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May 17, 2006
CANADIAN FILMS IN THE HAMERSLY LIBRARY
FEATURE FILMS
Masala
A black comedy about the god Krishna, summoned to earth by an old woman, a young ex-junkie named Krishna who is coping with the death of his family in a plane crash, and what happens when their paths cross.
Les invasions barbares
It's not easy for a narrow-minded professor to reconcile with his equally stubborn son. Father and son find themselves gathering with their wide and colorful circle of family and friends to confront their differences, confess their secrets, and celebrate life.
The red violin
Upon unearthing a one-of-a-kind, blood red violin, appraiser Charles Morritz uncovers the spectacular journey of the long-lost masterpiece - how it changed hands and the lives of all who touched it.
Mon oncle Antoine
A story set in a Quebec asbestos town in the early 1940s before the days of miners' unions. Uncle Antoine owns the general store and is the local undertaker, with his nephew Benoit as an occasional helper. On Christmas Eve a combination of events forces Benoit to face the harsher realities of life.
Battling Butler
Alfred Butler, a fragile young man whose father sends him into the country where he hopes masculinity will blossom, is there mistaken for "Battling" Butler, a renowned prizefighter. Alfred carries on the ruse to impress a young lady, but his charade is soon complicated by the arrival of a true contender. [The haunted house] Buster takes refuge in a mansion rigged with a series of frightening booby traps. [The frozen North] Keaton experiences a variety of adventures in the Canadian Northwest including an attempt to rob a saloon and impersonating a Canadian Mountie.
Double happiness
East clashes with West and generations collide in this comedy about a young Chinese woman struggling to appease her old-fashioned father and at the same time pursue her modern dreams.
In the land of the war canoes : Kwakiutl Indian life on the Northwest coast
Presents an epic saga of Kwakiutl Indian life on the northwest coast of America as filmed in the summer of 1914 at Kwakiutl villages on Vancouver Island, Canada, by Edward S. Curtis. Edited and restored with the addition of an authentic sound track.
The Grey fox
Bill Miner is a sixty-year-old man who is attempting to pick up the pieces of his life after serving 30 years in San Quentin for stagecoach robbery. Times has changed but his joy for life have not abandoned him. With the vigor of a sixteen year old, Miner begins a new profession -- train robbery.
Drylanders
Presents the epic story of the opening of the Canadian west and describes the drought that brought depression in the thirties.
Thirty two short films about Glenn Gould
Thirty-two vignettes, spanning pianist Glenn Gould's life from age four until his death at fifty, give an impressionistic depiction of his life.
DOCUMENTARIES
The Holy Body Tattoo
Robert Desrosiers interviews The Holy Body Tattoo dance company's directors, Noam Gagnon and Dana Gingras who discuss the themes in their choreography and explain the effects of their integration of traditional dance with video, music, and film
Extreme oil
Portrays the challenges that face the oil industries and the consumers of the infinite products of oil. "The pipeline" follows the route of a pipeline linking the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and thus the global market. "The oil curse" contrasts the cases of Ecuador and western Africa, and looks at how the discovery of oil has affected the local population. "The wilderness" explores the tension between the world's desire for oil and existing and proposed environmental restraints in Alaska and Canada.
I'tusto
On August 29, 1997, the Kwakwaka'wakw Nation was rocked to the core as their ceremonial Bighouse became engulfed in an arsonist's fire. The Bighouse stands at the centre of their history, where traditional ceremonies make them a distinctive people. This film tells the powerful story of the Kwakiutl Indian Nation as they came together to re-build the Bighouse, concluding with the ceremonial dedication of the new building.
Us vs. them
A lecture discussing the history and development of the Sikh community in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Hitman Hart
Goes behind the tightly guarded walls of wrestling's world of grand spectacle and theatre. This film explores the meaning of today's wrestling morality plays, and then, as fantasy crosses into real life, reveals the true story of Bret Hart's struggle with Vince McMahon, the legendary owner of the WWF.
Circles
Presents an inside look at sentencing circles which focus on healing the offender, the victim, and the community. Many societies worldwide have used sentencing circles to resolve conflicts.
New suits
Presents a close look at the development of advertising campaigns by focussing on Canada's Harry Rosen men's clothing stores.
Picturing a people
George Johnston at the age of 16, left the Yukon community of Teslin and trekked hundreds of miles overland to coastal Alaska in search of the history of his people, the Tlingit Indians. On his return to Teslin, Johnston took many photographs about Tlingit culture, religion and the songs and dances of his people, and the changes happening to the Yukon territory. The film uses Johnston's photographs, interviews, archival footage and re-enactments to tell his story.
Forestry and mining
A discussion of the often interrelated aspects of the forestry and mining industries, how these industries are regulated and carried out, and what the future prospects are for them. Conservation issues are discussed.
Promise in the land: sustaining our agriculture
A look at agriculture in Canada with a focus on sustainable agriculture as the best hope for the future.
Native art of North America
A lively introduction of the rich and varied artwork produced by tribal peoples native to the United States and Canada.
Québec Canada
Describes the province of Quebec, Canada, including Quebec City, Montreal, the coastline and other natural areas.
Kanehsatake: 270 years of resistance
"On a hot July day in 1990, an historic confrontation propelled Native issues in Kanehsatake and the village of Oka, Quebec into the international spotlight and into the Canadian conscience. Behind Mohawk lines that gruelling summer, producer and director Alanis Obomsawin, herself an Abenaki Indian, enrured 78 nerve-wracking days and nights filming an armed standoff between the Kanehsatake Mohawk people of First Nations, the Quebec police and the Canadian army."
Where the bay becomes the sea
Examines the marine ecosystem of the Bay of Fundy in Canada where a complex plant and animal world form a diverse food web.
Estuary
Examines the plant and animal life found in an estuary along the coast of British Columbia.
Posted by smithr at 6:32 PM