We Must Remember
This is very off topic, but given it is Remembrance Week coming up, I would show this interesting short from the National Film Board. Vimy Ridge is a battle many historians don’t talk about, but we as Canadians view it as a turning point for Canada the Nation.
In this short animation Damien Hess attempts to connect with the tragedy of the First World War, a conflict that helped define Canada. In this film he uses imagery of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial monument in northern France to summon up names, faces and shadows that are fading from our memory.
There are a great many more interesting videos on the National Film Board’s web site and I invite you to investigate more about Canada, by visiting the Agency left with cataloging Film Footage of our history.
Vimy-Ridge by Damien Hess, National Film Board of Canada
NFB Videos
- How do you make money? The NFB shows you how the mint does it.
- Do you remember the crash of ‘82? The NFB does. Here is a short, talking about the banking problems then.
- The October Crisis is one of Canadian history’s most critical moments, leading to the 1976 Quebec Election.
- Before the October Crisis you had Expo 67 which was a magical time in Montreal.
- How do you stop things that should happen from happening? NFB has some ideas.
- What happens when cars take over? Now that is a possibility.
- A special Mother’s Day message from the National Film Board.
- Do you understand the Vastness that is Canada? This NFB short will give you a glimpse.
- After the Axe is about someone getting laid off, which is close to my heart.
- Vimy Ridge some argue is when Canada became a nation, the NFB has a perspective on it.
- Who hasn’t felt apprehensive at the thought of starting high school?
- NFB does a Fire Prevention short? Why yes, they did.
- Christmas is a subject the NFB has a lot of shorts about. This one looks at both sides of the holiday.
- Do you want an old box for Christmas? An NFB animation might make you want this
- Toronto Boom Town, which grew even larger with the help of the 1976 Quebec election.
- The Faces montage is another amazing bit of animation.
- Here is hockey, or at least how Hockey was back in the 60’s!
- Paddle to the Sea is one of my favourite shorts from the NFB
- The NFB does create some of the most beautiful Christmas Cards.
- The Sweater is another of my favourite NFB shorts, a story that tugs at my heartstrings.
It should be mandatory for schools to celebrate the Remembrance week. It’s important for kids to understand the sacrifice that hundreds of Canadians have given to make Canada what it is today. They need to appreciate their freedom and democracy. They need to respect every person who has lost their life fighting for this country and all the families that have lost their loved ones.
Also, all immigrants should be made aware of these facts too.
I salute all our heroes and their families. Thank You.
Young folks especially have no idea of the sacrifices their grandparents made for them. It is the great fortune of today’s generation to be born in a day when wars and terror (at least here in Canada) are lower than at almost any time and place in history. But we lose something is we allow ourselves collectively to forget what once was, what still is elsewhere and what could any day visit us once more.