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. An important aspect of this docudrama is that it is seen through the eyes of Ben Wheeler’s daughter as she interviews, in a very moving way, survivors of the camps. (Awards: Edmonton; New York; Ghent.) Cast: Doug Bagot, Rodrigue Deschenes, David Edney, W. Forrest MacDonald, Cecil Grinstead, Doug Kier, Patrick McGuigan, Allan Stebbings, Dean Stoker, Frank Turner, Gerry Whelpton, Tom Whitton.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
310197
Language
English
Subject categories
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Film festivals - United States - New York - Awards
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Interviews
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Singapore
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Survival skills
Archival, Cinemagazines & Newsreels
Archival, Cinemagazines & Newsreels → Archival materials
Archival, Cinemagazines & Newsreels → Interviews
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → Prisoners of war
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → War
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → War and society
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → World War, 1939-1945 - Biography
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → World War, 1939-1945 - Japan
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → World War, 1939-1945 - Prisoners and prisons
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → World War, 1939-1945 - Psychological aspects
Crafts & Visual Arts → Photography - Social aspects - History
Crafts & Visual Arts → Photography, Composite
Documentary → Documentary films - Canada
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Photography - Social aspects - History
Feature films → Feature films - Canada
Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Survival skills
History → Historical re-enactments
Hobbies, Recreation & Sport → Survival skills
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
16mm film; Access Print (Section 1)
16mm film; Limited Access Print (Section 2)