Donald Brittain

Donald Brittain

Donald Brittain, a revered Canadian figure, remains cherished for his genuine nature and unparalleled storytelling. He created over 100 acclaimed films, like "Volcano" (1976) portraying Malcolm Lowry and "Paperland" (1979) exposing Canadian bureaucrats. His breakthrough came with "Fields of Sacrifice" (1963), marking a shift in his career. Brittain's legacy isn't just his films; his camaraderie and perfectionism left a lasting impact at the National Film Board. Two decades after his passing, his absence is deeply felt by all who knew him.

  • Title: Donald Brittain
  • Popularity: 0.89
  • Known For: Directing
  • Birthday:
  • Place of Birth:
  • Homepage: https://www.nfb.ca/directors/donald-brittain/
  • Also Known As:
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Donald Brittain Movies

  • 1966
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    Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen

    Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen

    7.2 1966 HD

    A 1964 documentary portrait of Cohen in his pre-musician days as a poet and stand-up comedian.

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  • 1976
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    Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry

    Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry

    5.7 1976 HD

    This feature-length Oscar®-nominated documentary focuses on Malcolm Lowry, author of one of the major novels of the 20th century, Under the...

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  • 1967
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    What on Earth!

    What on Earth!

    6.2 1967 HD

    The Martians speculate on the nature of Earth's apparent dominant life form, automobiles.

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  • 1974
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    King of the Hill

    King of the Hill

    1 1974 HD

    This feature documentary follows one of the greatest Canadian baseball players of all time, Ferguson Jenkins, through the 1972-1973 season. From the...

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  • 1966
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    Stravinsky

    Stravinsky

    7.7 1966 HD

    This documentary is an informal portrait of the great modern composer Igor Stravinsky. Proudly American, though still very much an Old World figure...

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  • 1980
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    The Lost Pharaoh: The Search for Akhenaten

    The Lost Pharaoh: The Search for Akhenaten

    1 1980 HD

    Ancient pharaoh Akhenaten was almost lost to history. Canadian archaeologist Donald Redford, who uncovered the foundation of one of the...

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  • 1986
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    Mobility

    Mobility

    1 1986 HD

    This short documentary examines the complex range of issues affecting urban transport in developing countries. After examining cost and available...

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  • 1985
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    First Stop, China

    First Stop, China

    1 1985 HD

    First Stop, China is a record of the choreographed performances and the unrehearsed moments of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens ballet company on the...

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  • 1979
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    Canada Vignettes: Wop May

    Canada Vignettes: Wop May

    5 1979 HD

    This short animated film is about Wop May, one of Canada's leading bush pilots in the 1920s.

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  • 1968
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    Juggernaut

    Juggernaut

    1 1968 HD

    In 1968, a convoy set off to transport a Calandria, the 70-ton core of a Canadian nuclear reactor, to Rajasthan in India. Even the largest...

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  • 1975
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    Whistling Smith

    Whistling Smith

    6.4 1975 HD

    This film is a revealing portrait of a tough cop with a big heart. Sergeant Bernie "Whistling" Smith walks the beat on Vancouver's Eastside, the...

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  • 1986
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    The Champions, Part 3: The Final Battle

    The Champions, Part 3: The Final Battle

    1 1986 HD

    The final instalment of this 3-part documentary series about Pierre Elliott Trudeau and René Lévesque spans the decade between 1976 and...

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  • 1978
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    The Champions, Part 1: Unlikely Warriors

    The Champions, Part 1: Unlikely Warriors

    1 1978 HD

    In Part 1 of this 3-part documentary series, director Donald Brittain chronicles the early years of Pierre Elliott Trudeau and René...

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  • 1978
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    The Champions, Part 2: Trappings of Power

    The Champions, Part 2: Trappings of Power

    1 1978 HD

    Part 2 of this 3-part documentary series about Pierre Elliott Trudeau and René Lévesque covers the years between 1967 and 1977, a...

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  • 1989
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    The Magical Eye

    The Magical Eye

    1 1989 HD

    Features clips from 21 documentary and animation film classics, interviews with NFB filmmakers past and present, and incisive commentary from film...

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  • 1979
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    Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed

    Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed

    1 1979 HD

    Bureaucracy shapes our lives and guides us from the cradle to the grave. This documentary lays bare the idiosyncrasies of bureaucracy, whether in...

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  • 1981
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    The Running Man

    The Running Man

    1 1981 HD

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  • 1974
    imgMovies

    Thunderbirds in China

    Thunderbirds in China

    1 1974 HD

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  • 1978
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    The Champions, Part 1: Unlikely Warriors

    The Champions, Part 1: Unlikely Warriors

    1 1978 HD

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  • 1978
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    The Champions, Part 2: Trappings of Power

    The Champions, Part 2: Trappings of Power

    1 1978 HD

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  • 1986
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    The Champions, Part 3: The Final Battle

    The Champions, Part 3: The Final Battle

    1 1986 HD

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  • 1965
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    Buster Keaton Rides Again

    Buster Keaton Rides Again

    7.3 1965 HD

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  • 1966
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    Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen

    Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen

    7.2 1966 HD

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  • 1966
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    Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen

    Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen

    7.2 1966 HD

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  • 1976
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    Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry

    Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry

    5.7 1976 HD

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  • 1976
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    Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry

    Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry

    5.7 1976 HD

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  • 1967
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    Memorandum

    Memorandum

    7.2 1967 HD

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  • 1978
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    The Dionne Quintuplets

    The Dionne Quintuplets

    1 1978 HD

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  • 1967
    imgMovies

    What on Earth!

