Movie and DVD Reviews

Ever pick up a dusty book or piece of antique that you
thought to be unimportant, only to discover its inherent
value? That’s how naughty history can be sometimes.
There’s never a dull moment when one rediscovers pieces
of history. I can just imagine how Italian humanists felt just
before they nurtured the Renaissance in Europe.

Canadians are not generally regarded as a people attached
to their heritage, so the opportunity to dust off pieces of
Canadian history is there for us to discover. Indeed, we have
seen this with the Heritage Series vignettes aired on
television, highlighting Canadian historical achievements
and contributions.

I recently stumbled upon one of those lost relics of
Canadiana I never knew existed; which surprised me since I
do take an active interest in this country’s past. Reading
about Canadian history has introduced me to the innovative
spirit of Canadians through the years. In the realm of
Hollywood, Canadians were rugged individualists who
roamed the continent giving unique Canadian imprints to
the North American film experience.

What was supposed to be a night researching Buster
Keaton led to the discovery of several Canadian pioneers in
early Hollywood. While going through the list of Canadian
names on various web sites dedicated to the silent film era,
the one thing that caught my attention was how this
presence and influence seemed disproportionate to
Canada’s tiny population, which grew from 7 million in 1910
to 10 million in 1930. It was like discovering a long lost
relative.

Some quotes from The Grove Book of Hollywood anthology
edited by Christopher Silvester helps to put things in
historical perspective. Dancer and choreographer Agnes
DeMille (niece of Cecil B. DeMille) once said “Hollywood
was merely a country town, like many in the East, with
palms instead of maples and chestnuts. The hills, though
steep, were plain colored. The people were just ordinary.”
She even described how there were still cowboys who, “kept
largely to themselves.”

British actress Constance Collier added “Hollywood was
still a village, with farms that had not yet been built over, and
the surly farmers were furious at the advent of the picture
folk.” In a similar vain, screenwriter Lenore Coffee wrote “In
1919 Hollywood was a village. Hollywood Boulevard could
have been any Main Street in America.”

With this, Hollywood was hardly a romantic and opulent
place in its infancy. Such was the character of Hollywood in
its formative years. There were no agents and it was normal
for employees to offer their insights to the director. What
Hollywood lacked in panache it made up in the family
surroundings it fostered. In many ways, this unassuming
and humble reality resonated well with a Canadian mindset.

And so it is with DeMille’s ,Collier’s and Coffee’s Hollywood,
Canadians were poised to leave their mark; earn their stars
they did.

Notable figures during this time included the tragic lives of
Marie Pr

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