two seconds.
News Canada by Yossi Abolafia (1978)
“News Canada” featured a mock news broadcast from October 6th 1878 that reported events such as Prime Minister Sir John A. McDonald's speech regarding the construction of the transcontinental railway, a short segment on woman’s fashion and rowing athlete Ned Rowlan’s 1880 victory. The film's duration is three minutes.
The Horse by Michael Mills (1978)
Like "Faces", "The Horse" displays a beautiful sequence of images that transform into each other while delivering a short narration on how the horse was mastered by the Indians to improve hunting and warfare only to be replaced by the steam engine. The film's duration is one minute.
Maple Leaf by Paul Bochner (1978)
This short portrays a multitude of flowing sketches that describe the many ways in which people relate to one another. There are scenes of lovers, friends as well as pet with their owners. This work is similar to Bochner's “Faces” with the exception of a jazzy background number played throughout the film. The film's duration is one minute.
The Egg by Robert Bélisle and Jean-Francois Pouliot (1979)
“The Egg” was a popular vignette loved by many Canadians for its simple yet profound message about society. The animation short portrays a humble, lone egg's attempt to repair the inevitable cracks that appear on its surface. The camera eventually pans outs to reveal a group of similar eggs caught in the same desperate struggle to keep themselves together. The film's duration is one minute.
Wop May by Blake James (1979) 5 min 2s
“Wop May” is a narrative, animated short retelling the story of Wop May, the famous Bush pilot whose epic flight from Red River to Edmonton earned him the recognition as a legendary Canadian hero. Without May’s courage and tenacity, much needed drugs would not have been available to treat cases of diphtheria in Alberta. This short consists mostly of still, colour illustrations of May’s historic flight. The film's duration is five minutes and two seconds.
Instant French by André Leduc (1979)
Do you get flustered when someone speaks to you in French? This NFB poked fun at Anglophone’s growing frustration over their inability to converse with French Canadians with this mock infomercial that sold Canadians a device that provided countless ways of saying, “Sorry, I can’t speak French.” A hilarious short with some very real political overtones. The film's duration is one minute.
Inuit Pipe (1979)
This beautiful short features a series of close-up panning shots of delicate carvings alongside an ivory pipe portraying scenes of Inuit life. Background chanting and drumming can be heard in the background as well as live action sound effects enhance each carving's depiction of Inuit life from hunting, fishing to children at play. The film's duration is one minute.
Log Driver’s Waltz by John Weldon (1979)
Accompanied by the song “The Log Driver’s Waltz” by Wade Hemsworth, this animated short recounts the quirky tale of a young woman who chooses her handsome log driver over the many doctors, merchants and lawyers who try to win her heart. This short is a lively animation filled with images of the dancing log driver in question while intercutting to his bride to be rejecting her many gentleman suitors. The film's duration is three minutes.
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