BLACK ROBE
A film review by Ken Johnson
Copyright 1992 Ken Johnson
101 min., R, Drama, 1991 Director: Bruce Beresford Cast: Lothaire Bluteau, Aden Young, Sandrine Holt, August Schellenburg, Tantoo Cardinal, Frank Wilson, Lawrence Bayne
Lothaire Bluteau is a French Jesuit missionary. His job is to transport a group of Indians from Quebec, Canada to a mission in the Huron Indian area in the fall/winter time. On the trip he is supposed to convert the Indians to Christianity. Aden Young is a French man in his twenties who wishes to go along on the trip. As the perilous trip starts out the Indians think Bluteau is a demon out to take away their spirits. After the trip starts Young falls in love with a young Indian girl, Sandrine Holt.
BLACK ROBE is a must-see for anyone who wants a thought-provoking film. The film makes you think about religion and the culture of the people depicted in it. I enjoyed watching this film very much. On a zero to five scale, I give BLACK ROBE a four. BLACK ROBE is rated R for female nudity, graphic violence, and adult situations.
The story is well-written. It is about a group of Indians who are being taken away from their homes and moved to a location that they don't even know about. On the journey a man who they have never seen before tries to change them from believing that the dreams that they have always believed in are false and that only his God is true. The journey is a hard one for it is mostly in the winter and the Indians have little faith in the missionary.
BLACK ROBE was filmed in breathtaking locations in Canada and France. Along with the story, the locations picked for the filming were perfect. There are some wonderful displays of nature's wonders. The filming was done in the late fall and winter so the woods have snow fall making them all the more beautiful. And then there is the water with the reflections of the trees in it as the Indian canoes go by.
Aden Young's role is a hard one. If he survives the mission, Bluteau wants him to travel to France and to go through a mission so he can become a man of God. Young falls in love with Sandrine Holt, an Indian. Under the Christianity that Bluteau is teaching, Young can't fall in love with an Indian and have sex with her.
The Indians in the film speak in their native language to make the film more realistic. The dialogue is subtitled on the bottom of the screen so the audiences will understand what the Indians are speaking. The French speak in English, except when speaking to the Indians, when they speak in the Indian's native tongue.
So, a perfectly wonderful film. You must go out and see it in the theaters if it visits your area. If it has already gone through your area, or doesn't visit your area, you must check this film out on video because it is one not to miss. It is worth full ticket price.
Ken J.
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