BC Film History
B.C. Feature Films 1 - Reeling Back to the Silent era
B.C. Feature Films 2 - Victoria's 'quota quickies' (1932-38)
B.C. Feature Films 3 - Outside Vancouver (1937-75)
B.C. Feature Films 4 - Vancouver: Beginnings (1932-69)
B.C. Feature Films 5 - Vancouver features (1970-71)
B.C. Feature Films 6 - Vancouver feature films (1972-75)
B.C. Feature Films 7 - Miscellaneous films & sources
B.C. Film Firsts - In B.C., our movie history starts here
Filmmaking Industry 1 - Introducing an Encyclopedia entry
Filmmaking Industry 2 - In Silent Forests (1897-1920)
Filmmaking Industry 3 - Victoria’s Quota Quickies (1933-1938)
Filmmaking Industry 4 - The Pre-Television era (1939-1952)
Filmmaking Industry 5 - From TV to the CFDC (1953-1967)
Filmmaking Industry 6 - From CFDC to BCFC (1968-1977)
Filmmaking Industry 7 - Welcome to Brollywood (1978-2000)
Filmmaking Industry 8 - Bibliography for all sources consulted
VanBook Feature Film Fest 01 - Honouring Vancouver's pioneers
VanBook Feature Film Fest 02 - Filmed in God's Country
VanBook Feature Film Fest 03 - The future is filmed here
VanBook Feature Film Fest 04 - Documenting reality
VanBook Feature Film Fest 05 - The young and the restless
VanBook Feature Film Fest 06 - Romance in the rain forest
VanBook Feature Film Fest 07 - Play it again, Vancouver
VanBook Feature Film Fest 08 - Vancouver actually playing Vancouver
VanBook Feature Film Fest 09 - Spawning sequels, and even series
VanBook Feature Film Fest 10 - Acting opposite big scene country
VanBook Feature Film Fest 11 - Honouring Vancouver's own auteur
VanBook Feature Film Fest 12 - Shooting high hopes on low budgets
VanBook Feature Film Fest 13 - Fears factored into filmic equation
VanBook Feature Film Fest 14 - Exploring mad, mad, mad worlds
VanBook Feature Film Fest 15 - Variations on the thin blue plotline
VanBook Feature Film Fest 16 - Sending in the clowns
VanBook Feature Film Fest 17 - Scene-stealers working for treats
VanBook Feature Film Fest 18 - Translating B.C.'s beauty to the world
VanBook Feature Film Fest 19 - Something for after-hours audiences
VanBook Feature Film Fest 20 - Taking the picture show on the road
VanBook Feature Film Fest INDEX - Navigating 70 years of B.C. film history
Made in B.C.
Accused, The (1988) - Message delivered with stunning force
American Boyfriends (1989) - Teens enjoy autumn's leavetaking
Another Smith for Paradise (1972) - Smitty does well by doing good
Another Stakeout (1993) - Second helping just a little different
Battle in Seattle (2007) - People aware that the WTO is bad
Bear Island (1979) - Adventure lacks leaven of humour
Best Day Ever: Aiden Kesler 1994-2011 (2011) - Teen rages against dying of the light
Better Than Chocolate (1999) - Soft centres, hard centres . . . I like all the chocolates in the box
Bird on a Wire (1990) - Multiple roles for versatile vancouver
Boy Who Could Fly, The (1986) - Fine fantasy explores magic of belief
Burning Season, The (1993) - Exploring feminism’s consequences
By Design (1982) - A non-formula domestic comedy
Cabin in the Woods, The (2012) - Horror homage a Whedon winner
Cadence (1990) - Status quo served by class warfare
Certain Fury (1985) - Young stars already past their prime
Chaindance (1991) - Finding a different way to do things
Changeling, The (1980) - An uneasy presence lurks within
Christina (1974) - Starring Vancouver as Big Town, U.S.A.
