Choice: The Henry Morgentaler Story (2003) (TV)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

John L'Ecuyer

Writers:

Suzette Couture (writer)
Carole Hay (writer)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

The life story of Dr. Henry Morgentaler and his fight for the legalization of abortion on demand in Canada.

Plot Keywords:

Social Activism | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | Abortion

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

David Eisner	...	Dr. Henry Morgentaler
Stewart Bick	...	Mike Morgentaler
Julie Khaner	...	Gertie Katz
Rémy Girard	...	Claude-Armand Sheppard
Pascale Montpetit	...	Odile Morgentaler
Alberta Watson	...	Chava Rosenfarb-Morgentaler
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Daniela Akerblom	...	Pro-Choice Activist
Susan Almgren	...	Arlene
Victoria Barkoff	...	Receptionist
Claudia Besso	...	Red Rose Woman
Terence Bowman	...	Undercover Cop
Sara Bradeen	...	Angry Woman
Robert Brewster	...	Committee Chiarman (as Robert C. Brewster)
Rob Burns	...	Jury Foreman
André Champagne	...	Justice Hugheson
Pablo Coffey	...	German Patient
Catherine Colvey	...	Pro-Life Leader
Paula Costain	...	Married Woman
Carmen Echeverria	...	Marisol the Nanny
Diana Fajrajsl	...	Golda
Kathleen Fee	...	Humanist Member
Ian Finlay	...	W5 Host
Ivan Freud	...	Toronto Clinic Doctor
Alain Goulem	...	Eric Fisher (as Al Goulem)
Miranda Handford	...	Young Woman #3
Eric Hoziel	...	Prosecutor
Lyne Lafontaine	...	Manon (as Line Lafontaine)
Josée Laviolette	...	Toronto Clinic Nurse
Renee Madeline Le Guerrier	...	Estelle (as Renée Madelaine Le Guerrier)
Pierre Lenoir	...	Mr. Sunderland
Bonnie Mak	...	Toronto Clinic Patient
Joel Miller	...	Morris Manning
John Sanford Moore	...	House Reporter (as John Moore)
Rea Nolan	...	Ville Mont-Royal Nurse
Leni Parker	...	Judy Rebick
Gilles Plouffe	...	Dr. Desrosiers
James Rae	...	Ontario Jury Foreman
Guy Richer	...	Jerome Choquette
Mitchell David Rothpan	...	Young Mike (as Mitchell Rothpan)
Josée Salois	...	Nadine
Miriam Samuels	...	Ancient Woman
Victoria Sanchez	...	Carmen Morgentaler
Jennifer Seguin	...	Psychotherapist
Sam Stone	...	Seizure Inmate
Kevin Tierney	...	Ville Mont-Royal Doctor
Linda Tomassone	...	Young Woman
Dino Tosques	...	Toronto Detective
Tina Urwin	...	Abortion Patient
France Viens	...	Young Woman #2
Ian Watson	...	Police Officer #1
Jonah Wexler	...	Young Henry
Harald Winter	...	Nazi Officer
Kevin Woodhouse	...	Husband
James Zeller	...	Roy

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Choice Films Inc.

Excellent!!!

Maybe the years of pressure from the CRTC are paying off. Canada finally is telling its own stories and telling them well. There has been some exceptional stuff on CBC this season and now CTV has done this excellent docu-drama. It's a controversial subject and a controversial story about a controversial man, the kind of stuff that scares off sponsors. So kudos to CTV for tackling it! Individual views on abortion are beside the point. Morgantaler's saga was a significant piece of Canadian history and it is portrayed here without any "pro-life" or "pro-choice" bias. Nor does it make Morgantaler into some sort of crusader in a white hat. He is a difficult and sometimes unpleasant man and the movie shows him for what he is, the good and the bad. (He himself was quoted in the Toronto Star saying the film was accurate with the exception of a few minor details.) For once CTV has lived up to the C in its name.