''Fields of Sacrifice'' is a 1964 documentary by

Donald Brittain Donald Code Brittain, (June 10, 1928 – July 21, 1989) was a film director and producer with the National Film Board of Canada. Career ''Fields of Sacrifice'' (1964) is considered Brittain's first major film as director. His other notable ...

about Canadian war dead. The film visits former

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

fields where over 100,000 Canadian soldiers lost their lives in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

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 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 ...

(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 ''Canada at War'' (french: link=no, Le Canada en guerre) is a 1962 Canadian World War II documentary television series which aired on CBC Television. Premise Production of this National Film Board of Canada documentary series began in 1958, usi ...

'' 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. The film was narrated by

Douglas Rain Douglas James Rain (March 13, 1928 – November 11, 2018) was a Canadian actor and narrator. Although primarily a stage actor, he is perhaps best known for his voicing of the HAL 9000 computer in the film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' (1968) and i ...

and shot in 35 mm.

Theatrical release

''Fields of Sacrifice'' premiered in Ottawa in October 1963, attended by

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, ...

Georges Vanier Georges-Philias Vanier (23 April 1888 – 5 March 1967) was a Canadian military officer and diplomat who served as governor general of Canada, the first Quebecer and second Canadian-born person to hold the position. Vanier was born and ...

. It would enjoy a two-year theatrical run, often shown as part of a

double bill The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera ho ...

with the NFB's 70-minute drama ''

Drylanders ''Drylanders'' is a 1962 Canadian western (genre), Western film directed by Don Haldane and Written by M. Charles Cohen and starring Frances Hyland and James B. Douglas. It was the National Film Board of Canada's first English-language feature fi ...

''. It was broadcast on CBC-TV in 1965 on

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

Significance

''Fields of Sacrifice'' is considered Brittain's first major film as director. It received an Order of Merit at the

Canadian Film Awards The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

References

External links

Watch ''Fields of Sacrifice'' at NFB.ca
{{Donald Brittain 1964 short films English-language Canadian films Films directed by Donald Brittain National Film Board of Canada documentaries Documentary films about war Canadian military memorials and cemeteries Sponsored films Canadian short documentary films 1960s short documentary films Films scored by Eldon Rathburn 1960s English-language films Quebec films National Film Board of Canada short films 1960s Canadian films