Grierson poster

Grierson( 1973)

TV-MADocumentary
65%
User
Score

Overview

A portrait of John Grierson, the first Canadian Government Film Commissioner and founder of the National Film Board in 1939. Interweaving archival footage, interviews with people who knew him and footage of Grierson himself, this film is a sensitive and informative portrait of a dynamic man of vision. Grierson believed that the filmmaker had a social responsibility, and that film could help a society realize democratic ideals. His absolute faith in the value of capturing the drama of everyday life was to influence generations of filmmakers all over the world. In fact, he coined the term 'documentary film'.

    Top Billed Cast

    1. cast image

      Michael Kane

      Narrator (voice)

    2. cast image

      John Grierson

      Self (archive footage)

    3. cast image

      Norman McLaren

      Self (archive footage)

    4. cast image

      Sydney Newman

      Self

    5. cast image

      Basil Wright

      Self

    6. cast image

      Lorne Greene

      Self

    7. cast image

      Woodrow Wilson

      Self (archive footage)

    8. cast image

      Roberto Rossellini

      Self

    9. cast image

      Joseph McCarthy

      Self (archive footage)

    10. cast image

      Joris Ivens

      Self

    11. cast image

      Indira Gandhi

      Self

    12. cast image

      Margaret Grierson

      Self

    13. cast image

      Alberto Cavalcanti

      Self

    14. cast image

      Bosley Crowther

      Self

    15. cast image

      Pierre Juneau

      Self

    16. cast image

      Lester B. Pearson

      Self (archive footage)

    Social

    Review 1Discussion

    A review by CinemaSerf

    7
    Written by CinemaSerf on Sat Jun 07 2025
    Born in Edinburgh, Jack Grierson grew into an activist on a Clydeside soapbox in his teens advocating improvements in the lives of the poverty stricken shipbuilders struggling to make ends meet in early 20th century Scotland. The Great War took him into the Royal Navy and thence to university where a degree in moral philosophy saw him move to Chicago. This was at a time when Capone and prohibition dominated the city and when he fell in with journalist Walter Lipman. It was with him that Grierson decided that he must find a way to harness the increasing power of mass communication to get his mes...

    Media

    Videos 0Backdrops 1Posters 1

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    Facts

    Status

    Released

    Original Language

    English

    Budget

    -

    Revenue

    -

    Keywords

    • government
    • portrait
    • television
    • biographical documentary