Railroaders

In winter the rail-switches on streetcar tracks in Winnipeg froze and jammed with freezing mud and snow. Keeping them clean, whatever the weather, was the job of the switchman. In this film about a bygone era, Paul Tomkowicz, Polish-born Canadian, talks about his job and his life in Canada. He compares his new life in the city of Winnipeg to the life he knew in Poland, marvelling at the sort of liberty Canadians enjoy.

Young Vancouver hockey players, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, undertake to show their skills to the new teams of China. It is a journey that takes them far into that vast country and to an understanding of East and West. Hockey in China still has far to go, but this film leaves no doubt that the Chinese players and fans are alive to the challenge. A film of fresh insight and discovery for all audiences, whether hockey-minded or not.

An amusing view of the machine that has taken the country by winter storm: the snowmobile, revving, raring, ready to go. What the motorboat was to the summer lake, this motorized sled now is to the snow-covered fields. This film shows it all--the pull of this sit-down sport, the eagerness of the trade to keep it booming, the daring rivalry of the racing crowd, and the bemused pleasure of the family outing.