Black Robe (1991)

A young Jesuit priest seeks to convert the Indian tribes in Canada while also trying to survive the harsh winter.

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writers:

Brian Moore (screenplay), Brian Moore (novel)

Stars:

Lothaire Bluteau, Aden Young, Sandrine Holt

10 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lothaire Bluteau	...	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 Côté	...	Oujita
Frank Wilson	...	Father Jerome
François Tassé	...	Father Bourque
Jean Brousseau	...	Champlain
Yvan Labelle	...	Mestigoit
Raoul Max Trujillo	...	Kiotseaton (as Raoul Trujillo)
James Bobbish	...	Ondesson

Storyline

In the 17th century a Jesuit priest and a young companion are escorted through the wilderness of Quebec by Algonquin Indians to find a distant mission in the dead of winter. The Jesuit experiences a spiritual journey while his young companion falls in love with the Algonquin chief's beautiful daughter underneath the imposing and magnificent mountains. Dread and death follows them upriver.

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Plot Keywords:

1600s | burial ground | ground | doggystyle sex | arrow | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for areas of strong violence and sensuality

Details

Country:

Canada Australia USA

Language:

Cree English Mohawk Algonquin Latin

Release Date:

4 October 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Manto negro

Filming Locations:

Lac Saint-Jean, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Gross USA:

$8,211,952

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alliance Communications Corporation, Samson Productions Pty. Ltd., Téléfilm Canada

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The closing credits declare that the picture was "filmed on location in the Lac St Jean [Lac Saint-Jean] / Saguenay Region, Québec [in Canada] and Rouén [in Seine-Maritime], France".

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Goofs

The first line of the Montagnais leader can be heard repeated during his private conversation with Chomina.

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Quotes

Chomina: If we had kept our promise to Champlain, there would be no problem.
Ougebmat: Promise? For axes, pots, and flints? Not even one musket.
Chomina: But we accepted their gifts! We have come to need them. This is our undoing - and it will be our ending.
Mestigoit: They are not gifts. There are no gifts given by the French that aren't paid for.

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Connections

Referenced in Northern Exposure: Duets (1993)

User Reviews

Courage of a different sort

As a retired Christian minister, I have perhaps a different view of the movie than some of the other reviewers.

I felt that Laforgue,the Jesuit Priest, showed amazing courage to undertake his mission under the most difficult of circumstances.

Director Bruce Beresford has addressed the issues of clashing cultures in several of his other films: Driving Miss Daisy, Mr. Johnson for example. And he presents the complexities of culture anew in this film.

I was struck by the absolute beauty of Québec and the film's cinematography.

Back to Laforgue for a moment: here is a protagonist that accomplishes his mission with wisdom, intellegence, prayer, dependence upon his faith, lack of violence, and persverance.