Image: A film still showing the Foster children in front of their home (SPRA 449.01.04, Fonds 449: Foster Family fonds)
Movie Monday highlights videos from the Archives’ film collection. Every week, an archival film will be featured on our YouTube channel and here on our blog. The Movie Monday project is made possible with the generous funding support of Swan City Rotary Club of Grande Prairie.
Welcome back to Movie Monday! Today we are revisiting the Foster family. We first met the Fosters in September, in a film also entitled “Family Growing Up”. The first film was taken between 1950-1956 and focused largely on the activities of the children; today’s film continues the documentation of the children’s growing years, taking place between 1957-1965.
It is quite unique to see home movies that tell such a comprehensive and cohesive story. Over the course of these two films, we see the Foster children grow from toddlers to teenagers, and see the family itself grow from a family of five to a family of six. The film contains footage of innumerable activities. A few special events such as birthdays and vacations are shown, but in large part the film focuses on simple, everyday happenings – from rowing and swimming, to walking on stilts and playing dress-up. The children’s antics are amusing and heartwarming, and the films are an excellent memento not only for the Foster family, but for anyone who wishes to slow down for a few moments and remember the simplicity and sincerity of childhood.
It is films such as this one – and many others in our collection – that enable the Archives to preserve a more complete history of the South Peace. Our goal is not only to remember the significant events that feature in history books, but to tell the stories of the individuals and families who are the South Peace.