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A War Story

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"How little a list of casualties tells the real story of war." Based on the diaries of Canadian doctor Ben Wheeler during his internment in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during World War II, this feature docudrama is not a "war story" in the conventional sense of strategy and battles, but rather a glowing account of the spirit and its will to survive physical and mental suffering. Newsreel footage of the fall of Singapore (where Major Wheeler was captured) has been interwoven with dramatic reconstructions of scenes inside the mining camp and interviews with survivors.

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Title

A War Story

Call No

NFB

Digital Link

View this resource online

Authors

Wheeler, Anne
Radford, Tom
Scott, Michael
National Film Board of Canada (Montreal)

Subjects

Wheeler, Ben--Diaries.
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Canadian.
Canada. Canadian Armed ForcesCanadian doctorsDramatizationsFeature filmsJapanese internment campsPrisoners of warSingaporeTaiwanTortureWorld War II

Language

English

Published

Montreal : National Film Board of Canada, 2009.

Publication Desc

1 streaming video (81 min., 50 sec.) : sound.

Awards Note

Blue Ribbon Award - Category: History, 1983 Award of the Ministry of Flemish Culture - accompanied by a Cash Award of 1,000$US, 1983 Best Musique (Maurice Marshall), 1982 Best Direction, 1982 Best Entertainment Feature, 1982 Best Overall Production, 1982

Summary MARC Cover Image Additional Info

General Note

Agency - English program:.Northwest Centre.

Credit Note

Director, Anne Wheeler ; producer, Anne Wheeler ; script, Anne Wheeler ; executive producer, Tom Radford, Michael Scott ; cinematography, Robert Nichol, Ron Orieux ; sound, Ralph Parker, Michèle Lalonde ; editing, Ray Harper ; re-recording, Jean-Pierre Joutel ; music, Maurice Marshall.

Performer Note

Narrator, Donald Sutherland, Anne Wheeler ; cast, Doug Bagot, Rodrigue Deschênes, David Edney, W. Forrest MacDonald, Cecil Grinstead, Doug Kier, Patrick McGuigan, Allan Stebbings, Dean Stoker, Frank Turner, Gerry Whelpton, Tom Whitton.

Time of Event Note

Recorded 1981.

Summary

"How little a list of casualties tells the real story of war." Based on the diaries of Canadian doctor Ben Wheeler during his internment in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during World War II, this feature docudrama is not a "war story" in the conventional sense of strategy and battles, but rather a glowing account of the spirit and its will to survive physical and mental suffering. Newsreel footage of the fall of Singapore (where Major Wheeler was captured) has been interwoven with dramatic reconstructions of scenes inside the mining camp and interviews with survivors.

System Det Note

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Awards Note

Blue Ribbon Award - Category: History, 1983
Award of the Ministry of Flemish Culture - accompanied by a Cash Award of 1,000$US, 1983
Best Musique (Maurice Marshall), 1982
Best Direction, 1982
Best Entertainment Feature, 1982
Best Overall Production, 1982

Source of Description Note (R)

Description based on online resource; title from title screen (National Film Board of Canada, viewed 2023-08-10).