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:

The ferocity of the torture scenes prompted accusations of racism from Native Americans. However, Brian Moore, who had done extensive research on the subject, had actually toned down the documented violence for both his book and his screenplay.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mestigoit the Sorcerer meets Laforgue, Laforgue is reading the Breviary (daily prayer of a priest). The page is clearly at DOMINICA V POST PASCHA, the fifth Sunday of Easter which falls between 3rd May and 6th June. Yet the action is supposed to be taking place in the autumn-winter of 1634.

Quotes:

Frenchman 1: Look at him, dressed like a savage chieftain. We're not colonizing the Indians; they're colonizing us.
Frenchman 2: Not me they're not. I'm not becoming one of those wild woodsmen. In one more year, I'm going back to France.
Father Laforgue: Are you? Are any of us? If the winter doesn't kill us, the Indians might. If they don't, it could be the English. So keep your faith, and may death find you with God in mind.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Breach (2007)

One of the Finest Portrayals of American Indians in the Movies

This film is brilliant, because it defies conventional stereotypes of European settlers and American Indians. This movie strives and succeeds in its portrayal of Indians and whites as human beings, rather than as villains or saints. Those who feel this movie would show the Indians as noble savages will be gravelly disappointed. The Indians in "Black Robe" can be cruel, and have sexual mores that would disgust the more prudish viewers. The affect of the Jesuit missionaries among the Indians of Quebec is not romanticized or glossed over, nor are the Jesuits shown as evil white devils. All humans in this movie have their flaws and weaknesses and all act "morally" according to their own cultures' expectations. Beresford has crafted a marvelous film that ought to be required viewing in college history courses across the country.

The cinematography is beautiful, whether we are watching the gilded altars of the cathedrals of Renaissance France, the iridescent glow of a fire at an Indian village, the cramped quarters of an Indian longhouse, or the awesome and heavenly magnificence of the Canadian woodlands and what appears to be the St. Lawrance River. This movie does feature explicit sexual acts and gruesome violence, so I would not recommend this movie at all for very young children. I think most teenagers can handle this film. I suppose this film is very hard to find at your local video rental store, but do yourselves a favor and find it. Your efforts will be amply rewarded.