The Canadian Experience (2004– ) User Reviews

Sisters In the Wilderness

[roedyg · 7/10 · 20 August 2006]

This episode in the series is a documentary about three literary sisters of the 1830s, one who stayed in England and hobnobbed with the upper crust, one who rejoiced in the hardship of life in the Bush in Canada, and one who documented the bleakness of pioneer life.

The documentary uses short historical recreations, but does not let them flow into a continuous narrative. It is almost like lingering over a photo album, allowing each picture to tell a short story before moving on to the next.

This approach keeps emotional distance from the characters, but it does give you a broad picture of the three lives. You come away with immense admiration for our pioneering ancestors and a renewed love for the beauty of Canada.

Severn Thompson plays Susanna Moody with a captivating cultivated English accent that is like a cool glass of water on a scorching day.

The Liberation of Holland

[raymond-andre · 9/10 · 19 April 2012]

Part of the "Canadian Experience" television series. "The Liberation of Holland" was directed by Alan Mendelsohn and produced and co-written by wayne Chong.

This is the best documentary on the battle of the Scheldt estuary and the suffering of the Dutch people under German occupation that I have seen so far.

One historian interviewee searches for a word to describe the day to day courage of the Canadian troops slogging through the mud under fire for months on end. He finally settles on "endurance", but the word that came to my mind was "fortitude".

This was happening during the disastrous operation "Market Garden" and then while American troops were bogged down in the Hurtgen and Ardennes forests.

To this day Holland and Canada have a special bond due to the sacrifice of these Canadian soldiers. A truly superb documentary.