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Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.) Item Video With digital objects
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Yokohama festival, joint concert in Stanley Park

Item is a videocassette containing a news presentation from Japanese television about a joint concert [in Stanley Park] with Japanese and Canadian youths leading up to the Yokohama Day celebration at Expo 86.

The broadcast begins with a newscaster introducing the piece, and cuts to performances of Japanese and Canadian musicians playing jazz and band music, followed by short interviews with English speakers reacting to the music and the cultural exchange. Next up is a fashion show with ‘Miss Yokohama’ and a mixture of Japanese and Western women in traditional Japanese clothing, followed by a group of Japanese women playing traditional music on Koto. Street scenes of the grounds are followed by a brief interview with [an unknown politician or organizer] (in English) and then interviews with Japanese youth on the grounds. The band from earlier then plays an evening show, followed by interviews with the young Japanese musicians and some of the audience members (in English). The spot concludes with night footage of the grounds.

Vancouver's birthday party

The feature is a presentation from BCTV’s News Hour (April 6, 1986) about the centennial birthday celebrations at Stanley Park. Presenter Irene Daniels discusses the celebration over footage of a variety of activities and events throughout the day. The feature begins with a one hundred gun salute, fireboats on the harbor, and a long section of the birthday fireworks. Next is footage of Mayor Michael Harcourt visiting the first baby born on April 6th, followed by footage of the parade, the concert at Brockton Point, and various celebratory park activities. The feature concludes with a speech by Governor General Jeanne Sauvé and the cutting of the Centennial cake by Sauvé and the mayor.

Vancouver on the move

Item is a videocassette containing a documentary about the city of Vancouver.

The main focus of the documentary as a whole is the social and cultural life in the city and the relationship between the people and their surroundings in 1986, the centenary year. The visual elements are a combination of historical photographs, hand drawn illustrations, historical moving image footage, and moving image footage shot by the filmmakers between 1985 and 1986. Music with a narrator speaking in the foreground accompanies the visuals.

The early history of Vancouver is told through stories about George Vancouver naming point Grey and Burrard channel and meeting First Nations people, John Deighton (“Gassy Jack”) opening his saloon, the first city council meeting, and the arrival of the first CPR train from Montreal and ship from Yokohama.

The discussion of modern life in Vancouver that makes up the bulk of the documentary is roughly divided into sections. The first section discusses modern commerce, including shipping, transportation, forestry, fishing, and tourism. The second section discusses cultural life, including the natural beauty of Stanley Park, street scenes in Chinatown, the expo grounds and the SkyTrain, street musicians, children playing at a water park, and a football game at BC Place.

The third section focuses on the immigrant experience and how a diversity of cultures enriches life in the city. This point is illustrated with scenes of new Canadians at a citizenship ceremony, Tai Chi in Queen Elizabeth Park and Chinese dragons in Chinatown, the Nitobe Memorial Garden and the Powell Street Festival, a Sikh wedding and street scenes of Main Street in South Vancouver. It also explores the dark side of the immigrant experience, discussing the 1907 anti-Asian riots, the forced removal and internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II, and the Komagata Maru incident. The section also addresses Indigenous resistance and cultural resilience.

The fourth section deals with Vancouverites' love of being outside, with footage of outdoor aerobics and other fitness activities, relaxing on the beach and ‘being seen’, outdoor cocktail parties and dining, a family picnic in the park, outdoor theatre, and sailing.

Okexnon Films Inc.

Vancouver Jubilee

Item is a promotional film showing the Diamond Jubilee celebration events, a brief history of Vancouver and concludes with footage of Vancouver after 1945. The film shows historical photographs of Vancouver and focuses on various aspects of development in Vancouver including industry, media, communications, transportation, power plants, city planning, city governance, tourism and architecture.

The film was commissioned by the Vancouver Jubilee Publicity Committee and later sponsored by the British Columbia Electric Company Ltd.

Individuals involved in the creation of the film include: John Young (Director of Photography), L.E. Weekes (Cameraman), Maureen Balfe (Editor), Gordon Inglis and Margaret Jestley (Narrators), C. Fredenburgh (Lighting), L.M. Parry (Producer), William D. Dix (Director)

This film is a re-print made by the Vancouver Museum in the late 1970's for a program called "Vancouver's Heritage in Film".

Trans-Canada Films

Vancouver : city of century

Item is a videocassette containing a documentary about the city of Vancouver and Vancouver life, developed for the centennial celebrations. It includes a short introduction to the history of the city up to the 1920s using historical photographs, some film footage of First Nations peoples, and voiceover narrative.

The next section focuses on transportation, featuring scenes of airplanes, the BC ferry, the Seabus, the SkyTrain, ships in the harbour, steamboats, and cruise ships. The focus shifts towards nature and leisure activities as Stanley Park is explored with a historical photograph montage followed by film footage of park and aquarium scenes, including polar bears, penguins, river otters and killer whales. Grouse Mountain is illustrated through shots of the gondola, ski lift, and scenes of skiing. Other sport scenes include sailing ships, ocean and river kayaking, car races, bicycle races, horse races, hockey, football, boxing, golf, soccer and tennis. Life on the water is emphasised with a section on the bathtub race and associated celebrations, beach scenes, and a paddle boat tour around various Vancouver landmarks.

The next section contains a presentation of the centennial theme song ‘The Vancouver Song’ or ‘Vancouver (you'll always look like home to me)’ over a montage of scenes of the Expo Centre, the harbour, downtown, and Stanley Park.

The documentary concludes with scenes of the city at night, including Granville Island, Robson Square, neon signs downtown and at Chinese restaurants, the Expo Centre illuminated with Expo 86 lighting and shots of the sunset over the bay.

R.R. Productions

Stanley Park, the VanDusen Garden, and the visit of the Kaiwo Maru

Item is a documentary film documenting Stanley Park, the VanDusen Botanical Display Garden, and the visit to Vancouver of the Japanese tall ship the Kaiwo Maru. Footage taken at the VanDusen Garden includes the garden entrance, the administration/library/classroom building, flower beds, roses, trees, ponds, lily pads, blue herons, a starling, and stone sculptures. Footage from Stanley Park includes crowds at the Stanley Park Junction, children and adults riding the Stanley Park Miniature Railway, people watching bears at the Stanley Park Zoo, and other zoo animals including flamingoes and seals. Film also includes footage taken from a sail boat of the Kaiwo Maru in English Bay surrounded by numerous pleasurecraft, with a group of the Kaiwo Maru's crew standing on her bow. The film also includes footage of Vancouver Harbour, downtown Vancouver, and cruise ships at berth as viewed from the deck of a sail boat.

Around Vancouver

Item is a film containing home movie footage filmed by Allan Crocker. The film shows Stanley Park including the Stanley Park zoo, birds and the Dining Pavilion; Coal Harbour; the Lion's Gate Bridge; Queen Elizabeth Park; a trip to [Caribou?]; an airport; and Christmas celebrations at the Crocker residence, 7347 West Boulevard.