Paul Tomkowicz, Street Railway Switchman. (1953)
I’ve had a great time this week going through the NFB collection and looking at some of the films I’ve studied. This is a short film made during the 1950’s as part of a series that attempted to look at the diverse faces of Canada. The directors chose to document and follow the daily life of an immigrant in Winnipeg. The film doesn’t outright say it, however, it is implied several times that Paul is a Jew and was forced to leave and abandon his family. The NFB at the time had a ‘cultivated innocence’ (coined by G. Evans) which meant that films suggested deeper meanings, however, for political reasons were never fully followed through on. This film shows several contentious points that could be presented, but the film simply shows the man and his life, not the controversy that could surround it.
The film is also interesting for its camera work. This was one of the first times that cameras were mobile, so it allows the cameraman to follow Paul during the evenning. This is also one of the first films shot at night which created some difficulties, however, the end result is quite stunning. Also pay attention to the inside vs. outside motif in the picture. It is a true statement of the immigrant experience.
For better quality see:
http://www.nfb.ca/film/paul_tomkowicz_street_railway_switchman/
2 years ago