Fields of Sacrifice
{{Infobox film
| name = Fields of Sacrifice
| image =
| caption =
| director = Donald Brittain
| producer = Donald Brittain
| writer = Donald Brittain
| narrator = Douglas Rain
| starring =
| music = Eldon Rathburn
| cinematography = Eugene Boyko
| editing = Rex Tasker
| distributor = National Film Board of Canada
| released = {{Film date|1964}}
| runtime = 38 minutes 13 seconds
| country = Canada
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Fields of Sacrifice is a 1964 documentary by Donald Brittain about Canadian war dead. The film visits former battlefields where over 100,000 Canadian soldiers lost their lives in World War I and World War II and examines Canadian military cemeteries and memorials from Hong Kong to Sicily.
Production
Fields of Sacrifice was produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) for the Canadian Department of Veteran Affairs. The film was originally intended to be a straightforward look at Canadian military cemeteries. Brittain, a staff filmmaker who had just completed the 13-part Canada at War series, decided on different approach. He combined stock footage with glimpses of the former battlegrounds a generation later and added his own commentary. Brittain shows that while these former battlefields are now peaceful and people are getting on with their lives, the sacrifices of Canadians are not forgotten.{{cite book|title=Candid Eyes: Essays on Canadian Documentaries|editor=Jim Leach and Jeannette Sloniowski|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=2003|pages=119|isbn=0-8020-8299-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kqM_aGqcNzgC&q=%22Fields+of+Sacrifice%22&pg=PA119}} The film was narrated by Douglas Rain and shot in 35 mm.{{cite web|url=http://www.nfb.ca/film/Fields_of_Sacrifice|title=Fields of Sacrifice|last=Ohayon|first=Albert|work=Curator's comments|publisher=National Film Board of Canada|accessdate=2009-11-11|location=Montreal}}
Theatrical release
Fields of Sacrifice premiered in Ottawa in October 1963, attended by Governor General of Canada Georges Vanier. It would enjoy a two-year theatrical run, often shown as part of a double bill with the NFB's 70-minute drama Drylanders. It was broadcast on CBC-TV in 1965 on Remembrance Day.{{cite web|url=http://blog.nfb.ca/2009/11/27/from-documentary-to-fiction-the-story-behind-the-nfb%E2%80%99s-first-feature-film/|title= From documentary to fiction: The story behind the NFB's first feature film|last=Ohayon|first=Albert|date=November 27, 2009|work=Curator's comments|publisher=National Film Board of Canada|accessdate=1 December 2009}}
Significance
Fields of Sacrifice is considered Brittain's first major film as director.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.filmreferencelibrary.ca/index.asp?layid=46&csid1=9&navid=46|title=Donald Brittain|year=2003|encyclopedia=Canadian Film Encyclopedia|publisher=The Film Companion; Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film|accessdate=2009-11-11|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926231304/http://www.filmreferencelibrary.ca/index.asp?layid=46&csid1=9&navid=46|archivedate=2007-09-26}} It received an Order of Merit at the Canadian Film Awards.{{cite web|url=http://www.onf-nfb.gc.ca/eng/collection/film/?id=11748|title=Fields of Sacrifice|year=1964|work=Collection|publisher=National Film Board of Canada|accessdate=2009-11-11}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{NFB film|Fields_of_Sacrifice}}
{{Donald Brittain}}
Category:1964 short documentary films
Category:English-language Canadian films
Category:Films directed by Donald Brittain
Category:National Film Board of Canada documentaries
Category:Documentary films about war
Category:Canadian military memorials and cemeteries
Category:Canadian short documentary films
Category:Films scored by Eldon Rathburn
Category:1960s English-language films