High Steel

High Steel
High Steel
Directed by	Don Owen
Written by	Don Owen
Produced by	Julian Biggs
Starring	Harold McComber
Narrated by	Don Francks
Cinematography	John Spotton
Edited by	Don Owen
Music by	Bruce Mackay
Production; company	National Film Board of Canada
Release date	1965;
Running time	13 minutes 7 seconds
Country	Canada
Language	English

High Steel is a 1965 short National Film Board of Canada documentary film directed by Don Owen about Mohawk Ironworkers from Kahnawake building New York City skycrapers.

Synopsis

Featuring breathtaking sequences of workers walking along narrow steel beams high above street level, High Steel is based largely on the experiences of one Mohawk ironworker working in Manhattan, Harold McComber. The film contrasts the daring work of McComber and his coworkers in the skies above New York City with life back home in Kahnawake. It also explains how the Mohawk people living across the Saint Lawrence River from Montreal first gained their reputation for high steel work in the late 19th century by working on a railway bridge that ran through their land. However, as the film recounts through narration and archival photos, such a reputation came at a terrible cost. While working on the Quebec Bridge farther down river near Quebec City, dozens of Mohawks were among the 75 men killed during its 1907 construction collapse with a devastating impact on the small community. While celebrating their courage and skill, the film also makes it plain how the Mohawks are forced to leave home to make a living, and McComber regrets that his sons have had to grow up without their father.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Production

The film's director of photography was John Spotton, with Don Francks as narrator, Julian Biggs as producer, and a song by Bruce Mackay, "Mountains of Iron and Steel" (replacing Gordon Lightfoot, who was originally supposed to have provided music). The film was shot using 35 mm cameras, with film crews having to gain access to the construction site high above the ground by traversing a ladder from an adjacent building.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Awards

Cork International Film Festival, Cork, Ireland: Bronze Statuette of St. Finbarr - First Prize, Documentary, 1966
Locarno Film Festival, Locarno, Switzerland: Diploma of Honour, 1967
Kraków Film Festival, Kraków, Poland: Diploma of Honour, 1967
Melbourne Film Festival, Melbourne: Diploma of Merit, 1967
International Days of Short Films, Tours, France: Prize of the Cine-Clubs, 1967
Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin: Special Youth Prize, 1967
18th Canadian Film Awards, Montreal: Best Editing, to Don Owen 1966^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b Gravestock, Steve (2005). Don Owen: Notes on a Filmmaker and His Culture. Indiana University Press. pp. 41–43. ISBN 9780968913246. Retrieved 4 June 2017. High Steel Don Owen.
^ ^a ^b Druick, Zoë (2007). Projecting Canada: Government Policy and Documentary Film at the National Film Board. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 109. ISBN 9780773576698. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b "The Lost Canadian: Don Owen". Point of View Magazine. No. 59. Documentary Organization of Canada. 1 October 2005. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
^ "High Steel". Our Collection. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 June 2017.

External links

[Gravestock-1] Gravestock, Steve (2005). Don Owen: Notes on a Filmmaker and His Culture. Indiana University Press. pp. 41–43. ISBN 9780968913246. Retrieved 4 June 2017. High Steel Don Owen.

[zoe-2] Druick, Zoë (2007). Projecting Canada: Government Policy and Documentary Film at the National Film Board. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 109. ISBN 9780773576698. Retrieved 4 June 2017.

[POV-3] "The Lost Canadian: Don Owen". Point of View Magazine. No. 59. Documentary Organization of Canada. 1 October 2005. Retrieved 4 June 2017.

[4] "High Steel". Our Collection. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 June 2017.

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