The Romance of Transportation in Canada

Synopsis

Throughout its history, transportation in Canada was fraught with difficulty especially looking at Canada's vast distances and natural obstacles such as forest, mountains and rivers. Eventually these obstacles were met with unique solutions, beginning with Canada's First Nations whose canoes allowed for transport over inland waterways. Early pioneers faced the same problems but with larger bateau, cargo could be hauled over longer distances on water. On land, the use of ox-drawn carts became the means to cross rough terrain until stagecoaches were introduced.

With the advent of steam power, and the construction of the Trans-Canada Railway finally the great distances of Canada were overcome. In the early 20th Century, the internal combustion engine then made the next step forward for modern travel with the proliferation of automobiles, aircraft, and even "flying saucers" to come.

Production

The Romance of Transportation in Canada was an animated short in the NFB's films Canada Carries On series (first created as a wartime series). The film was a product of the NFB's Unit B production team. The Romance of Transportation in Canada marked the NFB’s first major foray into industrial animation, influenced not by the auteur style of NFB animation studio founder Norman McLaren, but by the United Productions of America (UPA) style.

Reception

The Romance of Transportation in Canada was produced for television broadcast on CBC Television. Individual films were distributed worldwide by the NFB and were also made available to film libraries operated by university and provincial authorities. A total of 199 films in the Canada Carries On series were produced before the series was canceled in 1959.

Canadian film critic Dean Duncan reviewed The Romance of Transportation in Canada and considered it one of Colin Low's finest works. "Here, the title lettering is really cool, the ox is a great character, the snow sections are beautiful, you might even say authoritative. That overhead prairie shot looks real."

Canadian film critic Tom Waugh has also noted that the film's commentary; written and narrated by Norman McLaren's lover, Guy Glover, features "a high camp commentary" with "very queer inflections."

Awards

The Romance of Transportation in Canada received a special BAFTA Award, the Short Film Palme d'Or for animation at Cannes Film Festival, as well as an Academy Award for Animated Short Film nomination. It was the NFB's first film to be nominated for an Oscar in the animation category, at the 25th Academy Awards as well as the first international nomination in this category.