''A Matter of Fat'' is a 1969

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

produced by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

and directed by

William Weintraub William Weintraub (February 19, 1926 – November 6, 2017) was a Canadian documentarian/filmmaker, journalist and author, best known for his long career with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Early life Weintraub was born in Montreal ...

. It chronicles the efforts of a 358-pound man, Gilles Lorrain, to lose half his body weight as part of a hospital supervised

weight loss Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to a reduction of the total body mass, by a mean loss of fluid, body fat (adipose tissue), or lean mass (namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other conn ...

program. In the film, which is narrated by

Lorne Greene Lorne Hyman Greene (born Lyon Himan Green; 12 February 1915 – 11 September 1987) was a Canadian actor, musician, singer and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western ''Bonanza'' and Commander Ada ...

, Lorrain recounts his life and experiences, often with humour. In one 21-second

time lapse Time-lapse photography is a technique in which the frequency at which film frames are captured (the frame rate) is much lower than the frequency used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus ...

sequence, Weintraub shows Lorrain's 150-pound weight loss, filmed at two frames a day for seven months. The film also shows Lorrain's return to his family after the gruelling program, and his conviction that he will be one of one in four dieters who can keep the weight off. In addition to focusing on Lorrain's story, the film explores what other obese people are doing to lose weight, and hears from medical authorities on misconceptions and practices in the weight loss industry. ''A Matter of Fat'' also motivated the film's director to lose weight.

Awards

22nd Canadian Film Awards The 22nd Canadian Film Awards were held on October 3, 1970 to honour achievements in Canadian film.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 89-91. The ceremo ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

: Best Film Over 30 Minutes, 1970 *

Atlanta Film Festival The Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) is a long-running, international film festival held in Atlanta, Georgia operated by the Atlanta Film Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Started in 1976 and occurring every spring, the festival shows a ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

: Gold Medal, 1971 *

: Special Jury Award, 1971 * American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, 1971

References

External links

* * 1969 films Documentary films about obesity National Film Board of Canada documentaries Best Theatrical Short Film Genie Award winners 1969 documentary films Canadian documentary films Films scored by Robert Fleming 1960s English-language films Films directed by William Weintraub 1960s Canadian films {{1960s-Canada-film-stub

Awards

See also

References

External links