Black Robe

Plot synopsis:
The film is set in Quebec, New France, 1634. Captain Champlain(Jean Brousseau) approves a proposal by the Jesuits to travel up the St. Lawrence River and restablish contact with a Jesuit mission in the Huron nation. A young Jesuit is chosen to lead the expedition, Father Laforgue(Lothaire Bluteau). Daniel(Aden Young), a young Frenchman working in the outpost is also chosen after he expresses an interest in returning to France and entering the priesthood. Champlain uses pots, knives, hammers and beads to barter for the services of Chomina(August Schellenberg), an Algonquin, to take the men to the Huron mission. Chomina brings his wife(Tantoo Cardinal), young son, and daughter, Annuka(Sandrine Holt), as well as several other men and their families. The group departs and heads up river, but turmoil soon engulfs the expedition. Several of the men fear Laforgue and believe he might be a demon, they employ a sorcerer, who verifies their fears. The group contemplate killing Laforgue, but settle on abandoning him. Daniel, who has grown to love Annuka during the journey, also abandons Laforgue. Laforgue resigns himself to die in the wilderness if it is Gods will. Chomina has a change of heart and returns with his family and Daniel to continue the journey with Laforgue. However, Iroquois discover them and kill Chominas wife before capturing the others. They brutally torture the group, killing Chominas son out-of-hand. Annuka sacrifices her dignity to free the group. They head upriver, but Chomina is now dying, due to wounds received in the encounter with the Iroqouis. Chomina wants to die peacefully, but Laforgue begs him to convert. He sends them on their way, still unbaptised. Annuka and Daniel take Laforgue still further, before leaving him within walking distance of the Huron settlement. When Laforgue enters the settlement, he finds the Hurons are decimated by scarlet fever. One of the missionaries has been killed and the other is dying. The Hurons debate on whether or not to kill Laforgue, some believe the fever is a curse, others that baptisim will cure the sickness. Finally, Laforgue baptizes the entire settlement. An epilogue describes the almost immediate collapse of the Huron nation and its defeat at the hands of the Iroqouis.

Tags: violence, historical, murder, flashback

Review:
This exquisitely photographed film portrays the cultural clash between Europeans (in this case the Europeans happen to be French) and various native tribes in seventeenth century North America without romanticizing either French culture or that of the native peoples.Perhaps the most striking feature of this film from my perspective was utter arrogance of the Europeans to come into a wild country presuming the superiority of their way of life over that of the indigenous peoples.
The good Father soldiers on despite the evidence that his presence in the vast wilderness of North America won't make a whit of difference in his life or in the lives of the people he has vowed to introduce into "paradise." The Algonquin guides worry about their attachment to the "demon" LaForgue and wonder whether they shouldn't just kill him.
Even LaForgue's young assistant, Daniel, wonders how the presence of a French missionary makes the the native people's lives any better.
Finally, he journeys to the Hurons and a village beset by smallpox, where baptism has been sold to the natives as a miracle cure as much as it has a key to salvation.By avoiding the tendency of films depicting Native American life to romanticize, Bruce Beresford has captured more profoundly the daily harsh realities of life for the peoples inhabiting the northeastern portion of North America at the arrivals of the first trickling of Europeans.
Black Robe has the same kind of beautiful and haunting images Malick's films possess but the director in this case is Bruce Bereford, the man who directed Driving Miss Daisy a couple of years before doing this film.
As great as it is visually, this is a powerful story of a well-intentioned Jesuit priest in the early 17th century who travels to "New France" (upstate New York/French Canadian territory) attempting to convert a few area tribes to Christianity.
The story transforms from a quiet Malick-type "New World" poetic piece to a violent, suspenseful film and the question is, will the "good guys" make it out alive?The actors in here, perhaps, are not names most people outside Canada are familiar with, including me, but Lothaire Blueteau as Father Laforgue, Aden Young as his assistant "Daniel" and Sandrine Holt as Daniel's Algonguin lover "Anuuka" are all very, very good.
