Grierson

A portrait of John Grierson, the first Canadian Government Film Commissioner and founder of the National Film Board in 1939. Interweaving archival footage, interviews with people who knew him and footage of Grierson himself, this film is a sensitive and informative portrait of a dynamic man of vision. Grierson believed that the filmmaker had a social responsibility, and that film could help a society realize democratic ideals. His absolute faith in the value of capturing the drama of everyday life was to influence generations of filmmakers all over the world. In fact, he coined the term 'documentary film'.

Cast

Michael Kane

Narrator (voice)

John Grierson

Self (archive footage)

Norman McLaren

Self (archive footage)

Sydney Newman

Self

Basil Wright

Self

Lorne Greene

Self

Woodrow Wilson

Self (archive footage)

Roberto Rossellini

Self

Joseph McCarthy

Self (archive footage)

Joris Ivens

Self