"Far From Home: Canada and the Great War, the NFB series of documentary videos which totals just over five hours of viewing time, examines Canada's role in World War I. The so-called Great War was a watershed for Canada: in terms of its self-perception, and its perception in the eyes of the international community. Historians attribute the experience of the war as giving Canadians collectively a new sense of identity; and an acceleration toward full autonomy as a freestanding nation. Canada's performance in the war was renowned both in terms of its sheer size and the quality of its fighting forces. Despite the carnage and grief that characterized this "war of everybody's making but nobody's choosing", Canada's contribution was one warranting national pride. A commemoration of that contribution is quite appropriate, as is the effort to provide some comprehensive historical understanding of an event so central to the nation's history. An examination of one nation's war has some inevitable limitations that are obvious in the videos: we are given one lens to view a complex global conflict. Consequently, we are seeing only aspects of the war, rather than a comprehensive overview. Other partners, such as Britain, France and the United States, enter the picture only as their actions touch on the Canadian story. The viewer best able to appreciate the series, then, is one who has a comprehensive understanding of the broad conflict and is able to assess the story against that backdrop. The neophyte will not come away with a coherent understanding of the war itself but will have some sense of what the experience was like for those who lived through it at home and in battle and what the larger events meant for the development of the Canadian consciousness and nation-state. The videos consist of well-chosen archival footage, interspersed with realistic reenactments of seminal events. In addition, very effective use is made of the words of ordinary participants, as well as of the military and political leaders who shaped and misshaped events. Readings from letters, diaries and dispatches including several from those at home add a striking human dimension that makes the conflict one facing real people not distant and now irrelevant museum pieces. The series will be of benefit to any viewer and will be of value in any history class or any discussion addressing the evolution of Canadian society in the twentieth century." http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol7/no14/farfromhome.html

• published: 27 Oct 2014
• views: 12121