Clan of the Cave Bear (1986) - Evolution epic both serious and silly
Cold Front (1989) - Script a minute short of hard-boiled
Cousins (1989) - Transatlantic transition works a treat
Crooked Hearts (1991) - Because everybody's family is crazy
Dead Wrong (1983) - So Canadian to play cops for laughs
Deserters (1983) - Vietnam conflict's Vancouver front
Distant Thunder (1988) - Torn between fairness and popularity
Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995) - Best friends survive in the wilderness
First Season, The (1989) - Survival and adjustment on the bridge
Fly II, The (1989) - Little more than good-looking gore
Food of the Gods, The (1976) - Wells never given a sporting chance
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) - Water-logged maniac is back again
Grey Fox, The (1982) - Inspired by a new, different frontier
Grocer’s Wife, The (1991) - Fantasy offers art on training wheels
Groundstar Conspiracy, The (1972) - SFU ground zero for sci-fi in B.C.
Harry in Your Pocket (1973) - Personal relations shortchanged
High Stakes (1987) - Gross screenplay defeats comic intent
Hookers On Davie (1984; doc) - Documentary seen as activist cinema
Housekeeping (1987) - Sisters shown world of possibilities
Impolite (1993) - Impolite Chronicles A Death Foretold
Inbreaker, The (1974) - Script fails to answer basic questions
Journey Into Fear (1975) - Name cast no guarantee of success
Kitsilano Solar House (1980; doc) - Finding something new under the sun
Knight_Moves (1992) - King's Game played for psycho shocks
Legend of Kootenai Brown, The (1991) - Having fun with B.C. history
Life and Times of Chester-Angus Ramsgood, The (1970) - Aspirations exceed accomplishments
Look Who's Talking Now (1993) - Third Vancouver visit all bark, no bite
Look Who's Talking Too (1990) - Mr. Toilet Man a problem
Matinee (aka Midnight Matinee; 1989) - Characters developed, not body count
My American Cousin (1985) - Satisfying tale of summer survival
Needful Things (1993) - Castle Rock found on B.C. coast
Never Cry Wolf (1983) - Smith captures spirit of Mowat
Neverending Story, The (1984) - Inner logic lacking in fantasy epic
North of Pittsburgh (1992) - Seeking justice, or maybe just survival
Out of the Blue (CeBe,1980; No Looking Back, 1983) - Tale's raw realism reflects punk era
Prophecy (1979) - Monster mania trumps serious issues
Pure Luck (1991) - Laughter somehow lost in translation
Quarantine (1989) - Techno-punk parable a prophetic tale
Rainbow Boys, The (1973) - Star's performance as good as gold
Rocky IV (1985) - Cold warriors warmed over
Roxanne (1987) - Romantic comedy with a classic twist
Runaway (1984) - Future cops battle bad 'bots
Russian Roulette (1975) - Taking a shot at cold war stereotypes
Shanks (1974) - Collaboration is creatively confused
Shoot to Kill (1988) - Jurisdictional issues ignored
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983) - Lots to like in an amiable sci-fi mess
Squamish Five, The (1988) - Bombs at the centre of direct action
Stakeout (1987) - Comic plot pays off in serious shocks
Star 80 (1983) - Every man’s fantasy a true-life tragedy
Stay Tuned (1992) - TV satire is like watching souls fry
Strange Brew: The Adventures of Bob and Doug McKenzie (1983) - Sharing a brew with Bob, Doug and Will
Street Kids (1985; doc) - Making sense of life on the street
Stripper (1986; doc) - Recognition and respect for the world's best
Supreme Kid, The (1977) - A dark dream of desperation, despair
Thing, The (1982) - Close encounter of an unpleasant kind
This Boy's Life (1993) - Making the best of a bad bargain
Timecop (1994) - The future of law enforcement
Tokyo Cowboy (1994) - Comic vision a singular achievement
Ups and Downs (1983) - Approval no guarantee of authenticity
Vixen! (1968) - Busty blockbuster set in beautiful B.C.
