Black Robe (1991)

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writers (WGA):

Brian Moore (novel)
Brian Moore (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 October 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | History

Plot:

In the 17th century a Jesuit priest and a young companion are escorted through the wilderness of Quebec...

Plot Keywords:

Jesuit | Mission | Quebec | 17th Century | Priest

Awards:

10 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Lothaire Bluteau	...	Father Laforgue
Aden Young	...	Daniel
Sandrine Holt	...	Annuka
August Schellenberg	...	Chomina
Tantoo Cardinal	...	Chomina's Wife
Billy Two Rivers	...	Ougebmat
Lawrence Bayne	...	Neehatin
Harrison Liu	...	Awondoie
Wesley Cote	...	Oujita
Frank Wilson	...	Father Jerome
François Tassé	...	Father Bourque
Jean Brousseau	...	Champlain
Yvan Labelle	...	Mestigoit
Raoul Trujillo	...	Kiotseaton
James Bobbish	...	Ondesson

Also Known As:

Robe noire (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

101 min | Germany:97 min

Country:

Canada | Australia

Language:

Cree | English | Mohawk | Algonquin | Latin

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | UK:15 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | Australia:M | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Germany:12 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Saguenay Region, Québec, Canada

Company:

Alliance Communications Corporation

Trivia:

It took over four years to find financing for the film. No American studio was interested in doing it because it was about religion, so eventually the finance was drummed up from European and Canadian sources. Even with Oscar nominee Bruce Beresford expressing a desire to be at the helm, the Canadian investors were still very hard to convince. Until Beresford's film Driving Miss Daisy (1989) scooped the 1989 Oscar for Best Film. The success of "Dances with Wolves" was also instrumental in helping the film to get made.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In one of the flashbacks to France, Father Laforgue's mother says she is praying to St. Joan. However, Joan of Arc was not canonized until 1920.

Quotes:

Chomina: Tomorrow do not cry out.
Daniel: If we do cry out, will they stop (torturing us)?
Chomina: No, they will not stop. But if you cry out when you die, they will have your spirit.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Last Cigarette (1999/I)

Wonderful, Soul-shaking

When averaging, extreme scores skew the result. So I wonder at the motives of those who voted "1" for this film. Sabotage?

"Black Robe" invites comparison with "Aguirre, the Wrath of God," another masterpiece. Two great directors project their vision of two different men who do something we in this "civilized" culture can hardly imagine: plunge into a vast, unknown, alien world. And ultimately into oblivion.

The motivation, the source of courage, is faith, on one hand, and hubris on the other. Watch both examples. Though we can easily discern the noble from the base, we experience equally powerful stories. Here is a chance to see juxtaposed two profoundly different outlooks subjected to a common ordeal. What a wonderful, terrifying, soul-shaking thing to witness!