It’s rather rare for me to review short films in this column and when I do, it’s typically multiple shorts in the form of abbreviated capsule reviews. In addition, short films are typically only plentiful during the handful of film festivals that we at Hollywood North Magazine cover every year including VIFF and of course, the Vancouver Short Film Festival.
So why am I reviewing a single short film this week? In a word: expediency. I am currently submerged in editorial duties for an upcoming Hallmark movie of which the schedule leaves me even less time than I usually have to compile something for our esteemed editor-in-chief Nick Wangersky to publish on Tuesday. It takes me less than half an hour to screen a typical short and not much more time than that to write the first draft. It’s a time-saver that I’m particularly grateful for this week.
With that in mind, I did a quick search for one of my favourite subjects on the National Film Board of Canada website, “Bicycles” and came up with the 1970 documentary short 10 Miles/Hour directed by Marcel Carriére. It concerns a bicycle convoy of about 70 women and one man riding the approximately 3573 miles from Montréal to Vancouver (Canada was still on imperial measurements back then), their ultimate goal being to raise funds for their planned trip to Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan.
Carriére’s film focuses on the prairie leg of the trip with the ladies cycling through Saskatchewan and eventually Alberta. Lensed in the then-popular cinéma vérité style, 10 Miles shows us a handful of days in the life of this group as they pedal through glorious sunshine and chilling winds. This being the tail end of the 60s, there’s not a helmet, lycra suit, nor carbon-fibre frame in sight. Protection against the elements are improvised including plastic bags to protect the feet from backsplash.
Even intrepid amateur cyclists need to rest and the group finds respite where they can in community halls and campsites as their support bus is supplied with ample tents and sleeping bags. They spend their time off the bike reading mail from home and canvassing the bemused locals for donations. One particularly interesting segment sees a Saskatoon man try out an unusual bike from the group that is propelled by seat motion instead of pedals!
The film is pleasant, well shot with a cheeky sensibility, and never boring, but it’s also woefully incomplete. It commits in my opinion a grave error of ending before the women’s journey does, ending with a “Expo 70???” title card. As near as I can tell, Carriére never made a follow-up and it’s a puzzling choice to end the story when the group was only one province away from the end. Even an explanatory card at the end would’ve been welcome, but such is the way of art I guess.
10 Miles ultimately registers as a mere slice of what could’ve been a much more compelling, longer film. As it stands, it’s a charming slice of retro Canadiana that would be right at home in a throwback NFB marathon.
6.5/10
10 Miles/Hour is available to stream for free on nfb.ca