# Margaret's Museum

Margaret's Museum is a 1995 Canadian-British drama film directed by Mort Ransen and based on Sheldon Currie's novel The Glace Bay Miners' Museum. It stars Helena Bonham Carter, Clive Russell, and Kate Nelligan. The film won six Genie Awards, including acting awards for Bonham Carter and Nelligan.

## Plot

Set in the 1940s in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, the film tells the story of a young girl living in a coal mining town where the death of men from accidents in "the pit" (the mines) has become almost routine. Margaret MacNeil has already lost her father and an older brother and for her, life alone would be preferable to marrying a mine worker—that is until the charming Neil Currie shows up. Against the wishes of her hard-bitten mother they marry, but, before long, financial woes lead to his doing what every other uneducated young man does in the town: take a job underground. His death in the mine, along with her younger brother, drives Margaret to a mental breakdown and, in her surreal world, she decides to create a "special" museum to the memories of all those who have died as a result of the horrific mining conditions.

## Cast

* Helena Bonham Carter as Margaret MacNeil
* Clive Russell as Neil Currie
* Craig Olejnik as Jimmy MacNeil
* Kate Nelligan as Catherine MacNeil
* Kenneth Welsh as Angus MacNeil
* Andrea Morris as Marilyn

## Production notes

Part of Margaret's Museum was filmed in the UK. It carried significance in the local area of Newtongrange, Scotland as the screen debut of local TV celebrity David MacBeath, who appeared as an extra in the film.

## Critical reception

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 ½ stars out 4. He praised the cast and wrote Margaret's Museum "is one of those small, nearly perfect movies that you know, seeing it, is absolutely one of a kind."

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Ceremony | Recipient | Category | Result |
| 1995 | San Sebastián International Film Festival | | Best Film | Won |
| 1995 | Vancouver International Film Festival | | Most Popular Canadian Film | Won |
| 1998 | Fantasporto Awards | Helena Bonham Carter | Best Actress | Won |
| 1996 | Genie Awards | | Best Motion Picture | Nominated |
| 1996 | Genie Awards | Mort Ransen | Best Achievement in Direction | Nominated |
| 1996 | Genie Awards | Clive Russell | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated |
| 1996 | Genie Awards | Helena Bonham Carter | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role | Won |
| 1996 | Genie Awards | Kenneth Welsh | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | Won |
| 1996 | Genie Awards | Kate Nelligan | Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role | Won |
| 1996 | Genie Awards | Nicoletta Massone | Best Achievement in Costume Design | Won |
| 1996 | Genie Awards | William Fleming David McHenry | Best Achievement in Art Direction/Production Design | Nominated |
| 1996 | Genie Awards | Vic Sarin | Best Achievement in Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1996 | Genie Awards | Milan Kymlicka | Best Achievement in Music – Original Score | Won |
| 1996 | Genie Awards | Mort Ransen Gerald Wexler | Best Screenplay | Won |
In 2001, an industry poll conducted by Playback named Margaret's Museum the 14th best Canadian film of the preceding 15 years.