We’re No Angels (1989) - Faithless remake fails to be funny
Who’s Harry Crumb? (1989) - Jokes that neither win, place nor show
Wolfpen Principle, The (1974) - Seeking freedom from an urban cage
Made in Canada
Action: The October Crisis of 1970 (1974; doc) - Posing questions, wrestling with answers
Adjuster, The (1991) - Psycho-drama targets social concerns
Agnes of God (1985) - Drama offers a clash of symbols
Alien Thunder (Le tonnerre rouge; aka Dan Candy's Law; 1974) - Redneck redcoat's tale turns tragic
Amateur, The (1981) - Taking the Company's business private
Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, The (1974) - Flatmates' pact results in fine film
Atlantic City (1980) - Never too late to make good
Back in Action (1993) - Specializing in familiar stock shocks
Bay Boy, The (1984) - Director's homecoming a family affair
Beautiful Dreamers (1990) - Art and science find common cause
Beavers (1988; doc) - Celebrating nature’s own dam builder
Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990) - Awkward telling of the passionate tale
Between Friends (1973) - Shebib follows the wrong story
Bingo (1974) - Vision includes street-level humanity
Black Christmas (1974) - Sorority house stalking shocker
Black Robe (1991) - The 1630s seen in 1950s shades of grey
Blindside (1987) - Serious stuff struggling to get out
Brood, The (1979) - Probes modern medical malfeasance
Brother of the Wind (1972) - Wolf ways downright primitive, savage
Buried on Sunday (1992) - Island decides to take its fish and go
Calendar (1993) - Language only part of the problem
Cannibal Girls (1973) - Offering something new on the menu
Car 54, Where Are You? (1994) - Car 54, Where Are You? Good lord, it's Toronto!
Carry On Sergeant! (1928) - Exploiting Canada's service tradition
Child Under a Leaf (1974) - Child bearing seen as a malicious act
China Mission (1980; doc) - Film a disservice to a great Canadian
Christmas Story, A (1983) - One film that really is a classic
Class of '44 (1973) - Shallow sequel gets a failing grade
Clearcut (Terre Rouge; 1991) - Spirit of the land taking its revenge
Concrete Angels (1987) - Rockin’ out on Toronto’s mean streets
Cordélia (1980) - Period piece made timeless drama
Crazy Moon (1987) - Examining some early indiscretions
Dance Me Outside (1994) - Not just growing up, but growing wise
Dead Zone, The (1983) - Second sight shows future shocks
Death Hunt (1981) - Falsifying history for fun and profit
Death Ship (1980) - Ship's cargo a load of Nazi nonsense
Death Weekend (The House by the Lake; 1976) - Her choice is submission or survival
Decline of the American Empire, The (Le déclin de l'empire américain; 1986) - Ciné excellence has a Québec accent
Diplomatic Immunity (1991) - Making the choice not to walk away
Dog Who Stopped the War, The (La guerre des tuques; 1984) - Snow queen commands ice palace
Dolores Claiborne (1995) - Essentially it’s a homicidal chick flick
East End Hustle (1976) - Director wants to be taken seriously
Falling Over Backward (1990) - Sentimental journey with a hard edge
Fox, The (1967) - Relocating English lust to Canada
Freshman, The (1990) - Pitched to a screwball comedy crowd
George's Island (1989) - Guarding Kidd's George's Island gold
H (1990) - Intense tragedy of self-imprisonment
Hard Part Begins, The (1973) - With authentic mood and gritty reality
Heartaches (1981) - Shebib goes down the road again
High (aka In; 1967) - Sex more poignant than passionate
High-Ballin' (1978) - Rural raunch designed for drive-ins
I Love a Man in Uniform (aka A Man in Uniform; 1993) - Seduced by force's dark side
Imaginary Tale, An (Une histoire inventée; 1990) - Comic charm lost after a rape scene
In Praise of Older Women (1978) - In praise of Helen Shaver
Janis (1974; doc) - Truth told between the lines
Jésus de Montréal (1989) - Examining His message in today’s world
John and the Missus (1986) - Tribute paid to magnificent obsession
Joshua Then and Now (1985) - Finding a feature within a mini-series
Journey (1972) - Mind, emotions engaged in flex time
Kamouraska (1973) - Damned until death does them part
Keep It in the Family (1973) - Ham steak, overdone, thickly sliced
La Florida (1993) - Francophone family follows a dream
Latitude 55° (1982) - Caught in a blizzard of discovery
L’homme à tout faire (The Handyman; 1980) - Settling for the strawberry Kool-Aid
Les Ordres (1974) - Examining Canada's October Crisis
Lies My Father Told Me (1975) - An unmoving chronicle of childhood
Love and Human Remains (1993) - Penetrating parable probes our reality
Love at First Sight (1977) - Sight gags outlandish but restrained
Loyalties (1986) - Feminist parable a Canadian classic
Malarek (1988) - Turning a true story into pulp fiction
Maria Chapdelaine (1983) - A Québec classic comes to life
Marie-Anne (1978) - Rich history as Harlequin romance
Married Couple, A (1969; doc) - Creating an urban true-life adventure
Married to It (1991) - A celebration of marital commitment
Masala (1992) - Many influences stirred into the mix
Mâles, Les (The Men; 1971) - Feminism prevails in forest primeval
Meatballs (1979) - Kinder, gentler cousin of Animal House
Mindfield (1989) - Over-the-top take on shocking truths
Montreal Main (1974) - Exploring life as a dramatic happening
Moonstruck (1987) - A tale of Italian-American twitterpation
Mort d'un Bûcheron, La (The Death of a Lumberjack; 1973) - Ambition goes beyond the possible
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) - What have you learned, Dorothy?