Most films have unreal people with unrealistic dialog....but not in this movie.Another big plus was the soundtrack: a lush, haunting score throughout.Without spoiling the ending, or adding political/theological agendas my own, let me just add that if you enjoy a beautiful-looking movie which also has a thoughtful, haunting story with honest characters, you should check this out.
Viewers with less patience for visual storytelling, or who don't like having to pay attention to details, will probably find it slow-going.Be forewarned: _Black Robe_ is a brutal film, by modern western standards.
No "simple savages", after all: The Iroquois did not come to control much of the northeast through stupidity.While widely excoriated by some native american advocates for its depiction of Mohawk and Huron brutality, the film actually soft-pedals the reality (as noted by other reviewers).
The story is about a jesuite priest who wants to bring catholic faith to the Indians of the french colony Nouvelle-France (New France, the future Quebec of Canada) in the seventeen century.
The priest in the story is a composite of actual missionaries, and the impact of this historical adventure thriller is heightened for me knowing that everything in this film happened, and often a whole lot worse.The rights and wrongs, the pros and cons, of the cultural collision of Europeans with the autochthonous peoples are still too contentious, so I would rather not get into them.
If you're American or Canadian, this is an important part of our shared past."Black Robe" is one of the very best Canadian feature films, with a solid cast led by Lothaire Bluteau with August Schellenberg and Tantoo Cardinal in support.
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.
It is rare that a film makes you feel that you are actually witnessing history (rather than the "Hollywood Version"), but "Black Robe" accomplishes that and more.
What I love about this film (that I have watched over a dozen times and will watch many more times) is that it doesn't take a point-of-view regarding the European colonization of the New World and the native American culture.
I think that future generations will find a lot to enjoy here--beyond the beautiful scenery, the accurate historical information and the love of the natural world that appears throughout this truly amazing film....
Unlike the morbid European art films of the 60s that showed the meaningless of life by inventing meaningless lives, "Black Robe" shows people immersed in rich lives -- hard, beautiful, complex, compelling.
As a retired Christian minister, I have perhaps a different view of the movie than some of the other reviewers.I felt that Laforgue,the Jesuit Priest, showed amazing courage to undertake his mission under the most difficult of circumstances.
The genius of this movie is that it makes it easy for us to view the story from both the Native American and the French Jesuit point of view.
This film is often compared with Dances With Wolves, which is certainly understandable, but personally I feel that Black Robe is the better film, both in terms of art and fidelity to historical fact.
This is evident from the film but is not overemphasized, as we see the obvious conflicts between the French and their nominal Indian allies.Black Robe's take on religion during this time period is smart, and illustrates some of the similarities between native and European beliefs while demonstrating the latter's contempt for native religion (the main character--"Black Robe," a term many Algonquians used both in the movie and in historical fact to describe the French Jesuit priests--is the primary example here).
This does not diminish our sympathy for them and the difficulties they face as a result of the arrival of Europeans--as it should not--and instead actually shows the great extent to which Native Americans in early colonial history had power and affected the course of events.I write this review mainly as a student of history, but in terms of the art of cinema I think Black Robe is also excellent.
This film has no big stars or Hollywood-style love story (such as the one that made Last of the Mohicans essentially unbearable to watch) but it does a great job presenting the complex dynamic between Native Americans and Europeans during the colonial period.
Serious students of history (including teachers looking to show a film about Native-European relations) will find much to appreciate in Black Robe, and I think anyone who likes an interesting film even if it does not have famous actors in it will as well..
Unlike other films that have an agenda either to glorify or attack Catholicism (i.e. colonial expansion) or to praise or defame Indian life (enlightened shamans vs dumb savages), Black Robe shows its characters in moments of incredible faith, insight and personal triumph along with all their mistakes and failings.
But this one shows two very different cultures in early contact with each other -- and for the most part manages to show us each culture, Great Lakes Algonquin and Huron on the one hand, and French/European Canadian missionary colonizers on the other, from EACH OTHER's point of view.It is the most successful example of that I have ever seen.And it does all this within a serviceable plot.
