Cinema of Canada
Canadian cinema began in 1896 and evolved under U.S. influence.
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Because English researchers did not consult French sources, the Saint-Laurent screening was missed.[1]
Making and release
James Freer is believed to have been the first Canadian to produce films, starting in 1897.[2] From 1897 to 1906, Marie Tréourret de Kerstrat and her son Henry de Grandsaignes d'Hauterives toured and projected hundreds of films; among them was 8,000 feet of hand-coloured film by Georges Méliès, which is the earliest known colour film exhibited in Canada.[3] From 1902 to 1903, the CPR hired Charles Urban's Bioscope Company of Canada to shoot footage from Quebec to Victoria.[4]
What the cited sources add
The Talkies Arrive account notes that after 1932, cinemas were provided with talkies alone.[5] The same source states that on 1 September 1928, the Palace showed Frank Borzage's Street Angel, a film with spoken scenes, music, and synchronous sound effects.[5] By the spring and summer of 1929, most large and medium-sized Quebec cities had cinemas equipped for talkies, especially those in major chains.[5] The Roxy theatre was practically the only one showing non-American cinema during this period.[5]
That film premiered on March 7, 1935, during the Depression and as a new conflict with Germany arose.[6]
References
- Wikipedia, "Cinema of Canada" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Clandfield 1987, p. 1; Gaudreault 1996, p. 113-119; "The (almost) lost history of Canada's cinematic birthplace", Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, November 23, 2016; Seiler 2013, p. 48 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cinema of Canada" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Morris 1978, p. 28; Morris 1978, p. 28; Morris 1978, p. 28 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cinema of Canada" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Seiler 2013, p. 48; Moore 2012, p. 62; Pallister 1995, p. 14; Graham 1989, p. 250 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cinema of Canada" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Morris 1978, p. 28 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "The Talkies Arrive", Cinema parlant Quebec. facts only, no text reused. cinemaparlantquebec.ca
- Brandon, "War Art in Canada: A Critical History", Art Canada Institute, 2021. facts only, no text reused. aci-iac.ca
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Cinema of Canada (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Cinema of Canada (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Currency conversion: European Central Bank euro reference rates, rates of 16 October 2026.
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