Bernard Devlin (1923–1983) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
film director, producer and writer who played an important role in the development of French-language film production at the
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
(NFB).
Biography
Devlin was born and raised in
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...
. After attending
Loyola College, he joined the
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...
and saw action in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and North Africa. After the war, he moved to
Ottawa and joined the NFB. He was one of the few French-Canadians there; he joined Vincent Paquette and
Jean Palardy
Jean Palardy (1905November 28, 1991) was a French-Canadian painter, art historian, ethnologist and filmmaker.
Biography
Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Palardy moved with his family to Canada as a child in 1908, one of eight children. He was ...
and, after the war, the NFB hired
Roger Blais and Raymond Garceau, among others.
This group made French films, but it also continued to make English films, and dub them for Quebec. In 1951, the NFB created a studio for the creation of French-language films. Devlin wasn't given a title, but he was put in charge of the unit and spent the next two years producing films about French-Canadian culture. While he was reportedly an
anti-nationalist, he did a great deal to further French-Canadian film production at the NFB.
In 1953, the NFB produced its first television series, which ran for two years on the
CBC. It was called ''
On the Spot'' and it was a series of short documentaries, 39 of which were directed and/or produced by Devlin.
In 1954, Devlin was
seconded
In deliberative bodies a second to a proposed motion is an indication that there is at least one person besides the mover that is interested in seeing the motion come before the meeting. It does not necessarily indicate that the seconder favors th ...
by
Radio-Canada
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
to help establish French-language television programming and spent the next five years creating ''Sur le vif'' (''On the Spot''). These were NFB-produced films for the CBC; the difference was that there were no dubbed versions of English films and no duplications of subject matter. They were original films, in French, for French-Canadians.
Devlin returned to the National Film Board in 1959, directing French-language television programs, and was director of French production again from 1960 to 1961. In 1971, he was given the one-year appointment of Director of English Production. He spent the latter years of his career creating English-language films and retired in 1977. He died in Montreal in 1983, at age 59.
Filmography
*''Ski Skill'' - documentary short, 1946 - co-writer with
Sydney Newman
Sydney Cecil Newman (April 1, 1917 – October 30, 1997) was a Canadian film and television producer, who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. After his return to Canada in 1970, Newman w ...
, co-director with
Roger Blais
*''Vive le ski!'' - documentary short, 1946 - co-writer with
Roger Blais and Georges Ayotte, co-director with
Roger Blais
*''Ici...Ottawa'' - documentary short, 1946 - writer, director
*''Vers l'avenir'' - documentary short, 1947 - director
*''Horizons de Québec'' - documentary short, 1948 - writer, director
*''Double Heritage'' - documentary short, 1948 - director
*''Abitibi'' - documentary short,
David Bairstow
David Leslie Bairstow (1 September 1951 – 5 January 1998) was an English cricketer, who played for Yorkshire and England as a wicket-keeper. He also played football for his hometown club Bradford City. He is the father of England internation ...
1949 - writer
*''A Capital Plan'' - documentary short, 1949 - director
*''French Canada: 1534-1848'' - documentary short, 1950 - director
*''Local 100'' - short film, 1950 - writer, director
*''St. Lawrence Coaster'' - documentary short, Denys Gagnon 1951 - editor
*''Ottawa: Today and Tomorrow'' - documentary short, 1951 - director
*''The Sexton'' - documentary short, Raymond Garceau 1952 - producer
*''Seven Islands'' - documentary short, Gil LaRoche 1952 - producer
*''The Puppeteers'' - documentary short,
Jacques Giraldeau 1952 - producer
*''
The Bird Fancier
''The Bird Fancier'' (french: L'Homme aux oiseaux) is a Canadian short drama film, directed by Bernard Devlin and Jean Palardy and released in 1952. Written by Roger Lemelin, the film tells the story of a man whose passion for birds is bordering ...
