The Romance of the Far Fur Country double DVD
The Romance of the Far Fur Country double DVD
1920 | Silent | 2 Hours | Tinted / Black & White | Canada |
2 disc set complete with full 2 hour film and 4 hours of bonus features
Purchase both DVDs as a COMBO and save $10!
Cinematography by Harold Wyckoff and Bill Derr
Produced by Educational Films Corporation
Originally Released by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1920
Presented by Five Door Films
Curatorial Editor: Kevin Nikkel
Curatorial Advisors: Chris Nikkel & Peter Geller
Archival Motion Picture Footage Courtesy of The Hudson’s Bay Company Archives / Archives Of Manitoba
The Romance Unfolds
In 1919, the Hudson’s Bay Company commissioned a feature film to showcase their work and history in celebration of their 250th year in business. They sent a camera crew on a six-month expedition, traveling from coast to coast to coast. Over 75,000 feet of silent nitrate film was shot. The final two hour silent film was titled The Romance of the Far Fur Country, released in 1920. The film portrayed the HBC’s fur trade industry in detail, showing their efforts to cross great distances to remote outposts to maintain their trade with the First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
Following the HBC anniversary festivities, the film would disappear from public view; the canisters of nitrate film were collected and stored away by the HBC in an archive in London, with a paper trail of the film’s production maintained in the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives.
It would be over half a century before the footage would find its way back to a projector’s light. In the 1990s, visual historian Peter Geller revisited the HBC footage held in the vaults of the British Film Institute. In 2010 the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives made a request to the British Film Institute to have the collection of HBC films returned to the collection, now held in Archives of Manitoba.
Since the return of the film elements to the Winnipeg vaults of the HBCA, Five Door Films has collaborated with Geller to restore The Romance of the Far Fur Country from the surviving reels of footage from digitized copies created at the time of their transfer back to Winnipeg. The re-release of The Romance of the Far Fur Country re-assembles the film elements to the original 2 hour running time and adds a contemporary score by composer Nathan Reimer.
The two discs contain
- New digital transfer from the 1920 35mm nitrate film elements
- Restored 2 hour feature of The Romance of the Far Fur Country with contemporary score by composer Nathan Reimer
- Map of the journey with photo album & diary entries from cameraman Harold Wyckoff from the 1919 expedition
- Audio commentary by historian Peter Geller and curatorial editor Kevin Nikkel
- Regional short films with contemporary score by composer Nathan Reimer
- A behind the scenes short documentary of the return and restoration
- The Heritage of Adventure, the 90 minute silent UK version of the 1920 film
- Additional 1920 silent films with extra footage from the HBCA / Archives of Manitoba (Trials and Tribulations of a Cameraman, It’s a Great Life If, Red River Pageant, HBC Comics)
- Treasures from the Far Fur Country: a short film covering the over all 1919 journey with contemporary score
- DVD booklet with 4 curatorial essays and classroom study guide.
**Please note: the Blu-ray does not contain the DVD booklet with curatorial essays and classroom study guide.
What is Home use?
What is Home use?
The Home Use DVD is meant for private, home viewing only for individuals, including home schooling for up to 8 people. This DVD is not meant to be screened in front of a large group in a workshop, classroom or community setting. Please see the other use types if you wish to screen it publicly.
Any form of copying or altering of the format purchased is not permitted.
Thank you for supporting independent filmmakers and respecting their rights for proper compensation for their work. We return 70% of revenues to the artists.
What is Community use?
What is Community use?
This DVD is designed for non-profit and small community groups wishing to screen the film for free in an educational setting to groups of 50 people maximum.
Please contact us if you are screening to a larger audience or want to charge admission.
Thank you for respecting the independent artists who made this film.
What is Single Site use?
What is Single Site use?
This use includes K-12 and Public Libraries.
This DVD is priced to accommodate library borrowing and educational screenings within a single library, school, small office, or hospital.
Circulating outside the organization, institution, or office or to donate programs to other organizations or institutions are not included or permitted under this sale except for home borrowing at public libraries. Any form of copying or altering of the format purchased is not permitted.
Thank you for respecting the independent artists who made this film.
PUBLIC LIBRARIES – Please enquire about discounts for multiple copies purchased for branch libraries.
SCHOOL BOARDS – please purchase the Institutional DVD.
What is Institutional use?
What is Institutional use?
This DVD is priced in accordance with how many people could potentially watch it. At a large university or school board the potential of hundreds to thousands of viewers dictates this price. For library and instructional use in a workshop or classroom setting at a university or school board.
Circulation to multiple departments, institutions or offices within a jurisdiction such as schools within a school district or offices within a company is permitted. Any form of copying or altering of the format purchased is not permitted. Please contact us for streaming enquiries.
Thank you for respecting the independent artists who made this film.
For more information or if you have any questions or special requests please contact the Distribution Director, Jillian Groening:
+1 (204) 925-3456 ext. 105 / monica@winnipegfilmgroup.com
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