Neptune Factor, The (1973) - Important questions are unanswered
North China Commune (1980; doc) - Documenting life in another land
Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography (1981; doc) - Not a lot of honesty or nuance here
Nothing Personal (1980) - Things that don’t make it anymore
Of Unknown Origin (1983) - Maximum tension with minimum gore
One Magic Christmas (1985) - Angel represents Santa with claws
Palais Royale (1988) - Recalling Toronto the Less-than-Good
Paper Wedding (Les Noces de Papier; 1990) - Romantic rebellion in a refugee crisis
Paperback Hero (1973) - Song sets scene for misfit's tale
Partis pour la Gloire (1975) - Quebec resists call to King's war
Peanut Butter Solution, The (1985) - A talent for unconventional invention
Perfectly Normal (1990) - A self-consciously stylish urban satire
Pocahontas: The Legend (1995) - An alternative to the cartoon musical
Police Academy (1984) - Cop show just small screen silliness
Porky's (1982) - Rude humour a Canadian specialty
Porky's II: The Next Day (1983) - Defending Juliet's right to her Romeo
Quest for Fire (1981) - Humour leavens life lessons
Ragtime Summer (1977) - Conscience in conflict with reputation
Recommendation for Mercy (1975) - Court's decision called into question
Ref, The (1994) - Irish elf provides the profanity
Rejeanne Padovani (1973) - Peeling back the layers of civic decay
Roadkill (1989) - Falls short of spiritual transcendence
Rowdyman, The (1972) - Celebrating a life of whiskey, wenching
Running Brave (1983) - Bias is built into the casting process
Samuel Lount (1985) - Democracy's form shaped by sacrifice
Scandale (1982) - On Her Majesty’s sexual service
Scanners (1981) - Providing a mind-blowing experience
Second Wind (1976) - In pursuit of something more
Sex on Skis (Après-ski; 1971) - Who knows what's lost in translation?
