Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion 

A true story about the tragic explosion at Halifax Harbour, Canada, in the early hours of December 6, 1917.

Stars:

Clare Stone, Max Morrow, Paul Doucet

8 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Clare Stone	...	Constance 'Connie' Collins 2 episodes, 2003
Max Morrow	...	Courtney 'Court' Collins 2 episodes, 2003
Paul Doucet	...	Captain Le Medec 2 episodes, 2003
Lynne Griffin	...	Millicent Collins 2 episodes, 2003
Richard Donat	...	Patrick Collins 2 episodes, 2003
Gordon Michael Woolvett	...	Sergeant Sam Barlow 2 episodes, 2003
Brian Downey	...	Capt. Horatio Brannen 2 episodes, 2003
John Dunsworth	...	Naval Officer McNabb 2 episodes, 2003
Leon Pownall	...	Commander Frederick Wyatt 2 episodes, 2003
Graham Harley	...	Mr. Cleese 2 episodes, 2003
Jeremy Akerman	...	Rev. George Adams 2 episodes, 2003
Adrien Dixon	...	Walter Brannen 2 episodes, 2003
Morrissey Dun	...	Dr. Sherman 2 episodes, 2003
Jackie Torrens	...	Isabel 'Izzy' 2 episodes, 2003
Christopher Shore	...	Gunter 2 episodes, 2003
Alec McClure	...	Jamie Larkin 2 episodes, 2003
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Charles Burchell 2 episodes, 2003
Lee J. Campbell	...	Mayor Colwell 2 episodes, 2003
Joan Orenstein	...	Older Constance 'Connie' Collins 2 episodes, 2003
Graham Greene	...	Elijah Cobb 2 episodes, 2003
Dennis Envoldsen	...	Vince Coleman 2 episodes, 2003
Nigel Bennett	...	Captain From 2 episodes, 2003
Glenn Lefchak	...	Reporter 2 episodes, 2003
Bill Forbes	...	First Mate Mont Blanc 2 episodes, 2003
Bradley Bailey	...	Ned the paperboy 2 episodes, 2003
David McClelland	...	Shipping Manager 2 episodes, 2003
John Walf	...	British Naval Officer 2 episodes, 2003
Brian Heighton	...	Canadian Surgeon 2 episodes, 2003
Mary-Colin Chisholm	...	Mrs. Mackay 2 episodes, 2003
Andrew MacVicar	...	RCMP #1 2 episodes, 2003
John Fulton	...	Councillor #1 2 episodes, 2003
Mitchell Landzaat	...	Mont Blanc Helmsman 2 episodes, 2003
Stephen Coats	...	Jury Foreman 2 episodes, 2003
Geoff McLean	...	Imo Pilot 2 episodes, 2003
Stan Carew	...	Imo Helmsman 2 episodes, 2003
Patrick Christopher	...	Le Medec's Defense Lawyer 2 episodes, 2003
Mark Graham	...	Wyatt's Defense Lawyer 2 episodes, 2003
Mary Ellen MacLean	...	Teacher 2 episodes, 2003
Jacqueline Donovan	...	Young Mother at Dartmouth Cabin 2 episodes, 2003
Linda Busby	...	Mrs. McGill (Laundry Lady) 2 episodes, 2003
Angus Duncan	...	Representative #1 2 episodes, 2003
Kevin Deagle	...	Representative #2 2 episodes, 2003
Hillary Ashley	...	Frozen Girl 2 episodes, 2003
Kiersten Tough	...	Nurse (Face Slap) 2 episodes, 2003
Geoff McBride	...	Doctor #3 (Chebucto) 2 episodes, 2003
John Dartt	...	Crowd Member #1 2 episodes, 2003
Darcy Lindzon	...	Sergent (Dreamscape) 2 episodes, 2003
Gavin Buhr	...	Big Convict 2 episodes, 2003
Sarah Jane Blenkhorn	...	Nurse #1 (Chebucto) 2 episodes, 2003
Gordon Trites	...	Soldier Sent to North Station 2 episodes, 2003
Jeremy Webb	...	Mont Blanc Crewman #1 2 episodes, 2003
Jean Morpurgo	...	Crowd Member #2 2 episodes, 2003
Andrew Fowler	...	Sergeant on Horseback 2 episodes, 2003
Brianna MacDonald	...	Senior Student 2 episodes, 2003
John Davie	...	Coleman's Friend 2 episodes, 2003
Gary Levert	...	Launch Captain 2 episodes, 2003
Glen Grant	...	Stevedore 2 episodes, 2003
Chris Turner	...	German Spy #1 2 episodes, 2003
Brian Jamieson	...	Peddler 2 episodes, 2003
Susan Leblanc-Crawford	...	Head Nurse 2 episodes, 2003
David Alexander Miller	...	Wounded Soldier (Hospital Ship) 2 episodes, 2003
Shawn Duggan	...	Corporal (Looter Shooter) 2 episodes, 2003
Kevin Nugent	...	Man (Go to the Hill) 2 episodes, 2003
Adam Pennington	...	Soldier with Sam's Rescue Party 2 episodes, 2003
Jeri-Matti Helppi	...	Doctor #2 (Chebucto) 2 episodes, 2003
Bridget Bezanson	...	Nurse at Train 2 episodes, 2003
David Christoffel	...	Police Officer - Wyatt Arrest 2 episodes, 2003
Laura Muise	...	Girl (Mortuary) 2 episodes, 2003
Andy Smith	...	Sergeant (Cigarette Out) 2 episodes, 2003
Joseph McKibbon	...	Collin's Clerk 2 episodes, 2003
Jim Fowler	...	Soldier at Wellington Magazine 2 episodes, 2003
Miles Leahy	...	Chicken Farmer 2 episodes, 2003
Joscelynne Bordeaux	...	Woman Amputee 2 episodes, 2003
Paul Jessen	...	German Spy #2 2 episodes, 2003
Murray Vincent Countway	...	Mr. Thomas 2 episodes, 2003
David J. Francis	...	Mr. Hinch 2 episodes, 2003
Matt Grant	...	Mr. Keeler 2 episodes, 2003
Gil Anderson	...	Woman Dug Out By Sam 2 episodes, 2003
Richard Collins	...	Mont Blanc Engineer 2 episodes, 2003
Miles Meili	...	Sailor #1 Calling All Clear 2 episodes, 2003
George Green	...	Police Officer at Courthouse 2 episodes, 2003
Daniel Lillford	...	Man #1 at Rally 2 episodes, 2003
Lucy Decoutere	...	Woman #1 at Rally 2 episodes, 2003
Zachary Bennett	...	Ernest 'Ernst' Masterson 2 episodes, 2003
Ted Dykstra	...	Francis Mackey 2 episodes, 2003
Tamara Hope	...	Beatrix Collins 2 episodes, 2003
Shauna MacDonald	...	Dr. Barbara Paxton 2 episodes, 2003
Vincent Walsh	...	Captain Charlie Collins 2 episodes, 2003

