''Blackwood'' is a 1976 Canadian

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

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 ...

about

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

artist

David Blackwood David Lloyd Blackwood (November 7, 1941 – July 2, 2022) was a Canadian artist known chiefly for his intaglio prints, often depicting dramatic historical scenes of Newfoundland outport life and industry, such as shipwrecks, seal hunting, ic ...

, directed by

Tony Ianzelo Tony Ianzelo (born June 13, 1935) is a Canadian documentary director and cinematographer. Career Ianzelo was born in Toronto, Ontario, and attended Toronto's Ryerson Institute of Technology. His career at the National Film Board of Canada wa ...

and Andy Thomson for 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 ...

. The film studies the works of Newfoundland’s

(1941-2022), one of Canada’s greatest intaglio printmakers. Blackwood guides viewers through the process of

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

, with step-by-step explanations. We see historical images of his home town of

Wesleyville Wesleyville is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,229 at the 2020 census, down from 3,341 in 2010. It is part of the Erie Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Wesleyville is located at (42.137056, ...

, and hear the tales of a seasoned

seaman Seaman may refer to: * Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew * Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies * Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name) * ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...

. Much of Blackwood’s work depicted

Newfoundland outport An outport is the term given for a small coastal community in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador other than the chief port of St. John's. Originally, the term was used for coastal communities on the island of Newfoundland, ...

life and industry, and we see some of his images of shipwrecks,

seal hunting Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. Seal hunting is currently practiced in ten countries: United States (above the Arctic Circle in Alaska), Canada, Namibia, Denmark (in self-governing Greenland only), Ice ...

and iceberg encounters. Narration is in the dulcet tones of Newfoundland native

Gordon Pinsent Gordon Edward Pinsent (born July 12, 1930) is a Canadian actor, writer, director, and singer. He is known for his roles in numerous productions, including ''Away from Her'', ''The Rowdyman'', ''John and the Missus'', ''A Gift to Last'', '' Due So ...

, and the cinematography has fine threads weaving, mingling, separating and disappearing, evoking a sense of history and a way of life long gone.

Awards

* Festival International du Film sur l'Art, Paris - Grand Prize for the Quality of the Image, 1977 * Festival of Tourist and Folklore Films, Brussels - Prize of the Principality of Monaco for the Best Film Evocating the Past of a Region by the Means of Art, 1977 *

Yorkton Film Festival Yorkton Film Festival (YFF) is an annual film festival held in late May in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada. In 1947, the Yorkton Film Council (YFC) was founded and in 1950 the first international documentary film festival officially opened in we ...

Yorkton Yorkton is a city located in south-eastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is about 450 kilometres north-west of Winnipeg and 300 kilometres south-east of Saskatoon and is the sixth largest city in the province. As of 2017 the census population of the ...

, Saskatchewan: Golden Sheaf Award, Best Short Film, 1977 *

, Saskatchewan: Golden Sheaf Award, Best Sound Editing (to John Knight), 1977 * 49th Academy Awards, Los Angeles – Nominee, Best Documentary Short Subject

References

External links

*
Watch ''Blackwood'' at NFB.ca
1976 films 1976 short films 1976 documentary films Canadian short documentary films Culture of Newfoundland and Labrador Documentary films about painters Films directed by Tony Ianzelo Films set in Newfoundland and Labrador Films produced by Tom Daly Films produced by Colin Low (filmmaker) National Film Board of Canada documentaries National Film Board of Canada short films Works about Newfoundland and Labrador 1970s short documentary films 1970s English-language films 1970s Canadian films {{bio-documentary-film-stub