War and Peace
During the Second World War, NFB documentaries informed and inspired Canadians and audiences around the world. These documentaries offer a unique vantage point on the wartime experience at home and on the front.
Excerpts
Break-through
1
The Gates of Italy
1
Heroes of the Atlantic
1
Inside Fighting Canada
1
Proudly She Marches
1
The War for Men's Minds
1
Questions
1. This film, directed by Jane Marsh, depicts women's contributions to the war effort in the armed forces. What does it reveal about perceptions (including self-perceptions) of women in the 1940s?
2. Compare the tone of this film with that of Home Front. What are the differences, and what film techniques make us feel differently about this film?
3. Do you think this film trivializes the contribution of women in the services? Do you think women might have thought so at the time, or have changes since then coloured our understanding? Compare the portrayals of fighting men with the way the female character in this excerpt is portrayed. Do you think the NFB would have created such a sequence about a male soldier learning to drive a jeep?
2. Compare the tone of this film with that of Home Front. What are the differences, and what film techniques make us feel differently about this film?
3. Do you think this film trivializes the contribution of women in the services? Do you think women might have thought so at the time, or have changes since then coloured our understanding? Compare the portrayals of fighting men with the way the female character in this excerpt is portrayed. Do you think the NFB would have created such a sequence about a male soldier learning to drive a jeep?
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Short Description
Canadian women were trained to handle many kinds of work in the Canadian Women's Army Corps, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service.