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The Hands Are Sure

Accession number: 
1950.0034
Alternate Titles: 
La Vocation des mains
French version
Production Years: 
1943

Languages:

Film Properties: 
Length (feet): 
1175 (16mm)
Length (minutes): 
32
Holding Institutions: 

Library and Archives Canada: 35mm, 16mm, 3/4", VHS, Betacam.
"Deals with cottage and fireside industries in Quebec: spinning, weaving, needle work, carving, pottery, book binding, etc. Shots of men and women working on belts, rugs, blankets and foot uses. Leading schools and craftsmen and members of the Maîtrise D'Art helps keep tradition among the artists."

"Un heureux retour sur le passé, encouragé par l'École provinciale des Arts Domestiques et par différentes écoles de beaux-arts, remet en honneur les travaux manuels qui auréolent encore le souvenir de nos ancêtres. Tissage, crochetage, tapis tressés, tissus brodés, sculpture sur pierre et sur bois, arts graphiques, poterie, etc., c'est toute une revue de produits indigènes et des beaux travaux de l'artisanat domestique québécois que nous offre ce film. Mieux que toute autre chose, il nous fait réaliser combien ces étoffes, ces tapis, ces pièces murales, ces toiles et ces tissus paysans sont l'expression d'une province profondément attachée à son sol et à ses traditions françaises."

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Centre d'archives de Québec, Québec: 16mm, dvd-r.

University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta: 16mm.
"A detailed account of French Canadian crafts, including spinning, weaving, carving in wood and stone, making braided rugs, toys, and many others."
From the Catalogue of 16mm Educational Motion Pictures. Published by the Educational Media Division, Department of Extension, University of Alberta, Edmonton, 1967.

Bibliography: 

Service de Ciné-Photographie, L'Office Provincial de Publicité, Québec, Catalogue de films 16mm (1952-1953).

“Description of French-Canadian Handicraf Given at Rotary Club,” Sherbrooke Daily Record (5 September 1945).
"Introducing the technicolor [sic, author meant Kodachrome] ‘The Hands Are Sure’ through wich members of the Sherbrooke Rotary Club were treated to a description of French Canadian handicraft at their regular meeting last night, Col. C. W Wiggs, guest speaker, declared that the picture was conceived as a factual record of the color and character of French Canada.
He said that cameramen sought the variety of scene that represent this important phase of French Canada’s culture – its handicrafts – from cosmopolitan Montreal to quiet farms of the Île d’Orleans, from Quebec’s seat of government to Gaspe’s approaching to the sea.
‘There were woven into a delightful pattern which makes up this technicolor [sic] movie. With it, we who live in Quebec get a new perspective on the color and character of our Province, and those beyond our borders sample one of our major attractions for the tourist,’ he stated.
A native of Quebec, Col. Wiggs is a past Secretary of the Quebec City Rotary Club and a past President of that City’s Snow Shoe Club. He is a veteran of both World Wars. In the First World War, he served with the 12th Battalion while in the 2nd World War he served for two years with the Veteran’s Guard.
Col. Wiggs opened his programme by relating a short biography of Dr. William Drummond, a poet of French Canada, following which he recited two of his poems, ‘The Wreck of the Julie Plante’ and ‘Le Vieux Temps.’
He said that it cannot be said that the story the picture tells has been over-glamorized, ‘yet there is a wealth of glamor inherent on the subject. Reception accorded to the film to date has proven its universal appeal, yet no one is likely to come to Quebec as a visitor to see such scenes and go away feeling that the story it tells has been exaggerated. That is an important point of merit in its use as a vehicle for increasing the stream of visitors as travel conditions become less restricted.’
‘The Hands Are Sure’ was produced under the direction of R. Pitt-Taylor, with camera work by Henri Michaud and Robert J. Martin. ‘Naturally, faithful color rendition was of the utmost importance in showing handicrafts. Very careful light meter readings were taken before pressing the camera button on each scene in order that exposures could be kept within the closest possible limits,’ Col. Wiggs explained.
Concluding his introduction, he stated, ‘I am sure you will agree, after you have seen the film, that the Quebec Government and the producers, Associated Screen News, have achieved both a practical and an artistic success in this picture.
The opening scenes of the film trace the history of handicrafts back to the early days of the French-Canadian pioneer, when everything made had to be fashioned by hand.
Following this, the picture jumps to the present time and portrays the progress that has been made by the establishing of special schools to ensure that the art of fashioning handicraft is not lost. These scenes show students working under actual class room conditions in the various schools. The work produced by these students is also shown and includes pottery, die making, weaving, spinning, engraving, book binding, sculpture, wood carving, shoe making and painting needle.
The film points out the value of such articles not only from the amount of labor that goes into them but also from the practical viewpoint of beauty and utility.
The speaker was introduced by Lee Audet and thanked by William Nicol.
Guests of the club included: M. Berry, of Toronto; S.A. Witten, of Montreal; L.P. Pelletier, of Granby; John Mettan, of Leamington, Ont.; and J.S. Morse and Flt.-Lt. John Rugg both of whom are from Sherbrooke."

Gouvernement du Québec: Ministère des Communications, Direction générale du cinéma et de l’audiovisuel, Catalogue des films d’archives, volume 1 (Québec: Éditeur officiel du Québec, 1976), 6, 8.
"Tissage, crochetage, tapis tressés, tissus brodés, sculpture sur pierre, sculpture sur bois, arts graphiques, poterie etc., c'est toute une revue de produits indigènes et de beaux travaux de l'artisanat domestique québécois que nous offre ce film. Les Bourgault, Pierre Lemieux, Pearson, Eugène Leclerc, Centre artisanal de St-Barthélémy, André Aubin, école de poterie de la Beauce, Louis Parent (céramiste), Flavien St-Pierre (vernis)."

Service de ciné-photographie de la province de Québec, Films 16mm: édition 1956-57 (Quebec City: Service de ciné-photographie, 1956), 274, 277.
"Un heureux retour sur le passé, encouragé par l'École provinciale des Arts Domestiques et par différentes écoles de beaux-arts, remet en honneur les travaux manuels qui auréolent encore le souvenir de nos ancêtres.
Tissage, crochetage, tapis tressés, tissus brodés, sculpture sur pierre, sculpture sur bois, arts graphiques, poterie, etc., c'est toute une revue de produits indigènes et des beaux travaux de l'artisanat domestique québécois que nous offre ce film. Mieux que toute autre chose, il nous fait réaliser combien ces étoffes, ces tapis, ces pièces murales, ces toiles et ces tissus paysans sont l'expression d'une province profondément attachée à son sol et à ses traditions françaises."