NFB beta...
July 21, 2008 4:38 PM   Subscribe

The NFB beta is worth exploring... You'll find some lovely old chestnuts like Mindscape, or The Romance of Transportation in Canada...the quality is generally good enough to watch in full screen mode if you choose a higher streaming speed under "options".
posted by bonobothegreat (17 comments total) 26 users marked this as a favorite
 
wow, wicked site. definitely some of the best of the web...

thank you bono...
posted by dawdle at 4:56 PM on July 21, 2008


Very cool … I finally get to see Universe (1960).
posted by gubo at 6:03 PM on July 21, 2008


Do the French-language films have English subtitles, and vice versa? I looked but was unable to find such a feature... one would think, or hope, it's in the works at least.
posted by letourneau at 6:14 PM on July 21, 2008


Yay! Some of my all-time favourites: The Big Snit, Blackfly, Chaque enfant... that's just in the first few pages.
posted by joannemerriam at 6:14 PM on July 21, 2008 [2 favorites]


Hinterland Who's Who?
posted by blue_beetle at 7:32 PM on July 21, 2008


If you ask any girl from the parish around
what pleases her most from her head to her toes
she'll say "I'm not sure
that that's business of yours
,
but I sure love to waltz with that log driver.

posted by anthill at 7:40 PM on July 21, 2008 [4 favorites]


Aw, only 3 vignettes. Still, they have Faces.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 7:48 PM on July 21, 2008


Does anyone else remember staying up late on Sunday nights and watching "O Canada" on Cartoon Network? I've been wondering where I could see these cartoons again ever since.

This has really made my day.
posted by roll truck roll at 8:13 PM on July 21, 2008


This is great, but as Paddle to the Sea doesn't appear to be up (yet?) - and no NFB related reminiscence would be complete without it - here are the obligatory youtube links
posted by sloe at 8:51 PM on July 21, 2008


If you've only got time to watch one NFB doc, make it Devil At Your Heels, the story of Ken Carter, a daredevil who built a rocket car and a ten-story ramp with the intention of jumping over the St. Lawrence River (he was also the subject of my first MeFi post). It is in all seriousness one of the best documentaries I've ever seen, on any subject.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:52 PM on July 21, 2008


It is always a pleasure to re-watch what I am pretty sure is one of the greatest animated short films ever, The Cat Came Back. "The Big Snit" also does not get old, and I will forever have the tunes from "Blackfly" and "Log Driver's Waltz" burned into my memory. Thanks for posting this!
posted by Monster_Zero at 10:40 PM on July 21, 2008 [1 favorite]


You've enriched my life, bonobothegreat.
posted by The Salaryman at 2:47 AM on July 22, 2008


Given this is the organisation that the Scottish electronica band Boards of Canada took their sound from - based on their soundtracks, which of these films have the coolest scores?
posted by treblekicker at 5:36 AM on July 22, 2008


Wow, what a great revamp of the site! I love seeing various Canadian agencies and departments move towards embracing the web like this. Bonus points for not employing region-locking, unlike many of the popular USA video streaming sites... while I understand Hulu & company's reasons for employing region-locking, it still sucks, and forces me to turn to the most readily available alternative (torrents).
posted by Meagan at 6:47 AM on July 22, 2008


Fantastic site, which would be even more fantastic if this damn machine would load video properly. Bookmarked for that mythical future where I have a computer that is less than 10 years old. Thanks!
posted by nax at 7:38 AM on July 22, 2008


I was at a public showing of "the Romance of Transportation in Canada" earlier this year (Cinematheque was playing it along with Outrageous!). Thomas Waugh introduced it and I found some of his comments at the Cinematheque site:

"The National Film Board's Oscar-nominated new turn in cel animation from 1952 is a confirmation that Canadian history is not only never dull but in fact can also be an unexpected repository of queer flounces and, thanks to a high camp commentary written by Norman McLaren's boyfriend Guy Glover, very queer inflections."
posted by sevenyearlurk at 10:47 AM on July 22, 2008


Great. I was just getting ready to go to the gym and you post this. Great. Just fricking great.

The only thing getting me out the door at all tonight is I can't seem to find "The Sweater."

Damn, it's on YouTube.
posted by Opposite George at 9:39 PM on July 22, 2008


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