'' - short film, 1952 - co-director with
Jean Palardy
Jean Palardy (1905November 28, 1991) was a French-Canadian painter, art historian, ethnologist and filmmaker.
Biography
Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Palardy moved with his family to Canada as a child in 1908, one of eight children. He was ...
*''The Settler'' - documentary short, 1952 - writer, co-director with Raymond Garceau
*''Winter Week-end'' - short film, 1952 - director
*''Backstage'' - documentary short, 1953 - producer
*''Tempest in Town'' - short film, Raymond Garceau 1953 - producer
*''The Motorman'' - documentary short, Gil LaRoche 1953 - producer
*''Music Professor'' - documentary short, Gil LaRoche 1953 - producer
*''The Village Notary'' - short film, Pierre Arbour 1953 - producer
*''The Wind-Swept Isles'' - documentary short,
Jean Palardy
Jean Palardy (1905November 28, 1991) was a French-Canadian painter, art historian, ethnologist and filmmaker.
Biography
Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Palardy moved with his family to Canada as a child in 1908, one of eight children. He was ...
1953 - producer
*''Ti-Jean Goes Lumbering'' - short film,
Jean Palardy
Jean Palardy (1905November 28, 1991) was a French-Canadian painter, art historian, ethnologist and filmmaker.
Biography
Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Palardy moved with his family to Canada as a child in 1908, one of eight children. He was ...
1953 - executive producer
*''
On the Spot: Transpacific Flight'' - documentary short, 1953 - producer
*''
On the Spot: Football Story'' - documentary short, 1953 - producer, director
*''
On the Spot: Hotel Story'' - documentary short, 1953 - producer, director
*''
On the Spot: Winnipeg Ballet'' - documentary short, 1953 - producer
*''
On the Spot: The Winnipeg Story'' - documentary short, 1953 - producer
*''
On the Spot: Oil'' - documentary short, 1953 - producer, director
*''
On the Spot: Saskatchewan Farm Museum Story'' - documentary short, 1953 - producer, director
*''
On the Spot: It's Raining Soldiers!'' - documentary short, 1953 - producer, director
*''
On the Spot: The Mounties' Crime Lab'' - documentary short, 1953 - editor, producer, director
*''
On the Spot: The Zoo in Stanley Park''- documentary short, 1953 - producer, director
*''
On the Spot: School for Charm'' - documentary short, 1954 - writer, director
*''
On the Spot: Aviation Medicine'' - documentary short, 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: The Strong Man'' - documentary short,
Julian Biggs 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: Story of a Newspaper'' - documentary short,
Julian Biggs 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: The Doll Factory'' - documentary short,
Julian Biggs 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: Better Business Bureau'' - documentary short, 1954 - producer, director
*''
On the Spot: Bureau of Missing Persons'' - documentary short, 1954 -director
*''
On the Spot: Chosen Children'' - documentary short, 1954 -producer, director
*''
On the Spot: Curtain Time in Ottawa'' - documentary short, 1954 - producer, director
*''
On the Spot: French Cuisine'' - documentary short, 1954 -producer, director
*''
On the Spot: Harness Racing'' - documentary short, 1954 - producer, director
*''
On the Spot: Javanese Dancing'' - documentary short, 1954 - director
*''
On the Spot: Judo - Jinks'' - documentary short, 1954 - editor, producer, director
*''
On the Spot: Korea, After the War'' - documentary short, 1954 - producer, director
*''
On the Spot: Movies in the Mill'' - documentary short, Allen Stark 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: Cancer Clinic'' - documentary short, Allen Stark 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: The Magic Men'' - documentary short, Jack Olsen 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: End of Tour'' - documentary short, 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: Camera Men'' - documentary short, Allen Stark 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: Police Club for Boys'' - documentary short, Allen Stark 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: Test Pilot'' - documentary short, Allen Stark 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: Deep Sleep'' - documentary short, Jack Olsen 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: The Traffic Cop'' - documentary short, Jack Olsen 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: Micro Movies'' - documentary short, 1954 - producer, director
