Four Cents to Sea: 16mm, the Royal Canadian Naval Film Society, and the Mobilization of Entertainment

This article examines the activities of the Royal Canadian Naval Film Society during World War II, particularly its employment of 16mm film. While the society’s activities can be situated within the wider backdrop of the expanded nontheatrical film exhibition typical of the era, the society’s particular screening conditions and the unique specifications of its systems of film circulation distinguish it from other contemporary wartime motion picture programs. The RCNFS was a largely localized, autonomous, and self-sufficient unit, and its use of 16mm film aboard its sea-bound vessels served as a model showcase for the format’s capabilities.