... celebrating Canada Day

Here are some movies to help you celebrate our Great Day, and to remember where we came from, what we are, and perhaps even where we are going.

Black Robe (1991, Dir: Brian Beresford)
Set in Quebec in 1634, a priest (Lothaire Bluteau) and a young Frenchman (Aden Young) begin an epic journey to re-establish contact with an unheard-from Jesuit mission deep within the Huron nation. Lead by Captain Champlain (Jean Brousseau) and an Algonquin guide (August Schellenberg) and his family, the pair soon find themselves at the mercy of clashing faiths, tribal hostilities and harsh winter conditions. Screenplay by Irish-Canadian Brian Moore, adapted from his novel of the same name.

Passchendaele (2009, Dir: Paul Gross)
A tour de force from Gross (reputedly the most-expensive Canadian film made to date); based upon the war experiences of his grandfather. World War I was a catalyst for Canada to shed its colonial roots and begin to create its own identity. Gross plays Michael Dunne, a shell-shocked disillusioned veteran of the trenches is sent home, only to return recluctantly to combat to recover the naive young brother of Caroline (Sarah Mann), the woman he loves. The fact that Caroline's parents were German immigrants brings a depth of conflict to the narrative. Watch out for Shaw Festival’s Jim Merzon as the jingoistic British recruiting officer Dobson-Hughes.

Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006, Dir: Eric Canuel)
Great cop-buddy flick with a premise maybe only Canadians will ‘get’. Fate and a cross-province case brings uptight suit-wearing anglophone detective Martin Ward (Colm Feore) into contact with jean-wearing, laid-back laissez faire Francophone detective David Bouchard (Paul Huard). Both are bilingual, but still they can’t speak the same language! Inevitably they clash, a situation not helped when each becomes involved with the other’s family members.

Paddle to the Sea (1966, National Film Board)
Far up in the great white North, a young boy carves a man in a canoe, names it ‘Paddle to the Sea’ and leaves it on a frozen stream. As the spring thaw begins, Paddle begins a great journey. The film follows its watery progress through Lake Superior and on to the Sea. A kindergarten staple, those 27 minutes which leave children with a wide-eyed awe of the enormity of our country’s nature beauty. (I know I've never forgotten it.)

Did you know?
At the National Film Board’s Mediatheque (corner of John & Richmond Sts. Toronto), you can watch any film in their vast and celebrated collection for a just Toonie! See: www.onf-nfb.gc.ca/eng/mediatheque