whytemuseum
- Oct 18, 2023
- 6 min read

A Life on Film: The Completion of the Bruno Engler Collection

Updated: Oct 25, 2023

By Kate Riordon, Collections Processor & Digital Technician

For the past year and a half, I’ve had the pleasure of working on a truly massive collection of prints, negatives, slides, and motion pictures bequeathed to the Whyte Museum Archives by Bruno Engler at the time of his death in 2001.

Image 1: [Bruno Engler], 1980, (V190 / VI / P / vii / PA – 19 detail)

Spanning nearly 60 years of his life and amounting to almost 5,000 database entries, the Bruno Engler collection is a treasure trove of wildlife, mountaineering, skiing, rescue, climbing, and Hollywood content – just to name a few.

Image 2: [Helicopter rescue mission], [ca. 1985], (V190 / VI / L / v / PA – 46)

Image 3: [Sketching a curious deer through the window], [ca. 1960], (V190 / VI / A / iii / PA – 02)

Image 4: [Unidentified skiers at Sunshine], [ca. 1945-1955], (V190 / VI / H / iv / b / NS – 01 / 04)

This part of his collection that I got to work on – what we dubbed the “Retained File” – pertained to the work Bruno held on to after two initial donations/purchases acquired by the Archives in the 1980s and 90s.

Image 5: Stacked empty photo paper boxes used by Bruno Engler, 2023, photo by the author.

Beautifully alphabetized (for my convenience) in old photo paper boxes with hand-written labels, it was just a matter of taking out the contents of each box, numbering them, digitizing select images, rehousing them in acid-free folders, storing them in the vault, and making detailed database entries. Easy.

All said and done, Bruno’s Retained File amounted to 281 database entries containing 9,203 print photographs, 11,096 negatives, 156 transparencies, and 14,981 feet of motion picture films. I counted.

Image 6: [Rimrock Hotel], [ca. 1960], (V190 / VI / B / vii / PA – 39)

Image 7: [Helicopter fighting a wildfire], 1971, (V190 / VI / F / ii / PA – 02)

Some of my favourite topics to work on were the Parks Canada Wardens and, of course, the movie prints. Bruno was a highly skilled skier, ski instructor, and guide and often accompanied Parks Canada Wardens and Wardens-in-training on climbing courses, helicopter rescue missions, and avalanche control operations (aka: dropping charged explosives out of helicopters or firing very large guns at the mountain).

It was a treat coming across photos of people I’d read about in Sid Marty’s books and, since a lot of Wardens in the 60s and 70s were also members of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG.), Chic Scott was an invaluable resource when it came to identification.

Gallery 1

The pièce de résistance though were the shots from all the movies Bruno worked on. As an experienced mountain man, his role on some productions amounted to making sure the cast and crew got to remote shooting locations without incident. But he also often served as the on-set photographer – snapping shots of cast and crew from behind the scenes.

Gallery 2

I learned a lot about 1970s direct-to-home-video movies and spent several weeks lamenting how hard these titles are to find on modern streaming services. The shots of downtown Banff during the 70s and 80s that featured in a few of these movies were some of my absolute favourites! A period of time we don’t have as much on in the Archives, it’s always a treat to explore the shops, ogle the cars, and wonder at the tightness of people’s pants.

Image 8: [Still from B-roll footage for the movie Ski Lift to Death], 1977, (V190 / VI / A / ii / PA – 33)

Image 9: [Rooster statue in Canmore], [ca. 1990], (V190 / VI / L / v / PA – 505)

Image 10: [Sight-seeing gondola cars on the North America chair at Norquay], [ca. 1960], (V190 / VI / N / i / NA – 33 / 02)

Big projects like this one feel daunting when you’re in the middle of them, but now that I’ve finished I find myself missing Bruno. At least we know exactly where to find him.

Image 11: [Sausage dog and child at the Maycroft Ski Meet], 1954, (V190 / VI / M / xi / PA – 05)

Interested in learning more about Canadian Rockies history? Book a research appointment at the Whyte Museum Archives and Special Collections Library.

Images:

Image 1: [Bruno Engler], 1980, (V190 / VI / P / vii / PA – 19 detail)

Image 2: [Helicopter rescue mission], [ca. 1985], (V190 / VI / L / v / PA – 46)

Image 3: [Sketching a curious deer through the window], [ca. 1960], (V190 / VI / A / iii / PA – 02)

Image 4: [Unidentified skiers at Sunshine], [ca. 1945-1955], (V190 / VI / H / iv / b / NS – 01 / 04)

Image 5: Stacked empty photo paper boxes used by Bruno Engler, 2023, photo by the author

Image 6: [Rimrock Hotel], [ca. 1960], (V190 / VI / B / vii / PA – 39)

Image 7: [Helicopter fighting a wildfire], 1971, (V190 / VI / F / ii / PA – 02)

