Julian Biggs (1920–1972) was a director and producer with the National Film Board of Canada and its first Director of English Production. Over the course of his 20-year career, he created 146 films, two of which (Herring Hunt (1953) and Paddle to the Sea (1966)) were nominated for Academy Awards. His film 23 Skidoo (1964) received two BAFTA nominations, including the BAFTA United Nations award.
Biography Biggs was born and raised in Port Perry, in southern Ontario. When World War II broke out in 1939, he joined the Canadian Army and then transferred to the Canadian Navy, where he spent the rest of the war serving on mine-sweepers. He then attended the University of Toronto and, in 1951, was hired as a production assistant by the National Film Board of Canada. He directed his first film, The Son, a year later.
From 1956 to 1958, Biggs produced the Perspective series (paralleled by the similar series in French Passe-partout), which was 35 30-minute dramas with an emphasis on social themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, adolescence, the elderly, racial problems etc. One such film, Monkey on the Back, directed by Biggs, was a bleak, tragic story of man's unsuccessful struggle to free himself from drug addiction. Similar to Robert Anderson's Drug Addict (1948), which had been banned in the U.S., it was the type of film that caused the NFB to reconsider its role in producing socially relevant films. There was an unwritten policy and priority to shift away from social realism to the 'art' of film.
In his Film Companion, Canadian film historian Peter Morris noted that the series contained elements which later become common in direct cinema. "Perhaps the most original aspect of the films was their method of production: a light, quiet-running Auricon camera mounted on a chest harness, used on location and combined with double-system sound recording using the Sprocketape recorder. This technology sharply reduced production costs and shooting time. The style that resulted is apparent in most of the films, mostly clearly in Joe and Roxy (1957) and Night Children (1956), and clearly anticipates the later application of direct cinema to fiction. The series initially attracted a large audience, but the didactic tone of many of the film and the problems inherent in condensing high-intensity dramas into 30 minutes drove viewers away. The series was cancelled in the spring of 1958. The Candid Eye series was developed at least partially in reaction to the dramatic format of Perspective, an approach the NFB believed had lost touch with the real world."
Between 1959 and 1964, with discussion of Quebec separatism increasing and his own concerns about the future of Canadian Confederation, Biggs produced The History Makers. This was 17 short films about the political figures, Anglophone and Francophone, who founded and organized the country.
In 1966, the filmmakers' union, Syndicat général du cinéma et de la télévision (SGCT), requested greater representation and freedom from bureaucratic interference. NFB Commissioner Guy Roberge responded by creating the positions of Director of English Production, and Director of French Production, appointing Biggs and Marcel Martin, respectively, to the posts.
In 1968, Robin Spry directed Flowers on a One-Way Street, a film about the hippie revolution, 'people vs power', and a youth movement to close Toronto's Yorkville Avenue to traffic. It included a sit-in on the steps of Toronto City Hall and a tumultuous city council meeting, and was followed by an outcry against the NFB, in which police and the media accused filmmakers of organizing the protest and deliberately stoking anti-authority sentiment. Biggs pulled the film. Spry, producer Joe Koenig and the SGCT appealed to NFB Commissioner Hugo McPherson, who over-ruled Biggs. Biggs resigned as Director of English Production.
Biggs returned to directing, making the 1970 documentary A Little Fellow from Gambo: The Joey Smallwood Story, which won three 22nd Canadian Film Awards, including Best Director.
The latter would be his last film; he began to experience health issues and, in 1972, died at his home in Montreal, at age 52. He was survived by his wife Muriel and their four children.
Filmography Directory:
The Oyster Man - documentary short, 1951 - co-director with Jean Palardy The Son - short film, 1952 - writer, director With the Canadians in Korea - documentary short, 1952 - writer, director Eye Witness No. 57: Light Plane Armada, Canada's Vegetable Garden, 1953 - co-director with Grant McLean Herring Hunt - documentary short, 1953 - director Let's Talk About Films - documentary short, 1953 - writer, producer, director Security Depends on You - training film, 1953 - director Basic Rescue No. 1: Five Basic Knots - training film, 1954 - co-director, co-producer with David Bairstow Basic Rescue No. 2: The Use of Levers - training film, 1954 - co-director, co-producer with David Bairstow Basic Rescue No. 3: The Use of Jacks - training film, 1954 - co-director, co-producer with David Bairstow Basic Rescue No. 4: The Single Ladder - training film, 1954 - co-director, co-producer with David Bairstow Basic Rescue No. 5: The Extension Ladder - training film, 1954 - co-director, co-producer with David Bairstow On the Spot: Aviation Medicine - documentary short, 1954 - director On the Spot: College in the Wilds - documentary short, 1954 - director On the Spot: The Doll Factory - documentary short, 1954 - director On the Spot: Dresden Story - documentary short, 1954 - editor, director, co-producer with Gordon Burwash & Grant McLean On the Spot: Frontier College - documentary short, 1954 - director On the Spot: Javanese Dancing - documentary short, Bernard Devlin 1954 - producer On the Spot: The Magnificent - documentary short, 1954 - director On the Spot: Story of a Newspaper - documentary short, 1954 - director On the Spot: Maritime Montage - documentary short, 1955 - co-director with