*''
On the Spot: On Leave in Tokyo'' - documentary short, 1954 - producer, director
*''
On the Spot: Survival in the Bush'' - documentary short, 1954 - director
*''
On the Spot: The Car Mart'' - documentary short, Walford Hewitson 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: Laurentian Skiing'' - documentary short, Allen Stark 1954 - producer
*''
On the Spot: Vancouver's Chinatown'' - documentary short, 1954 - producer, director
*''Men at Work'' - short film, Donald Peters, 1954 - producer
*''Window on Canada No. 26'' - documentary short, 1954 - producer
*''Saint-Jean'' - documentary short, Gil LaRoche 1954 - producer
*''L'abbé Pierre'' - documentary short, 1954 - director, co-producer with
Robert Anderson
*''L'or de l'Abitibi'' - documentary short, 1954 - producer, director
*''Le prospecteur'' - documentary short, 1954 - producer, director
*''Les Polonais du Canada'' - documentary short, 1954 - director, co-producer with
Robert Anderson
*''La Coupe du bois en Colombie-Britannique'' - short film, Gil LaRoche 1954 - producer
*''Dorval et Gander'' - short film, Gil LaRoche 1954 - producer
*''La Fabrication du papier'' - short film, Gil LaRoche 1954 - producer
*''Regards sur le Canada Numbers 1-39'' - documentary shorts, 1954 - producer, co-director with
Robert Anderson
*''Reliques indiennes'' - documentary short, Gil LaRoche 1954 - producer
*''Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon'' - short film, Gil LaRoche 1954 - producer
*''Trappeur indien'' - documentary short, 1955 - writer, producer, director
*''Pour survivre en forêt'' - documentary short, 1955 - director
*''L'Alpinisme'' - short film, Rollo Gamble 1955 - writer
*''Le 22e régiment en Allemagne'' - documentary short, 1955 - writer, director
*''Boîte de nuit'' - documentary short, 1955 - producer, director
*''Le chauffard'' - documentary short, 1955 - director
*''Circulation à Montréal'' - documentary short, 1955 - writer, director
*''L'élevage dans l'Ouest'' - short film, Rollo Gamble 1955 - writer
*''La crèche d'Youville'' - documentary short, 1955 - producer, director
*''New Hearts for Old'' - documentary short, 1955 - co-director with Jean Lenauer
*''Le Colon'' - documentary short, 1955 - producer, director
*''Les canadiens français dans l'Ouest'' - documentary short, 1955 - director
*''Nos aviateurs outre-mer'' - documentary short, 1955 - director
*''Quartier chinois'' - documentary short, 1955 - director
*''Radio Police'' - documentary short, 1955 - director
*''Retour à Dieppe'' - documentary short, 1955 - producer, director
*''Aéro-Club'' - documentary short, 1956 - director
*''Raw Material'' - documentary short, 1956 - director
*''Alfred J.'' - documentary, 1956 - director
*''Case of Conscience'' - short film, 1956 - director
*''D'homme à homme'' - short film, 1956 - director
*''Il s'enfla si bien'' - short film, 1956 - director
*''Le cas Labrecque'' - short film, 1956 - director
*''Le vieux bien'' - short film, 1956 - director
*''Night Children'' - documentary short, ''Perspective'' series 1956 - director
*''L'Homme à l'âge de la machine'' - short film, Donald Peters 1956 - producer
*''Que Dieu vous soit en aide'' - short film, 1956 - director
*''The Visit'' - short film, 1956 - director
*''Tu enfanteras dans la joie'' - short film, 1956 - director
*''Les nouveaux venus'' - short film, 1957 - director
*''The Suspects'' - short film, ''Perspective'' series 1957 - director
*''Les Brûlés, 1-8'' - short films, 1957 - writer, director (released as ''The Promised Land'' in 1962)
*''Rendezvous'' - documentary short, 1958 - director
*''Age of Dissent: Young Men with Opinions'' - documentary, 1959 - director, co-producer with Ian MacNeill
*''Britain and Canada Debate Britain's World Leadership'' - documentary, 1959 - co-producer with Ian MacNeill, co-director with Richard Gilbert
*''L'immigré'' - short film, 1959 - director
*''L'Héritage'' - short film, 1960 - director, co-writer with
Léonard Forest
*''Walk Down Any Street'' - short film, 1960 - writer, director
*''Dubois et fils'' - short film, 1961 - co-director with
Raymond Leboursier
Raymond Leboursier (22 May 1917 – 26 July 1987) was a French film editor, film director, actor, and screenwriter.
