NFB - About the NFB

It was the late 1920s and Canadians were enjoying greater prosperity than ever before. Then it all came tumbling down.

Nobody saw it coming. The cigar-chomping Harry Hindmarsh, editor of the Toronto Daily Star would go on to chronicle the far reaching and catastrophic consequences of the crash of ,29.

Cartoon versions of Hindmarsh and his hard-boiled newsmen headline an epic cast in The Dark Years. Produced by Barna-Alper Productions in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada and in association with History Television, The Dark Years is a snappy animation series on Canada during the Great Depression.

Viewing history through the lively prism of an urban newsroom, The Dark Years blends dynamic graphics with documentary authenticity and a zippy sense of narrative to chart the turbulent and eventful thirties.

Popular history at its most entertaining and pertinent, this program deftly frames the stories of ordinary folk against the big issues of the day—mass poverty, widespread unrest and the looming threat of fascism. Prime ministers, celebrity aviators and visiting royals share the stage with prairie farmers, bankrupted office girls and rail-riding hoboes.

While the city reporter Fred Griffin interviews the homeless “jungle drifters” camping in Toronto’s ravines, a cocky young Gordon Sinclair is on assignment in Europe, where in 1930 he has a chance encounter with a ranting fanatic called Adolf Hitler. Few could foresee the full horror of the impending Third Reich.

With visual references as varied as film noir, looney-toons and contemporary graphic novels, director Steven Silver and his team bring it all to life with a sharp eye for period detail and an ear tuned to the voices of common women and men — the unacknowledged foot soldiers of history.

Crafted into three hour-long programs, The Dark Years presents a multi-textured portrait of Canada at a pivotal moment in its history, shedding light into little-known corners of our past, while offering insight into our own interesting times.

The three part series, The Dark Years, will be airing on History Television on the following dates:

Part 1 - Wed. Dec. 26th, 8pm - 9pm
Part 2 - Thurs. Dec. 27th, 8pm - 9pm
Part 3 - Fri. Dec. 28th, 8pm -9pm

Come back to the site very soon to get more information.