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KEEPERS OF OUR PAST AND PRESENT

Planet Pictures for the National Library of Canada, 1990. VHS cassette, 14:00 min., available for loan with permission from National Library.

Distributed by L.M. Media, 115 Torbay Road, Unit 9, Markham, Ontario L3R 2M9.

Grades 10 and up/Ages 15 and up
Reviewed by Jim Forrester.

Volume 19 Number 3
1991 May


Keepers of Our Past and Present is a title that projects a stuffy, conservative image. However, the production behind the title is a lively, sometimes irreverent look at the National Library of Canada. Planet Pictures has pro­duced a sponsored film that is exem­plary of the best of the genre and is in fact a parody of the style usually found in promotional films generally.

Unlike the 1981 NFB short, Canada's National Library, this video hangs the image of the NL in the framework of a comic story about a young writer's frustrations while writing the script. Given the film's zany off-the-wall humour, I'm not surprised that the NFB reacted coolly to the final product. However, the producers have pulled off a minor miracle by portraying the National Library of Canada as a vibrant and dynamic organization.


Jim Forrester, Peterborough, Ont.
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