Storyline

Shattered City, an epic two-part mini-series, dramatizes a compelling piece of Canadian history. It is the story of how a tragic incident at the height of the First World War became a living metaphor for the worldwide conflict, and how Halifax arose from the ashes after severe destruction and devastation. In the early hours of December 6, 1917, the Mont Blanc, a French-owned freighter loaded to the gunnel's with thousands of tons of TNT, collided with a Belgian relief ship and exploded in the Halifax Harbour. The explosion was so vast that it killed more than 2,000 people, injured 9,000 more and completely flattened two square kilometers of northern Halifax. The series settles mostly on one family, the Collins, who's eldest son Charlie, a captain in the Royal Canadian Army, who tries to find the rest of his family including his fatally injured father, as well as his mother, and other siblings among the rubble, and later finds himself as a lawyer defending the Mont Blanc's captain, Le ...

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Plot Keywords:

detonation | catastrophe | year 1917 | disaster | natural disaster | 

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

CBC [Canada]

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

2003 (Canada)

Also Known As:

A Explosão de Halifax

Filming Locations:

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Power, Powercorp

Technical Specs

Runtime:

175 min 240 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The blast took 1/50th of a second to destroy the area damaged

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Goofs

When the French captain and his crew are arrested, the Mountie determines that the captain is lying about being from Montreal by asking him who won last week's hockey game between Montreal and Toronto. When the captain guesses "Montreal", the Mountie draws his gun and says it was actually Detroit. This dialogue seems to be referring to the National Hockey League, which was formed the same year of the Halifax Explosion. Toronto and Montreal would have had NHL teams at that time, but Detroit didn't enter the league until 1926. (Although Detroit is known as an "Original Six" team, this actually refers to the six teams that comprised the NHL for several decades; the NHL was originally an all-Canadian league for back in 1917, there were no American hockey teams with the league.)

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Crazy Credits

This film is dedicated to the spirit and the memory of Constance "Connie" Bond Young August 9, 1911 - February 22, 2003

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Connections

Followed by City of Ruins: The Halifax Explosion (2003)

User Reviews

Not as big a hit as the original

CBC is doing what it is supposed to do and it's hard to fault them for that. This story of the Halifax Explosion of 1917 is good but it could be much better. It's also plagued by small errors. (A CNR logo in 1917? WW2 style posters in WW1. A 1930's folding camera with a flash? I don't think so. I spotted these in the first episode. I'm sure there were others.) The characters in the stories woven through the tragedy are both predictable and one dimensional. However the drama leading up to the explosion is well executed and the recreation of Halifax harbour full of old ships is effective. It's good but falls far short of being great.