You're Invited To The "Pacific Celebration." No, Not You
1976 tourism promotion film shows a diverse city, without the diverse people.
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This 1976 promotional film about Vancouver is a little corny at times — oh God, the music! — but it’s interesting to watch, even if to just see what things have changed and what things haven’t. It’s also fun to watch Vancouver’s various traditions and see its real-time posturing as a city constantly engaged in an endless “Pacific Celebration.”
But while it’s cool to see the skyline, landmarks, and activities as they were back in the day, something is amiss. The subjects are overwhelmingly white. Non-white people appear as a backdrop, a source of entertainment for everyone else — and in Chinatown. Why are there so few non-white subjects in the film? Why aren’t there more of them lounging on the beach or enjoying the parade? It seems weird that a film made to promote a diverse city like Vancouver has very few diverse people in it.