COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS SERIES

Duration: 30 min

Year Published: 1957

Creator: National Film Board of Canada

Format: 16mm

Color: B&W

Sound: Sound

Description: 1. TEN DAYS THAT SHOOK THE COMMONWEALTH. Describes the Commonwealth's structure and the changes that were introduced into the last Coronation proclamations to keep pace with political realities. Discusses the Suez conflict and examines the family rift that it created, pointing out that divided as Commonwealth opinion became, it did not seriously jeopardize the underlying unity of the family. LC card Fi A 58-399; EFLA evaluation card No. 3722. 2. PORTRAIT OF THE FAMILY. Explains that the Commonwealth of Nations embraces a vast variety of peoples, cultures, languages, religions, and customs. On visits to nine self-governing members the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, India, Pakistan, Ceylon, and Ghana each country is described by a native citizen in terms of its national and geographical characteristics. LC card Fi A 58-400; EFLA evaluation card No. 3713. 3. FOUR CENTURIES OF GROWING PAINS. Reviews how countries like Canada, Australia, India and others were added to the Commonwealth, and how each of these countries developed economically and politically to the point of self-government. Discusses some of the internal stresses and strains that were a natural part of the evolution of the Commonwealth into a free association of nations. LC card Fi A 58-401; EFLA evaluation card No. 3705. 4. CRISIS IN ASIA. Traces events leading up to the independence of India, Pakistan, and Ceylon. Presents Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Muhammed Ali Jinnah and shows the results of their efforts. Discusses the invisible bonds of unity which hold these three nations within the Commonwealth even after their colonial ties with Britain have been cut. LC card Fi A 58-402; EFLA evaluation card No. 3702. 5. CAN IT HOLD TOGETHER? Shows the Commonwealth members frequently taking diverging views on international issues, but able, through their very differences, to serve as a channel of communication between countries outside the Commonwealth. Analyzes differing views and opposing loyalties inside the Commonwealth which have helped to offset an East-West split in the cold war. LC card Fi A 58-403; EFLA evaluation card No. 3701. 6. INVISIBLE KEYSTONE. Visits various Commonwealth countries to observe how the democratic formula of government is exercised and held flexible according to the changing ideas of the time, even though the Crown continues to symbolize a continuity and permanence free of politics. Explains how institutions inherited from Britain were preserved in India's rise to nationhood. LC card Fi A 58-404; EFLA evaluation card No. 3710. 7. POVERTY AND PLENTY. Shows how helping the Asiatic countries of the Commonwealth attain higher living standards has become a challenge not only to the more privileged countries within the Commonwealth, but also to nations outside. Studies the Colombo Plan and shows some of the many practical forms it takes. LC card Fi A 58-405; EFLA evaluation card No. 3714. 8. COLONIALISM: OGRE OR ANGEL? Shows how the British colonies grew. Visits a representative number of colonies, from tropical islands in the Atlantic to primitive territories of Africa, showing the impact of industrialization on non-white populaces and their awakening desire for self-determination. Discusses British and Commonwealth views regarding colonialism and the eventual winning of self-government. LC card Fi A 58-406; EFLA evaluation card No. 3698. 9. THEY CALLED IT WHITE MAN'S BURDEN. Surveys subject territories including North Borneo, Fiji, East Africa, West Africa, the Seychelles, and the Solomon Islands. Explains that the colonial administrator brought with him a deep sense of responsibility for the welfare of people under his jurisdiction, and that he endeavored to improve agriculture, alleviate suffering, raise living standards, and promote literacy. LC card Fi A 58-407; EFLA evaluation card No. 3723. 10. STORM CLOUDS OVER THE COLONIES. Traces the history of the economic development of colonial territories, pointing out the shift in emphasis from primary motives of discovery and transfer of luxury goods to the establishment of permanent industries with all the attendant complications. Discusses the material benefits of modern developments to colonial peoples as weighed against charges of exploitation for profit, from which colonialism is never free. LC card Fi A 58-408; EFLA evaluation card No. 3718. 11. BLACK AND WHITE IN SOUTH AFRICA. Explains that South Africa has an acute race problem that causes dissension not only within its own borders but throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. Appraises the motivations behind the policy of apartheid, and describes how segregation is working out in practice. LC card Fi A 58-409; EFLA evaluation card No. 3696. 12. COLONIES LOOK AHEAD. Assesses progress in representative colonies on the basis of their ability to manage their own affairs and to achieve self-government. Discusses British policy in regard to granting self-government to colonies and comments on constructive approaches being taken in some colonies in the handling of racial problems. LC card Fi A 58-410; EFLA evaluation card No. 3699. 13. ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE. Cites recent developments in Ghana, Nigeria, Nyasaland, and other colonial territories, where political evolution has been rapid. Explains why a ruling power should arrange for its own departure from its colonies and why the former subjects should continue to associate with their former master. LC card Fi A 58-411; EFLA evaluation card No. 3717.

Complete Record: Source: McGraw Interest level: sh-c-ad Price: ea purchase apply, rent ea apply Format: sd b&w

Metadata Source:Educational film guide. Supplements (1959-62)