Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
The Archives of Ontario’s speakers will open up their movie vault next Tuesday for a special presentation at the Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives.
Titled Lights, Camera, Archives, the presentation will show highlights from historical film clips produced by a variety of provincial government ministries between the 1920s and ‘80s.
“It covers a variety of different topics, everything from health promotion, tourism in Ontario, education and also staff training for Ontario Public Service employees,” explains Danielle Manning, outreach officer with the Archives of Ontario Speakers Bureau. She’ll be leading Tuesday’s presentation.
“The clips range from the early 1920s all the way up to the 1980s,” explains Manning. “They’re a great example of the social situation of the time, the culture, the film technology that was used during those eras. It’s interesting to see how Ontario as a society has evolved and how government messaging has evolved over time.”
Those in attendance may recognize some of the clips, which would have been broadcast on television throughout the decades. Some were more widely distributed than others. Among the more well known films in the collection is A Place to Stand, which earned an Academy Award.
“The government film was produced for the Ontario pavilion at Expo ‘67,” said Manning. “Titled A Place to Stand, that one is probably the most famous of the clips that will be shown in the talk. It actually won an Oscar in the following year, 1968, for best live action short. That one’s always really popular.”
Manning will provide a brief history on each clip, as well as highlight as to why they’re notable.
Along with the talk, Manning says she will be promoting the Archives’ Youtube channel, which houses several of their historic videos which were recently digitized.
Tickets for Tuesday Night at the Museum are $3 and will be available at the door. The talk gets underway at 7 p.m.
Tuesday Night at the Museum is part of an ongoing program at the museum with a different guest speaker every month. The museum is located at 97 Thomas Street E in Napanee.