''Never a Backward Step'' is a 1966 documentary film, 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

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 ...

, Arthur Hammond and

John Spotton John Spotton Canadian Society of Cinematographers, C.S.C. (January 1, 1927 - March 3, 1991) was a Canadian filmmaker with the National Film Board of Canada. A versatile artist who worked as a director, producer, cinematographer and editor, Spo ...

. It is a profile of Canadian press magnate Roy Thomson, whose single-minded attention to business brought him riches, power, and a

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

. A native of

Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 (2021). The city's economy is based on natural resource ext ...

, Ontario, Thomson had a tremendous career as publisher, television magnate, financier, and owner of 200+ newspapers in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., including ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

''. It was Thomson who coined the phrase "a permit to print money" (now normally heard as "license to print money") after he'd purchased

Scottish Television Scottish Television (now, legally, known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV network franchisee for Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation since 31 August 1957 and is the ...

. The filmmakers followed Thomson for a few days and captured the many sides of this very ordinary Canadian who, by dint of hard work and luck, became one of the most powerful men in the world.

Awards

* American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, First Prize, Biography & History, 1968 *

20th Canadian Film Awards The 20th Canadian Film Awards were held on October 4, 1968 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. 81-83. 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 Documentary Over 30 Minutes, 1968

References

External links

* {{Donald Brittain 1966 films 1966 documentary films Canadian documentary films Films directed by Donald Brittain Best Documentary Film Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners 1960s English-language films 1960s Canadian films