Filmography
Actor
* 1930: ''Le Réquisitoire'' (first title of the film: ''Homicide'') by Dimitri Buchowetzki
* 1931: ''The ...
*''Alexis Ladoceur, Métis'' - documentary short, Raymond Garceau 1961 - co-producer with Victor Jobin
*''The Niger, Young Republic'' - documentary,
Claude Jutra
Claude Jutra (; March 11, 1930 – November 5, 1986) was a Canadian actor, film director, and screenwriter. 1961 - producer
*''
The Promised Land'' - feature, 1962 - writer, director
*''Les Bacheliers de la cinquième'' - documentary short,
Clément Perron and François Séguillon 1962 - co-producer with Victor Jobin
*''The Gold Seekers'' - documentary short, Robert Russell 1962 - co-producer with Victor Jobin
*''The Lake Man'' - documentary short, Raymond Garceau 1962 - co-producer with Victor Jobin
*''Loisirs'' - documentary short,
Clément Perron and
Pierre Patry
Pierre Patry (November 2, 1933 – June 7, 2014) was a Canadian film director and screenwriter.
Biography
Born in Hull, Quebec, Patry began his career in the theatre as an actor and a playwright. He was a founding member of the Canadian Assoc ...
1962 - co-producer with Victor Jobin
*''Adultes avec réserve (Boulevard Saint-Laurent)'' - documentary short, Jack Zolov and Marc Beaudet 1962 - co-producer with Victor Jobin
*''September Five at Saint-Henri'' - documentary short,
Hubert Aquin
Hubert Aquin (24 October 1929 – 15 March 1977) was a Quebec novelist, Activism, political activist, essayist, filmmaker and editor.
Aquin was born in Montreal and graduated from the Université de Montréal in 1951. From 1951 to 1954, he stu ...
1962 - cinematographer
*''Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine'' - short film,
Pierre Patry
Pierre Patry (November 2, 1933 – June 7, 2014) was a Canadian film director and screenwriter.
Biography
Born in Hull, Quebec, Patry began his career in the theatre as an actor and a playwright. He was a founding member of the Canadian Assoc ...
1962 - producer
*''David Thompson: The Great Mapmaker'' - short film, 1964 - director
*''The Voyageurs'' - documentary short 1964 - producer, director
*''The Correctional Process'' - documentary, 1964 - writer, director
*''Blindness'' - short film,
Morten Parker 1964 - co-writer with Edmund Reid and Wilson Southam
*''The Visit'' - documentary short,
John Kemeny 1964 - producer
*''Octopus Hunt'' - documentary short, 1965 - director
*''Once Upon a Prime Time'' - short film, 1966 - director
*''Pre-Release'' - documentary short, 1966 - writer, director
*''A Question of Identity: War of 1812'' - short film, 1966 - producer, director
*''
Judoka'' - documentary short, Josef Reeve 1967 - co-producer with
David Bairstow
David Leslie Bairstow (1 September 1951 – 5 January 1998) was an English cricketer, who played for Yorkshire and England as a wicket-keeper. He also played football for his hometown club Bradford City. He is the father of England internation ...
*''Seniority Versus Ability'' - documentary short, 1968 - director
*''A Matter of Survival'' - documentary short, 1969 - editor, director
*''Below Zero'' - documentary short, Michel Régnier 1970 - co-writer with
William Weintraub
William Weintraub (February 19, 1926 – November 6, 2017) was a Canadian documentarian/filmmaker, journalist and author, best known for his long career with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).
