Stanley Jackson (filmmaker)

Stanley Jackson (born 1914, Winnipeg - d. 4 July 1981, Toronto) was a film director, commentary writer and narrator with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).

Jackson was a schoolteacher in Toronto and Winnipeg before joining the NFB during World War II. He was the commentary writer and narrator on almost 80 NFB documentaries, creating a characteristic narration style for NFB works of the period. He was described as "irreplaceable" in the field of documentary film commentary writing by Unit B colleague Colin Low. Ironically, Jackson is also credited with helping to break the NFB narration style he helped to create, on Low and producer Tom Daly's 1954 film, Corral:

Gathered around the moviola, the crew watched the film; it was silent, save for the music. "Where's the commentary?" someone asked halfway through. They kept watching. When it was over, Jackson asked them frankly, "What would a commentary do for that?" Low and Daly couldn't help but agree. Corral became the first NFB film without a voiceover track.