It does not look like an easy life, and I imagine far fewer people would leave this movie thinking they would have wanted to be Indians, or live among them, than feel that way after films such as Dances with Wolves.
Released in 1991 and based on Brian Moore's researched novel, "Black Robe" relays the story of a young Jesuit priest in 1634 visiting the French settlement that later became Quebec City.
Viewing "Black Robe" is the next best thing to going back in time and viewing the events firsthand.Other highlights include: Lothaire Bluteau's solid performance as the missionary priest; LaForgue's assistant, well played by Aden Young, and his developing love for the daughter of the Algonquin leader, played by the beautiful Sandrine Holt; the Algonquins themselves, particular the patriarch; the freaky midget shaman of a band of Montagnais natives; the harrowing events at an Iroquois fort; the subtext on the truth or falsity of spiritual beliefs, both of the Jesuits and the Indians; and the spectacular cinematography of the Quebec wilderness (mostly the Saint Lawrence River, filmed on location).
As great and generally believable as those other films are, "Black Robe" shows the harsher, bleaker reality, which some may translate as boring.However, as raw and realistic as "Black Robe" is, it could've been more so, considering that it fails to show one disturbing reality of Eastern AmerIndian culture, as detailed in Moore's book (pointed out by another reviewer): The film avoids depicting the native practice of ritual cannibalism on a dead infant, a custom that was common among the tribes of the Eastern woodlands.
In the end I felt like the young Frenchman- I could see both cultures for what they were - not good and not bad but coping with the situation at hand.The importance of religion (both Christain and Indian) in everyday life is very well depicted.
It was interesting to me how many of my colleagues had seen "Black Robe" and agreed that it was a beautiful and fairly accurate depiction of history and cultural frictions that persist to this day.
The title credits are clearly inspired by those in Black Robe, and other aspects are familiar as well.Set in 17th century Quebec, the film follows a young Jesuit priest, Father Lafourgue (Bluteau), referred to as Black Robe by the natives.
On screen the wild beauty of unsettled North America is breath taking.Father Laforgue (Lothaire Bluteau) is a French Jesuit dispatched to New France (Canada; Northern NY) to bring the gospel to North Americans.Why?
I just have to say that religion isn't exactly my cup of tea, so the main subjects of the movie just didn't really appeal to me, though the movie still worked out as something interesting enough for me.Thing that makes this movie interesting is its cultural clash, between the and the Jesuit priests and the Canadian Indians.
If Bruce Beresford's 'Driving Miss Daisy' suffered from a softened, Hollywooden view of history and racial conflicts, the bleak, beautiful sometimes horrific, always uncompromising 'Black Robe' is its correlative opposite.Set in the 17th century, both the Native Canadian people, and the French Jesuits who come to bring then religion (when they already have their own, thank you very much) are presented as deeply flawed, cold and cruel at times, blind to the complexities of each other's humanity.Yet both are also touched by moments of kindness and understanding that lead to the sense that this story of one Jesuit's torturous trip with a band of native guides is not without it's growth for all involved.Most critics were mixed on this, and I understand their objections, though I don't share them.
The film is distant emotionally, and we never really get inside any of the characters, even the titular priest, called 'Black Robe' by the native people.
A Stunning Movie With A Fair Portrayal Of Both Native And Jesuit Culture In 17th Century New France.
"Black Robe" is a beautifully filmed, sensitive and in the end emotionally moving film depicting the work of French Jesuit missionaries in New France in the 17th century and their interactions with the natives (particularly the Hurons) of the region.
I thought the story did a great job of balancing all of these different perspectives.Also a highlight here was a superb performance by Lothaire Bluteau as Father Laforge - the Jesuit priest whose missionary journey we follow after he's dispatched from Quebec by Champlain and heads for the inland Huron mission.
"Black Robe" (1998): Set in 1634, the Jesuits decide to send out one of their new Priests to help spread the word of Jesus to the "barbarian natives" in Canada.
Sometimes they can be distracting (for example, you lose the illusion that a movie should create and instead you get the feeling that there are production people behind the camera) but still, the story and some of the characters depictions are so strong that you are still left with a haunting and depressing feeling long after the end credits.The best side of this movie is that it shows the life in those times to be as brutal and unappealing as it probably really was.