Image 8: [Still from B-roll footage for the movie Ski Lift to Death], 1977, (V190 / VI / A / ii / PA – 33)

Image 9: [Rooster statue in Canmore], [ca. 1990], (V190 / VI / L / v / PA – 505)

Image 10: [Sight-seeing gondola cars on the North America chair at Norquay], [ca. 1960], (V190 / VI / N / i / NA – 33 / 02)

Image 11: [Sausage dog and child at the Maycroft Ski Meet], 1954, (V190 / VI / M / xi / PA – 05)

Gallery 1:

Image 1: [Association of Canadian Mountain Guides group portrait], 1980-1992, (V190 / VI / A / v / PA – 27)

Image 2: [Avalanche gun at Norquay Ski Hill], 1956-1979, (V190 / VI / A / vi / c / PA – 03)

Image 3: [Helicopter sling rescue coming in to old Mineral Springs Hospital, 1972, (V190 / VI / B / viii / PA – 19)

Image 4: Edward Feuz, 1962, Lake O’Hara, 1962, (V190 / VI / O / v / PA – 05)

Image 5: [Monty Rose, Park Warden, during a climbing exercise], [ca. 1970], (V190 / VI / P / ix / PA – 44)

Image 6: Platform improvised by Banff Rescue Team, on foot of cliff where victim will be picked up after team lowered victim from mountain cliffs [Climber fractured a leg while climbing Mt. Blaine], [ca. 1960], (V190 / VI / W / i / PA – 43)

Image 8: [Still from B-roll footage for the movie Ski Lift to Death], 1977, (V190 / VI / A / ii / PA – 33)

Image 9: [Rooster statue in Canmore], [ca. 1990], (V190 / VI / L / v / PA – 505)

Image 10: [Sight-seeing gondola cars on the North America chair at Norquay], [ca. 1960], (V190 / VI / N / i / NA – 33 / 02)

Image 11: [Sausage dog and child at the Maycroft Ski Meet], 1954, (V190 / VI / M / xi / PA – 05)

Gallery 2:

Image 1: [Hans Gmoser and Dustin Hoffman on a shoot in the Bugaboos], [ca. 1961], (V190 / VI / M / x / a / PA – 04)

Image 2: Raider Chuck Moody in the film “Across the Great Divide.” Taken around Canmore-Spray Lake & Morely. Sept 1976. Photo Bruno Engler, 1976, (V190 / VI / M / x / a / PA – 119)

Image 3: [Behind-the scenes shot of Richard Gere in the movie “Days of Heaven”], 1976, (V190 / VI / M / x / c / PA – 01)

Image 4: Double for [Charles] Bronson Tim Auger. “Death Hunt” 1980, (V190 / VI / M / x / d / PA – 02)

Image 5: 3 point landing, Spray Lake. “Death Hut” 1980, “This was not in the script,” 1980, (V190 / VI / M / x / d / PA – 14)

Image 6: [Mike Farrell, Margo Kidder, Elliott Gould, and Fred Gwynne on the Bow River during the filming of Vanishing Act (aka: Hoax)], 1986, (V190 / VI / M / x / k / PA – 23)

Image 7: [Elliott Gould throwing a snowball during the filming of Vanishing Act in Banff], 1986, (V190 / VI / M / x / k / PA – 62)

Image 8: [Film crew for Vanishing Act on Banff Avenue], 1986, (V190 / VI / M / x / k / PA – 90)

Image 9: [Cast members on horseback during the filming of Across the Great Divide (aka: Mountain Maverick)], 1976, (V190 / VI / M / x / o / PA – 104]

Image 10: [John Cusack posed on train tracks during the filming of The Journey of Natty Gann], 1984, (V190 / VI / M / x / p / NA – 17 / 01)

Image 11: [Cast & crew members of Ski Lift to Death on Banff Avenue], 1977, (V190 / VI / M / x / s / NA – 23 / 01)

Image 12: [Airborne filming of Ski Lift to Death], 1977, (V190 / VI / B / ii / PA – 02)

Image 13: [Christopher Reeve as Superman holding a child newly rescued from a tree while filming Superman in Calgary], 1977, (V190 / VI / M / x / t / NA – 21 / 01)

Image 14: [A fake US Navy missile truck crosses the old train bridge during the filming of Superman III in Canmore], 1982, (V190 / VI / M / x / t / NA – 43 / 01)

Image 15: [Christopher Reeve as Superman taking a picture of the crew of Superman III, 1982, (V190 / VI / M / x / t / PA – 17)

Image 16: [Kitten helping film Wild Horse Hank], 1978, (V190 / VI / M / x / x / PA – 383)

Image 17: [Linda Blair relaxing on horseback during the filming of Wild Horse Hank], 1978, (V190 / VI / M / x / x / PA – 392)

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