''When Asia Speaks'' is a 19-minute film produced in 1944 by

Stuart Legg Stuart Legg (31 August 1910 in London, England – 23 July 1988 in Wiltshire, England) was a documentary filmmaker who was a leading figure in both the United Kingdom and Canada as a pioneering director, writer and producer. During his long filmma ...

and directed by

Gordon Weisenborn Gordon Weisenborn (March 20, 1923 – October 4, 1987) was an American director, producer, writer, and cinematographer specializing in sponsored and educational films. His works express a style that blends naturalism and lyricism with modernist ab ...

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 ...

series ''

The World in Action ''The World in Action'' (aka ''World in Action'') was a monthly series of propaganda films from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), created to boost morale and show the Allied war effort during the Second World War. The series was inspired b ...

''. The film is narrated by broadcaster

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 ...

. ''When Asia Speaks'' describes the disparity between the riches of Asia and the poverty of the masses during the

Second World War 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 opposin ...

that have led to nationalist movements in Asia. The film's

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

version title is ''Le Réveil de l'Asie''.

Synopsis

In 1944, during the Second World War,

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

forces are beginning to occupy

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis *Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinate ...

-occupied Asia. The vast area represents 1/2 of the world's population and unlimited natural resources. Although the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...

in attempting to establish the

Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere The , also known as the GEACPS, was a concept that was developed in the Empire of Japan and propagated to Asian populations which were occupied by it from 1931 to 1945, and which officially aimed at creating a self-sufficient bloc of Asian peo ...

, had ruled the occupied Asian populations with a heavy hand for years, the Japanese government and military reversed its policies in an attempt to sway cooperation. At the same time, great forces are also at work in the Indian sub-continent, Indo-Asia Pacific and China as nationalist movements vie for self-determination. An obstacle to ruling Asia is the wide divide between East and West. The administrators of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

on the Indian sub-continent realize that

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

and

Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

speak for a massive disaffected populace. In China, the nationalist movement begun by visionary leader

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

has galvanized the occupied people in their struggle against Japan. Despite recruiting efforts to enlist the Asian population, except for isolated examples, Asians have rejected the Axis propaganda. The great riches of the region are coveted by both the Axis and Allied powers. Although urban areas have made progress, and industries have employed millions, the impoverished people in rural areas still labour in the fields. With the end of

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 opposin ...

in sight, Asia looks forward to the day when they can fulfill their own hopes for a better future in a postwar world.

Cast

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

as Himself (archive footage) *

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

as Himself (archive footage) *

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

as Himself (archive footage) *

Lord Wavell Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, (5 May 1883 – 24 May 1950) was a senior officer of the British Army. He served in the Second Boer War, the Bazar Valley Campaign and the First World War, during which he was wounded ...

as Himself (archive footage) * Madame Chiang Kai-shek as Herself (archive footage) *

Hideki Tojo Hideki Tojo (, ', December 30, 1884 – December 23, 1948) was a Japanese politician, general of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), and convicted war criminal who served as prime minister of Japan and president of the Imperial Rule Assistan ...

as Himself (archive footage) *

as Himself (archive footage)

Production

Typical of the NFB's wartime series of

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

short films, ''When Asia Speaks'' was a

compilation documentary A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

that relied heavily on stock footage, including "enemy footage". A large proportion of the film was composed on

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a cinema, newsreels were a source of current affairs, informa ...

material from the inter-war period, continuing to foster the outmoded image of "romance, glamour and intrigue" that characterized the westerner's perception of the East. The narrator in ''When Asia Speaks'' was

, known for his work on both radio broadcasts as a news announcer at '' CBC'' as well as narrating many of the earlier ''

Canada Carries On ''Canada Carries On'' (French: ''En avant Canada'') was a series of short films by the National Film Board of Canada which ran from 1940 to 1959. The series was initially created as morale-boosting propaganda films during the Second World War. Wit ...

'' and ''The World in Action'' series. His sonorous recitation led to his nickname, "The Voice of Canada", and when reading grim battle statistics, "The Voice of Doom".

Reception

''When Asia Speaks'' as part of the NFB's ''The World in Action'' newsreel series, was produced in 35 mm for the theatrical market. Each film was shown over a six-month period as part of the shorts or newsreel segments in approximately 800 theatres across Canada. The NFB also had an arrangement with

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

to ensure that newsreels would get a wider release in North America.Ellis and McLane 2005, p. 122. After the six-month theatrical tour ended, individual films were made available on 16 mm, to schools, libraries, churches and factories, extending the life of these films for another year or two.Ohayon, Albert
"Propaganda cinema at the NFB".
''National Film Board of Canada'', July 13, 2009. Retrieved: April 2, 2016. They were also made available to film libraries operated by university and provincial authorities. Available from the National Film Board either online or as a DVD.Peters, Sharon
"Documentary Lens Lesson Plan for When Asia Speaks."
''NFB.ca'', 2005. Retrieved: April 2, 2016. Film historian Ian Aitken in ''The Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film'', described ''When Asia Speaks'' as "... so accurate and farseeing in its analysis that it was still in active non-theatrical distribution long after the war."Aitken 2013, p. 1017.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Aitken, Ian. ''The Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film''. London: Routledge, 2013. . * Bennett, Linda Greene. ''My Father's Voice: The Biography of Lorne Greene''. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse, Inc., 2004. . * Ellis, Jack C. and Betsy A. McLane. ''New History of Documentary Film''. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005. .

External links

''When Asia Speaks'' at NFB Collections page

Watch ''When Asia Speaks'' at NFB Documentary page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:When Asia Speaks 1944 films Black-and-white documentary films 1944 documentary films English-language Canadian films National Film Board of Canada documentaries Canadian short documentary films Films produced by Stuart Legg Films scored by Lucio Agostini Documentary films about Asia The World in Action Quebec films National Film Board of Canada short films Columbia Pictures short films Canadian black-and-white films Cultural depictions of Mahatma Gandhi Cultural depictions of Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural depictions of Franklin D. Roosevelt 1940s Canadian films

Synopsis

Cast

Production

Reception

See also

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

External links