- The grandiose and the provincial mingle in expressionistic frenzy in In the Shadow of the Water Tower. Through a collection of 16mm home-movie footage and stylized re-imaginings, the film recounts the true story of one Curt Paul Smith, complete with baseball-playing bison, trips to Hawaii, and massive wildlife massacres in 1950's Canada. And not necessarily in that order.—Anonymous
- Set in 1950s Canada, In the Shadow of the Water Tower traces the life of the director's grandfather-in-law, Curt Smith II, his wife Donna, and their son Curt Smith III through a collection of tales and anecdotes as remembered by the family. Some of these include experimental medical procedures performed on Curt when attempting to serve in the Canadian army during WWII, his recovery from cancer, his brief stint as a travel agent and the family's tropical antics during the promotional trip to Hawaii, and ending with an event that took place during his time as president of the Alberta Fish and Game Association. In an attempt to quell an outbreak of rabies among the coyote population, Curt organized a devastating and highly efficient operation to exterminate any animals possibly carrying the disease, particularly coyotes. It was implemented in the expected fashion by armed members of the Alberta population, as well as on a much grander scale through poison pellets dropped from planes throughout the Albertan wilderness. In the end around 200,000 animals were killed over two years, when in the end only 55 animals were infected.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content