Farewell Oak Street
Farewell Oak Street is a Canadian docudrama short film, directed by Grant McLean and released in 1953.[1] Narrated by Lorne Greene as part of the Canada Carries On series, the film centres on Toronto's late-1940s demolition of the run-down Oak Street neighbourhood in Cabbagetown in favour of the new Regent Park housing development, through a mixture of documentary footage of the reconstruction with a dramatization of the story of a family whose lives are transformed for the better by the project.[1] The cast of the dramatic segments includes Roxanna Bond, Bonnie Brooks, Gerald Campbell, Eric Clavering, Andy Halmay, Cosie Lee, Edgar Marshall, Douglas Masters, Jim McRae and Kate Reid.
| Farewell Oak Street | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Grant McLean |
| Produced by | Gordon Burwash |
| Written by | Gordon Burwash |
| Narrated by | Lorne Greene |
| Music by | Eldon Rathburn |
| Cinematography | Robert Humble |
| Edited by | Fergus McDonell |
Production company | |
Release date | 1953 |
Running time | 17 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
The film was controversial with residents of the Oak Street/Regent Park area, several of whom filed complaints objecting to being characterized as slum dwellers, and alleged that the film vastly overstated the dangers of life in the old neighbourhood prior to the redevelopment.[1] Charles Henry, the area's Member of Parliament, spoke against the film in the Canadian House of Commons, calling it offensive to the dignity of the residents and demanding that citizenship minister Walter Edward Harris restrict the film's distribution.[2] Harris declined to restrict the film.[3] More recently, the film received some renewed attention in the early 2010s when Regent Park was again redeveloped, as the continued social problems in the community were contrasted against the film's overly optimistic thesis that the original post-war redevelopment was certain to solve them.[4]
The film won the Canadian Film Award for Best Theatrical Short Film at the 6th Canadian Film Awards in 1954.[5]
References
- "Film Tells Story of Housing Project". The Globe and Mail, February 19, 1954.
- "Offends Human Dignity: Toronto MP Raps Regent Park Film". The Globe and Mail, February 19, 1954.
- "Government Plans No Curb On Farewell Oak Street". The Globe and Mail, February 23, 1954.
- "50 Reasons to Love Toronto". Toronto Life, June 16, 2010.
- Maria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. ISBN 0-7737-3238-1. pp. 25-28.