Arctic Canada caught on 1919 silent film (BBC)

By Chris Nikkel
Documentary maker

One of the world's early documentaries featured unique footage of the lives of Arctic fur trappers in 1919. After long being forgotten, it's now been restored for modern audiences in Canada, including communities descended from those featured in the silent film.

In July 1919, the RMS Nascopie departed Montreal. It carried supplies bound for Arctic fur trade posts.

But the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) ice-breaker had extra cargo on its annual trip. A film crew is on board.
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The film crew had orders from the HBC headquarters in London. They were to make a film capturing the company's workings and commercial land holdings, holdings that once covered one twelfth of the earth's surface.

But the HBC wanted rid of the land, and were looking for people to settle on it.

Visual historian
And thus a memo from HBC executives - the film should be "advertising the Company and incidentally its lands, without appearing to do so".
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16648847