Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1973 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
Moving image
• 1 reel : col. print, col., optical sound ; 16mm (825 ft/23 mins)
Textual materials
• 0.2cm textual materials
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
ROBERT LANG is an internationally recognized, award-winning filmmaker and television producer whose work has covered many documentary topics, from music programs and interactive media to science and social documentaries.
Lang founded the production company Kensington Communications in 1980, and in that role he has been responsible for hundreds of television programs, including: 3 seasons of 72 Hours: True Crime; the acclaimed four-part television series The Sacred Balance with David Suzuki; 5 seasons of the true crime series Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science; the Gemini Award-winning 3-part series Diamond Road; the 5-part series Shameless Idealists; and 3 seasons of the hit documentary program Museum Secrets.
He has worked as a director on many music productions with artists such as Bruce Cockburn, Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois, Jackie Richardson, Toumani Diabate and Ali Farka Toure.
Among his many award-winning documentaries and TV specials are the Gemini-winning Separate Lives, One Warm Line: the Legacy of Stan Rogers, Diamond Road, and The Equalizer (Canadian Screen Award).
Lang has produced many interactive digital projects over the years, from River of Sand interactive website (1998), to The Sacred Balance online (2003), Diamond Road interactive documentary (2007), Museum Secrets Interactive (2011), ScopifyROM, a mobile app to enhance the museum experience at the Royal Ontario Museum (2013) and Risk Navigator mobile app (2017).
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Scope and content
A Great Tree Has Fallen is a documentary about the traditional 8-day funeral ceremonies and “enstoolment” of the king of the Ashanti people in Ghana – the Asantehene. Narrated by the writer and art historian Roy Sieber, and is the first film Robert Lang made. Series includes 1 distribution copy and promo sheet.
The Robert Lang Fonds (2018.016), also held by the Media Commons Archives contains A+B rolls for A Great Tree Has Fallen, 2 ¾ in. U-matic copies of the film, and 16mm prints of the short film Elmina, which was shot during the filming of A Great Tree Has Fallen.
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Preservation concerns may limit access. Please consult an archivist.
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Media Commons does not own copyright of collection materials. Consult rights holder for reproduction(s).
Language of material
- English
Script of material
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Created Aug. 15, 2022 by Al Stanton-Hagan
Language(s)
- English