The Drag (film)

1965 Canadian film

The Drag

Directed by| Carlos Marchiori
Produced by| Wolf Koenig
Robert Verrall
Narrated by| Guy Glover
Cinematography| Murray Fallen
Edited by| Karl Duplessis (sound)
Music by| Donald Douglas

Production
company

National Film Board of Canada

Distributed by| National Film Board of Canada

Release date

* 1965 (1965)

Running time

| 8 minutes
Country| Canada
Language| English

The Drag is a 1965 anti-smoking animated short film, animated and directed by the Italian artist Carlos Marchiori for the National Film Board of Canada.[1][2][3][4][5]

## Summary

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The Drag, which was sponsored by the Canadian Department of National Health and Welfare, is aimed at young people and is a comical look at the dangers of tobacco addiction and the difficulties of quitting. It also explores the part that cigarette advertising played in getting people hooked. It traces the insecure protagonist's path to addiction after he discovers, as a teen-ager, that smoking can make him "cool". His addiction follows him into adulthood, until the scare of lung cancer forces him to face his demons. This funny yet cautionary tale is told by the protagonist as he sits on a psychiatrist's couch, his recollections amusingly illustrated in colourful vignettes of his past. Entertaining and visually rich, the film is a deterrent against smoking drawn in typical '60s modernist/pop-art style, complete with kaleidoscopic collage montages.[6][7][8][9]

## Awards

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* Calvin Workshop Awards, Kansas City, Missouri: Notable Film Award, 1966
* Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, Columbus, Ohio: Chris Certificate, 1967
* International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films, Varna, Bulgaria: Silver Medal, 1969
* 39th Academy Awards, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Short Subject, Cartoons, 1967[10][11][12][13]

## References

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1. ^ "The Drag". nfb.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
2. ^ Artist — CA'TOGA
3. ^ BFI
4. ^ Festival de Cannes
5. ^ "Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award 1966 -". cartoonresearch.com.
6. ^ Oddball Films: Learn Your Lesson...About Smoking: Puff Puff Pass the Shockucation - Fri. Sep. 13 - 8PM
7. ^ FilmAffinity
8. ^ Oddball Films: Learn your Lesson from the '60s - A Groovy Shockucation - Fri. Nov. 20th - 8PM
9. ^ Oddball Films: Animazione Demente - The Psychedelic World of Italian Cartoons - Thur. Mar. 3rd - 8PM
10. ^ Short Film Winners: 1967 Oscars
11. ^ "The Drag". Collection. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
12. ^ Begoray, Deborah L. (28 February 2003). "Best of the Best: Romantic Tales and Other Whimsical Relationships". Canadian Materials. Manitoba Library Association.
13. ^ 1967|Oscars.org

## External links

[edit]

* Watch The Drag at NFB.ca
* The Drag on YouTube