Rollo Gamble Pilgrim Geese - documentary short, 1954 - producer, director Carnival - documentary short, 1955 - director Chickens by the Million - documentary short, 1955 - producer, director Dwarf Apple - documentary short, 1955 - host, producer, director Fight Against Blight - documentary short, 1955 - producer, director Getting Your Money's Worth in Eggs - documentary short, 1955 - producer, director Holly - documentary short, 1955 - host, producer, director Horse Ranch - documentary short, 1955 - host, producer, director Important Mr. Rat - documentary short, 1955 - producer, director Insect Lab - documentary short, 1955 - host, producer, director Packboard & Tumpline - documentary short, 1955 - producer, director Raising the Hogs the Market Wants - documentary short, 1955 - writer, producer, director Raw Material - short film, 1955 - director Soil Test - documentary short, 1955 - host, producer, director Sunflowers - documentary short, 1955 - host, producer, director Why Grow Fat Hogs? - documentary short, 1955 - writer, producer, director Are People Sheep? - documentary short, 1956 - director The Cage - short film, Fergus McDonell 1956 - producer Chair of Gold - documentary short, Thomas Farley 1956 - producer Embassy - documentary short, 1956 - producer Escape - documentary short, Thomas Farley 1956 - producer The Longer Trail - short film, Fergus McDonell 1956 - producer Man of America - documentary short, Thomas Farley 1956 - producer Monkey on the Back - documentary short, 1956 - editor, director Morning Incident - documentary short, Fergus McDonell 1956 - producer The Nativity Cycle - documentary short, Fergus McDonell 1956 - producer Woman Alone - documentary short, 1956 - director The Yellow Leaf - short film, Fergus McDonell 1956 - producer The Shepherd - documentary short, 1956 - writer, producer, director The Visit - short film, Bernard Devlin 1956 - producer Fighter Wing - documentary short, Perspective series, Don Haldane 1956 - producer Go to Blazes - documentary short, Perspective series, Thomas Farley 1956 - producer Canadians Abroad - documentary short, Perspective series, Don Haldane 1956 - producer Back Into the Sun - documentary short, Perspective series, Fergus McDonell 1956 - producer The Deserter - documentary short, Perspective series 1956 - director Night Children - documentary short, Perspective series, Bernard Devlin 1956 - producer Sable Island - documentary short, Perspective series, Allan Wargon 1956 - producer The Barrier - documentary, Perspective series, Thomas Farley 1957 - producer Capital City - documentary short, Perspective series, Fergus McDonell 1957 - producer Crossroads - documentary short, Perspective series, Don Haldane 1957 - producer Double Verdict - documentary short, Perspective series, Fergus McDonell 1957 - producer Fires of Envy - short film, Perspective series, Don Haldane 1957 - producer Haiti - documentary short, Perspective series, Léonard Forest 1957 - producer The Happy Fugitive - documentary short, Perspective series, Fergus McDonell 1957 - producer Wolfe and Montcalm - short film, Perspective series, Allan Wargon 1957 - producer The Suspects - short film, Perspective series, Bernard Devlin 1957 - producer Howard - short film, Perspective series, Don Haldane 1957 - producer Joe and Roxy - short film, Perspective series, Don Haldane 1957 - producer Aye Follow Your Own - short film, 1957 - director A Letter from Oxford - documentary short, 1957 - director None But the Lonely - documentary short, Fergus McDonell 1957 - producer One Summer's Day - documentary short, Thomas Farley 1957 - producer The Street - short film, Fergus McDonell 1957 - producer The Harvest - short film, Fergus McDonell 1957 - producer Test Pilot - short film, Fergus McDonell 1957 - producer The Trap Thief - short film, Allan Wargon 1957 - producer Who Is Sylvia? - short film, Don Haldane 1957 - producer The Whole World Over - documentary short, Don Haldane and Léonard Forest 1957 - writer, producer The Ghost That Talked - documentary short, Don Haldane 1957 - producer Encounter at Trinity - documentary short, Allan Wargon 1957 - producer Conquest of Cold - documentary short, 1958 - director The Decision - documentary short, 1958 - director Fire in Town - documentary short, 1958 - director Journey from Etsa - documentary short, 1958 - director Northwest Neighbours - documentary short, 1958 - director People of the Peace - documentary short, 1958 - director School for the Stage - documentary short, 1958 - director 1,500,000 of Us - documentary short, 1959 - director Canada: World Citizen - documentary short, 1959 - director The Good Old Days - 1959 - host, producer, director Grassland Farming` - documentary short, Donald Wilder 1959 - producer It's a Woman's World - documentary short, 1959 - host, producer, director Lord Elgin: Voice of the People - short film, 1959 - director Prairie Bonanza - documentary short, 1959 - director Report on Cancer - documentary short, 1959 - director U.N. in the Classroom - documentary short, Don Haldane 1959 - producer On Prescription Only - documentary short, 1960 - director This Electronic World - documentary short, 1960 - director Charles Tupper: The Big Man - short film, Morten Parker 1961 - producer Courtship - documentary, Allan Wargon 1961 - co-producer with Gordon Burwash Four Teachers` - documentary, Donald Ginsberg 1961 - co-producer with Gordon Burwash John A. Macdonald: The Impossible Idea - short film, Gordon Burwash 1961 - producer Joseph Howe: The Tribune of Nova Scotia - short film, 1961 - producer, director Lord Durham - short film, John Howe 1961 - producer Louis-Joseph Papineau: The Demi-God - short film, Louis-Georges Carrier 1961 - producer Robert Baldwin: A Matter of Principle - short film, John Howe 1961 - producer William Lyon Mackenzie: A Friend to His Country - short film, 1961 - producer, director Alexander Galt: The Stubborn Idealist - short film, 1962 - producer, director