This Week on NFB.ca: Trip Back to the 1970s with 5 Films
This Week on NFB.ca: Trip Back to the 1970s with 5 Films
This week on NFB.ca we looked back at the 1970s, a decade famous for bell-bottom jeans, the Watergate scandal, and women’s rights. Not to mention some kick-ass music.
The 1970s were also a pivotal decade in Canada, as it saw the culmination of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec, while Trudeau spent the entire decade as Prime Minister of the country. Here are 6 films that give us a particularly Canadian perspective on the decade. Enjoy!
The Devil’s Share
Filmmaker Luc Bourdon is at it again with his latest film, a collection of archival footage masterfully woven together to tell the story of Quebec’s Quiet Revolution. Using clips from almost 200 NFB films, he creates something entirely new that offers fresh insight on a decades-old historical event. The film is a brand-new online release, and a visual treat. Enjoy!
The Devil’s Share, Luc Bourdon, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
High Grass Circus
This feature-length doc will take you back to the 1970s for a trippy look at the inner workings of a traveling circus. With what we know today, circuses are falling out of fashion. Probably rightfully so. With the big animals gone, and the three rings reduced to one, it’s just not the same experience anymore. This film will take you back to the heyday of the circus and remind you of the magic it once invoked.
High Grass Circus, Torben Schioler & Tony Ianzelo, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
A Pinto for the Prince
Once you get past the whole question of why the Blood tribe of Alberta would make Prince Charles an honorary chief, it’s very easy to get lost in this 1970’s short from Colin Low and John Spotton. Prince Charles is looking very young, and painfully awkward, as he is led through the ceremony, complete with face paint and a lesson in tribal dancing.
A Pinto for the Prince, Colin Low & John Spotton, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
The Mad Canadian
This 10-minute short is like a teaser for Robert Fortier’s feature-length doc, The Devil at your Heels. It introduces you to stuntman Ken Carter, our very own Evel Knieval. You’ll get to watch as he goes about his crazy antics, like driving his car over a line of parked cars. Oh, the 1970s. Interestingly enough, this film was shot the same year seatbelt laws were introduced in Canada. Coincidence?
The Mad Canadian, Robert Fortier, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
Mudflats Living
Release your inner hippie with this 1970s gem about life inside an artists’ community in North Vancouver. This drug-free, anti-establishment group rejects mainstreams society in favour of their little paradise in the mudflats. But while they’re embracing a philosophy of love, the mayor of North Van is embracing the idea of a shopping mall on their land.
Mudflats Living, Robert Fresco & Kris Paterson, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
Hard Rider
A few weeks ago, we featured Ride, a film about modern day rodeo riders. This film takes us back to the sport during the 1970s, specifically the stampede trail from Texas to Alberta. We see the same sport, the roping and bronco busting, but through the lens of world-champion cowboy, Kenny McLean.
Hard Rider, Josef Reeve, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