    What on Earth!

    6.2 1967 HD

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  • 1979
    imgMovies

    Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed

    Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed

    1 1979 HD

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  • 1979
    imgMovies

    Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed

    Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed

    1 1979 HD

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  • 1966
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    Helicopter Canada

    Helicopter Canada

    6.4 1966 HD

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  • 1961
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    Everybody's Prejudiced

    Everybody's Prejudiced

    1 1961 HD

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  • 1961
    imgMovies

    Everybody's Prejudiced

    Everybody's Prejudiced

    1 1961 HD

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  • 1964
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    Fields of Sacrifice

    Fields of Sacrifice

    7 1964 HD

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  • 1978
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    Small Is Beautiful: Impressions of Fritz Schumacher

    Small Is Beautiful: Impressions of Fritz Schumacher

    1 1978 HD

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  • 1986
    imgMovies

    Mobility

    Mobility

    1 1986 HD

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  • 1983
    imgMovies

    The Accident

    The Accident

    3 1983 HD

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  • 1979
    imgMovies

    Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed

    Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed

    1 1979 HD

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  • 1962
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    The Clouded Dawn

    The Clouded Dawn

    1 1962 HD

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  • 1964
    imgMovies

    Bethune

    Bethune

    5 1964 HD

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  • 1966
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    A Trip Down Memory Lane

    A Trip Down Memory Lane

    5.9 1966 HD

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  • 1964
    imgMovies

    Fields of Sacrifice

    Fields of Sacrifice

    7 1964 HD

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  • 1970
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    Tiger Child

    Tiger Child

    1 1970 HD

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  • 1976
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    His Worship, Mr. Montréal

    His Worship, Mr. Montréal

    8 1976 HD

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  • 1985
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    Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks

    Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks

    6.5 1985 HD

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  • 1985
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    Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks

    Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks

    6.5 1985 HD

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  • 1966
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    Stravinsky

    Stravinsky

    7.7 1966 HD

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  • 1971
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    The Apprentice

    The Apprentice

    4.3 1971 HD

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  • 1966
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    Never a Backward Step

    Never a Backward Step

    1 1966 HD

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  • 1964
    imgMovies

    Bethune

    Bethune

    5 1964 HD

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  • 1973
    imgMovies

    Starblanket

    Starblanket

    1 1973 HD

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  • 1973
    imgMovies

    Starblanket

    Starblanket

    1 1973 HD

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  • 1964
    imgMovies

    Bethune

    Bethune

    5 1964 HD

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  • 1964
    imgMovies

    Bethune

    Bethune

    5 1964 HD

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  • 1975
    imgMovies

    Whistling Smith

    Whistling Smith

    6.4 1975 HD

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  • 1985
    imgMovies

    First Stop, China

    First Stop, China

    1 1985 HD

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  • 1991
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    Family: A Loving Look at CBC Radio

    Family: A Loving Look at CBC Radio

    1 1991 HD

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  • 1975
    imgMovies

    Scoggie

    Scoggie

    1 1975 HD

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  • 1967
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    Creative Person: Leonard Cohen

    Creative Person: Leonard Cohen

    1 1967 HD

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  • 1974
    imgMovies

    Dreamland: A History of Early Canadian Movies 1895-1939

    Dreamland: A History of Early Canadian Movies 1895-1939

    1 1974 HD

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  • 1970
    imgMovies

    The World Of Enrico Fermi

    The World Of Enrico Fermi

    1 1970 HD

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  • 1958
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    Setting Fires for Science

    Setting Fires for Science

    1 1958 HD

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  • 1968
    imgMovies

    Juggernaut

    Juggernaut

    1 1968 HD

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  • 1974
    imgMovies

    King of the Hill

    King of the Hill

    1 1974 HD

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  • 1974
    imgMovies

    King of the Hill

    King of the Hill

    1 1974 HD

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  • 1973
    imgMovies

    Starblanket

    Starblanket

    1 1973 HD

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  • 1979
    imgMovies

    Canada Vignettes: Wop May

    Canada Vignettes: Wop May

    5 1979 HD

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  • 1978
    imgMovies

    The Champions, Part 2: Trappings of Power

    The Champions, Part 2: Trappings of Power

    1 1978 HD

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  • 1986
    imgMovies

    The Champions, Part 3: The Final Battle

    The Champions, Part 3: The Final Battle

    1 1986 HD

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  • 1978
    imgMovies

    The Champions, Part 1: Unlikely Warriors

    The Champions, Part 1: Unlikely Warriors

    1 1978 HD

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  • 1968
    imgMovies

    Saul Alinsky Went to War

    Saul Alinsky Went to War

    6 1968 HD

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  • 1978
    imgMovies

    Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle

    Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle

    7 1978 HD

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  • 1978
    imgMovies

    Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle

    Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle

    7 1978 HD

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  • 1978
    imgMovies

    Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle

    Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle

    7 1978 HD

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  • 1975
    imgMovies

    Arctic IV

    Arctic IV

    1 1975 HD

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  • 1970
    imgS10 E1

    1 1970 HD

    For The Record, a series of one-hour and ninety-minute film dramas, started on the series, Performance, as a subseries called Camera ’76. Aired...

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