You are here

Dreamland : A History of Early Canadian Movies 1895-1939

Accession number: 
1974.0020
Production Years: 
1974

Languages:

Film Properties: 
Length (feet): 
3087 (16mm)
Length (minutes): 
86
Holding Institutions: 

University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta: 16mm.
"When Chaplin was creating film classics, and Garbo was breaking hearts in Hollywood what was happening in Canada? A modest film industry was developing. This documentary film takes a look at the early days of Canadian cinema prior to World War II."

Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec: 16mm, VHS.
"Putting Canada on screen was always something of a gamble because it was never certain that Canadians would pay to look at themselves. The people who made movies in Canada after the turn of the century never became rich but, as this film shows, they did earn an enduring claim to fame. This film flashes back over the history of Canada's movie industry in which the heroes were the camera operators working on a shoestring and the villains the Hollywood tycoons."

Library and Archives Canada: 16mm.
"Television documentary depicting the early history of Canadian films and filmmaking, covering the period 1896-1939. Includes scenes from: Canadian-made news clips, features, and shorts; productions by the C.P.R., Ernest Shipman, A.S.N., and Varick Frisell. It documents the struggle of the Canadian film industry to survive fierce American competition and exclusive monopolies held by chain theatre companies. In addition, it explores Hollywood's treatment of Canadian subjects and reviews the American film industry's answer to the Commonwealth film quota system. An interview is held with early Canadian filmmaker Gordon Sparling, who comments on the woes and challenges met during the fledgeling years of the Canadian film industry."