Based on a novel by Brian Moore Black Robe was a Canadian-Australian period drama made at a time when there was a mini boom of about Native Americans (i.e. Dances with Wolves, The Last of the Mohicans and Pocahontas.) This film set in 17th century Quebec sees two missionaries go to a remote village where they have to battle harsh winter conditions, hostile natives and their own doubts.Black Robe was a well received when it was first released but it has become more of a forgotten gem.
As a direct descendant of Zacharie Cloutier, one of the first settlers and a carpenter who immigrated to New France in 1634 to help build the settlement at Quebec (as portrayed in "Black Robe") and Abenaki people from the settlement of Odanak (Ste.Francois) every time I watch this movie I am watching a family history to a point.
LaForgue (Lothaire Bluteau) is a Jesuit which the natives call Black Robe.
Simple things like a clock and writing seems to be magic for the natives and they suspect Black Robe is a demon.There is great realism in this movie.
the heart of this relation - the profound solitude who defines the Jesuit priest who believes in his mission in few moments more than in God and the natives Canadians for who the danger against their life style is ambiguous.
Therefore, they view father Laforgue with suspicion, even hatred after a while believing that he is a demon (especially after he demonstrates to them the reading of a book, a fact that unsettles them) and they start to wonder if it is worthwhile to risk too much for a person who promises them a paradise in an afterlife after death.'Black Robe' is a very interesting film but I think it is not for everyone.
I recommend this film to all who are interested in North American history or just want to watch a good movie.
this film also showed how both sides thought the other was stupid, the Native's believed the Jesuits God was the clock and didn't understand the whole concept or for instance when the Black robe was lost and the Native's were directing him- they didn't understand how or why these foreign people didn't know anything about working with the land.
In addition to being a great story about a little-depicted part of North America's history, Black Robe portrays with stark effect the wide gap in the way that white Europeans thought and acted compared to the way that native Americans thought and acted in the 17th Century..
This film is the best attempt I have seen to make a true-to-life, culturally unbiased depiction of an early encounter between the white man and American Indian, in Eastern North America.
And, yes, the photography and the aboriginal landscapes are breathtakingly beautiful.Movie depiction of Eastern Indians, and of this era in North American history, are so rare, that I have to give it extra credit for illuminating a culturally formative time..
I have watched a lot of movies in my day and have never been so appalled and disappointed with a film as I was with Black Robe.
I cannot understand how this movie can be compared to film greats such as Dances with Wolves and The Last of the Mohicans.
This movie tells the story of father Laforgue(Lothaire Bluteau), a jesuit priest on a mission to convert indians into christians.
The two things that are most striking about this film are its unqualified realism and the beauty of its wilderness photography.The story takes place in the 17th century in what was to be Canada; it concerns a Jesuit priest (Father Laforgue) from an upper class family in France who comes to Quebec City and is tasked with traveling through the wilderness some 1,500 miles west to work at the Huron Mission there.
Warning: Possible SpoilersIn Black Robe, Australian director Bruce Beresford tells the story of the Jesuit missionary experience in New France (Canada) during the 17th century.
Preceding "Last of the Mohicans" but following "Dances with Wolves", Bruce Beresford's "Black Robe" seems to strike a neutral ground toward depicting Brian Moore's screenplay of a Jesuit on Mission bringing the Christian Faith to Huron Indians.
In this movie the principal characters: a Native chief, his wife and daughter, a French priest (the "Black Robe") and his companion, a young French man, are people caught up in a chain of events that highlight the similarities and differences, as well as the best and the worst features, of two cultural groups, one French and Catholic, the other Native American and non-Christian, as they take the first tentative steps in establishing contact.
This is a very powerful,moving Native American film that shows just how wrong the morally righteous Christians were in the 1800's when there was the first settelments on the rivers of North America And the US & how the white man came and became a burden onto the Indian by making trade with them which in forth makes it become necessary for the Indians to become dependent on their goods which is the beginning of the end for many of their tribes.