Shadow Dancing (1988) - An unprepossessing possession
Shadow of the Wolf (1992) - Native magic lost in melodramatics
Shape of Things to Come, The (1979) - Cute robot hardly true to Wells
Silence of the North (1981) - Powerful roles for nature, landscape
Silver Streak (1976) - Pryor engineers a great train robbery
South of Wawa (1992) - Recalling Canada's love of losers
Speaking Parts (1989) - Sex and the scan-lined psyche
Special Day, A (Una giornata particolare; 1977) - Historic moment melds sex, politics
Starship Invasions (1977) - Earth’s population problem solved
Storm (1987) - Survival shocker stuck in first gear
Strangers in A Strange Land: The Adventures of a Film Crew in the Heart of China (1988; doc) - Selfless choice as the Canadian way
Surfacing (1981) - Film adaptation lacks directiion
Terry Fox Story, The (1983) - Film not up to its subject's stature
Threshold (1981) - Medical thriller provokes thought
Ticket to Heaven (1981) - Cult addiction a crisis of our times
Tribute (1980) - Heart and hope in human comedy
Two Amorous Women (Deux femmes en or; 1970) - Dubbing dampens film’s joie de vivre
Valérie (1969) - Cultural fallout from Quiet Revolution
Videodrome (1983) - Understanding Cathode Ray Mission
Visitor, The (1974) - Inflaming the winterland imagination
Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry (1976; doc) - Expat author claimed for Canada
Vraie Nature de Bernadette, La (The True Nature of Bernadette; 1972) - Somewhere between saint and whore
Wars, The (1983) - Great War inspires not-so-great film
Wedding In White (1972) - Setting standards in style, sensitivity
White Dawn, The (1974) - Learning the meaning of civilization
White Light (1991) - Surviving a near-death experience
White Room (1990) - Back down a well-travelled path
Why Rock the Boat? (1974) - Canadian take on Capraesque comedy
Winter Tan, A (1987) - Intense, all-stops-out performance
Vancouver Memories
Com-Ex, 1966's Hart House Comic Book Exposition - VanCAF celebrates once and future art
Expo86-01 - The cinematic sequel to Expo 67
Expo86-02 - Small world creates Expo's big shows
Expo86-03 - Small nation produces big innovation
Expo86-04 - One ring to entertain them all
Expo86-05 - Seeing the world in three dimensions
Expo86-06 - Showscan a look into film's future
Expo86-07 - It doesn't get any bigger than IMAX
Expo86-08 - Holovision a smoke & mirrors illusion
Expo86-09 - Video's scene-stealing supporting role
Expo86-10 - One day is worth thousands of photos
Expo86-11 - Simulating visits to faraway places
Expo86-12 - Many screens work to hold attention
Expo86-13 - Much to enjoy on screens off the site
Expo86-14 - Returned from Oz to help the world discover B.C.
Expo86-15 - Communication seriously considered
Expo86-16 - Introducing a 3D format that works
Expo86-17 - State's mission to create the future
Expo86-18 - Neighbours celebrate differences
Expo86-19 - Balanced view of tradition, innovation
Expo86-20 - Central Canada's content contrasted
Expo86-21 - Celebrating the Land of Living Skies
Expo86-22 - Slogan’s origins evoke special spell
Expo86-23 - Promoting a united European future
Expo86-24 - Cosmos becomes a European frontier
Expo86-25 - Nations still playing the train game
Expo86-26 - Involving audiences with star power
Expo86-27 - The Viking approach to exploration
Expo86-28 - An artful approach to Italy’s progress
Expo86-29 - Overcoming tradition’s boundaries
Expo86-30 - Films foreshadow departure to come
Expo86-31 - Memories that have lasted a lifetime
Expo86-32 - Surrounding us with natural beauty
Expo86-33 - Trains, planes once owned by us all
Expo86-34 - Examining Islam and Christianity
Expo86-35 - Introducing a Pacific Rim sensibility
Expo86-36 - Seeking stability in a changing world
Expo86-37 - Looking into global village’s future
Expo86-38 - Final thoughts on our Expo summer
Festival of Christianity and the Arts (1974) - Christianity focus of campus arts fest
Golden Harvest Theatre (1974) - Chinese film empires battle in B.C.
Hollywood Theatre (Vancouver; 1984) - Surviving as an independent
Mensa convention address (2002) - What really happened on 9/11, 2001
Park Theatre (Vancouver; 1990) - “Jesus house” ripe for resurrection
Plaza Theatre (Vancouver; 1993) - Promising to make art its specialty
Point Roberts Theatre (1971) - X-entertainment just over the border
Surf Theatre (Port Coquitlam; 1970) - Adapting program to changing times
Surf Theatre (Port Coquitlam; 1972) - First one in is first to be squeezed out
Tsongas/health care op-ed (1992) - Medicare debate an American tragedy
Vancouver East Cinema (1990) - Curtain falls on an urban institution
Vancouver's Pacific Press (1979) - 8-month-long strike shutters dailies
VCON 2 - Philip K. Dick (1972) - Weighing in on Wells versus Verne
VIFF Jury Duty (1992) - Summoned to serve; first selected
Xrystos voskres! (1971 feature) - The fine art of Ukrainian Easter Eggs