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13/09/1973 Documentary 0h 58m
73
User score

Overview

A portrait of John Grierson, the first Canadian Government Film Commissioner and founder of the National Film Board in 1939. Interweaving archival footage, interviews with people who knew him and footage of Grierson himself, this film is a sensitive and informative portrait of a dynamic man of vision. Grierson believed that the filmmaker had a social responsibility, and that film could help a society realize democratic ideals. His absolute faith in the value of capturing the drama of everyday life was to influence generations of filmmakers all over the world. In fact, he coined the term 'documentary film'.

  1. Roger Blais

    Director

  2. Donald Brittain

    Writer

Top billed cast

  1. Michael Kane

    Narrator (voice)

  2. John Grierson

    Self (archive footage)

  3. Norman McLaren

    Self (archive footage)

  4. Sydney Newman

    Self

  5. Basil Wright

    Self

  6. Lorne Greene

    Self

  7. Woodrow Wilson

    Self (archive footage)

  8. Roberto Rossellini

    Self

  9. Joseph McCarthy

    Self (archive footage)

  10. View more

Full Cast & Crew

Reviews

A review by CinemaSerf
Written by CinemaSerf on 2025-06-07
Born in Edinburgh, Jack Grierson grew into an activist on a Clydeside soapbox in his teens advocating improvements in the lives of the poverty stricken shipbuilders struggling to make ends meet in early 20th century Scotland. The Great War took him into the Royal Navy and thence to university where a degree in moral philosophy saw him move to Chicago. This was at a time when Capone and prohibition dominated the city and when he fell in with journalist Walter Lipman. It was with him that Grierson decided that he must find a way to harness the increasing power of mass communication to get his me...read the rest
Read All Reviews

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Status
Released

Original Language
English

Budget
$0.00

Revenue
$0.00

Keywords