Early life
Weintraub was born in Montreal ...
*''The End of the Nancy J'' - short film, 1970 - writer, producer, director
*''A Case of Eggs, Episodes 1-4'' - short films, 1974 - writer, director
*''Striker'' - short film, Robert Nichol 1976 - co-producer with Israel Hicks
*''Nature's Food Chain'' - documentary short, 1977 - editor, co-producer and -director with André Petrowski
Awards
''Ski Skill'' (1946)
* Ski Club Festival,
Sestriere
Sestriere (/se'strjɛre/) ( oc, Sestrieras, pms, Ël Sestrier, french: Sestrières) is a ski resort in Piedmont, Italy, a ''comune'' (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Turin. It is situated in Val Susa, from the French border. Its name ...
, Italy: First Place, Ski Club Cup, 1951
* International Sports Film Festival,
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy: Bronze Medal, 1951
''The Settler'' (1952)
* International Festival of the Agricultural Film, Rome: Second Prize, Education for Farmers, 1953
*
6th Canadian Film Awards,
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
: Honourable Mention - Theatrical Short, 1954
* Golden Reel International Film Festival, Film Council of America, Chicago: Recognition of Merit, 1954
''
The Bird Fancier
''The Bird Fancier'' (french: L'Homme aux oiseaux) is a Canadian short drama film, directed by Bernard Devlin and Jean Palardy and released in 1952. Written by Roger Lemelin, the film tells the story of a man whose passion for birds is bordering ...
'' (1952)
*
5th Canadian Film Awards
The 5th Canadian Film Awards were presented on April 30, 1953 to honour achievements in Canadian film.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 21-23. The cer ...
, Montreal: Best Theatrical Short, 1953
''Ti-Jean Goes Lumbering'' (1953)
*
Yorkton Film Festival
Yorkton Film Festival (YFF) is an annual film festival held in late May in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada.
In 1947, the Yorkton Film Council (YFC) was founded and in 1950 the first international documentary film festival officially opened in we ...
,
Yorkton
Yorkton is a city located in south-eastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is about 450 kilometres north-west of Winnipeg and 300 kilometres south-east of Saskatoon and is the sixth largest city in the province.
As of 2017 the census population of the ...
, Saskatchewan: Honourable Mention, 1954
* Okanagan Film Festival,
Kelowna, British Columbia: First Prize, Children’s Films, 1958
''Alfred J.'' (1956)
* International Labour Film Festival, Vienna: Second Prize, 1957
''Walk Down Any Street'' (1960)
* Philippines Film Festival on Mental Health,
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
: Plaque of Merit, 1965
''The Niger, Young Republic'' (1961)
* Festival dei Popoli,
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
, Italy: Special Jury Prize, 1961
''Octopus Hunt'' (1965)
* Electronic, Nuclear and Teleradio Cinematographic Review,
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
: Gold Rocket, Sports Films 1968
''A Matter of Survival'' (1969)
* American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, 1970
* International Labour and Industrial Film Festival,
Antwerp: Selection Committee Award, 1971
* International Labour and Industrial Film Festival,
Antwerp: Director's Award, 1971
* International Labour and Industrial Film Festival,
Antwerp: Award of Excellence, 1971
* Industrial Film Awards, New York: Best in Industrial Photography, 1971
''Nature's Food Chain'' (1977)
* American Film and Video Festival, New York: Red Ribbon, Nature and Wildlife, 1979
References
External links
*
Films by Bernard Devlin, National Film Board
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devlin, Bernard
1923 births
1983 deaths
Film directors from Quebec
National Film Board of Canada people
Canadian documentary film directors
Canadian television directors
People from Quebec City
Date of death missing
Loyola College (Montreal) alumni
Royal Navy sailors
French Quebecers