Lest We Forget Double Bill Nov 10th @ the Mayfair

Canadian Army News Reels 7:00pm + Guy Maddin's Archangel 9:10pm
Mayfair Theatre, Nov. 10th, Ottawa, Ontario 

Canadian Army News Reels, 1942-46, 90mins, 1.37, Non rated, 35mm archival prints.


In honour of Remembrance Day, we are proud to present a series of rarely-seen Canadian Army Newsreels from the Second World War.  Some of you may recall a special screening of Casablanca at the Mayfair a couple of years ago that was preceded by a newsreel that film conservator Paul Gordon retrieved from Library and Archives Canada. The rapturous reception by the audience convinced us that Ottawans were ready for more.  The prints we are going to show have been fully restored (cleaned up, and re-printed from their original sound and film elements) and will give the audience a chance to experience the progress of the war the way the so many on the home front would have done at the time.  There's nothing quite like seeing a newsreel on the big screen to experience the real-life drama and struggle of war. We invite you to bring your Remembrance Day to life and join us in honouring our veterans and their sacrifice in this unique and moving tribute. We will be screening 8-9, 10 minute newsreels many that were only seen by Canadian troops and never to the general public back home.


For the complete DVD box set of the newsreels produced by the Canadian War Amps go here 



For a Toronto Star article on the War Amps News Reel box set go here


A a more detailed preview by John Yemen go here

 

Archangel, 1990, Directed by Guy Maddin, 82mins, 1.37, mono, rated AA, New 35mm print from the Winnipeg Film Group

Set in World War One, Archangel is a strange and atypical war movie brought to the screen by the king of arch-stylization, Winnipeg's own Guy Maddin. Filmed in the style of a silent film, Archangel is at once dreamlike and disturbing. Using the trope of amnesia to explore the horror of war, Archangel is about as far away from a standard war movie as you can get without floating into pure abstraction. Yet, it is precisely this lack of sense that makes perfect sense, because with war, after all, is the least sensible creation of the human mind. A worthwhile journey, for those prepared to enter the dream.

The companion booklet on the film by the Winnipeg Film group is here