NFB Night
Capitalism and Its Discontents
Friday, September 26, 2008 @ 7:30pm
National Film Board of Canada out-of-the-vault selections as chosen by Cutler & Landry. A tasty offering to savour from the vast vaults of Canada’s cultural memory. A two thumbs up experience from the Hammer’s own Siskel and Ebert, the pre-legends known as Cutler & Landry.
The two films exhibited tonight represent the essential struggle that defined the 20th century; between a modernity shaped and defined by capitalism and the reactions against such a formulation. Although this axis of conflict originated in the 19th Century and promises to haunt much of our new century as well, its most fulsome expression was in the 20th. The breakdown of the previously entrenched social order of agrarian feudalism meant that everything was suddenly up for grabs. Two World Wars, a Cold War and multiple “isms” all orbited in this axis and rendered the 20th Century the bloodiest in human history. What was and remains at stake is nothing less than who will own and by extension rule the earth.
“Henry Ford’s America” 57 minutes (1977)
Is both a biography of a man and a movement. The movement centered around the emergence of a new breed of human, the bourgeois capitalist. A 19th Century man Ford (1863-1947) was arguably the prime mover of the world as we know it today. Mass production, consumerism, the mobile society and the advancement of the global trade are all a part of his legacy and depending on your viewpoint he can be regarded as either a hero or a villain. The passage of time seems no closer to resolving the debate around Henry Ford, although as the film reveals he passed his own judgement on the world he helped create.
“Saul Alinsky Went to War” 57 minutes (1968)
Is a testament to the legendary radical, a figure whose influence spanned from the Old left of the 1930’s to the New Left of the 1960’s. A social activist and community organizer, Alinsky (1909-1972) laid the blueprint for resistance to capitalism and its excesses. His book Rules for Radicals remains to the day a Bible for radical activism. His dedication of that book to Lucifer, who he described as the “first radical” reveals the way Alinsky incorporated irreverent humour and a disarming insouciance in the pursuit of his very serious goals. As an interesting topical footnote the organization he helped found in 1930’s Chicago, the Industrial Areas Foundation, still exists today and in the 1980’s offered Barack Obama his first job in community activism.
Please enjoy these two wonderful National Film Board of Canada productions by the indomitable Donald Brittain. The Factory is proud to present them as a part of Hamilton Film Week under the banner of “Capitalism and Its Discontents.”
Donald Brittain (1928 – 1989) is a legend in Canadian documentary filmmaking. His breezy style with weighty subjects is intoxicating to the viewer. The breadth of his subject matter and his erudition has spawned countless NFB productions. From Canadian historical figures to wry portraits of the offbeat in our midst to the great forces that define us all, Donald Brittain has brought us there with intimacy and insight. He is and will remain a national treasure.
Chris Cutler is a long time manager in the non-profit, volunteer sector. He has worked for the YMCA as Manager of Career Development and Learning and was responsible for developing both the careerworx! centre and the Career Cruiser. He has subsequently served as executive director in both Hamilton and Toronto and currently works in the non-profit sector with persons with disabilities.
Troy Landry has extensive experience in broadcasting and media including radio, television and print journalism. After studying Theatre at the University of Ottawa, Troy completed his studies in History and English at the University of Guelph. Troy is currently employed at the Canada Revenue Agency after numerous stints in the private sector.
* FREE appetizers and light refreshments provided *
