John A.: Birth of a Country (2011 film)

John A.: Birth of a Country is a 2011 Canadian historical television film. It dramatizes events leading up to Canadian Confederation and the personal lives of John A. Macdonald and George Brown.
== Cast ==
* Shawn Doyle as John A. Macdonald
* Peter Outerbridge as George Brown
* David La Haye as George-Étienne Cartier
* Aidan Devine as Sandfield Macdonald
* Michelle Nolden as Anne Nelson Brown
* Peter MacNeill as Allan MacNab
* Cedric Smith as Governor General Edmund Head
* Rob Stewart as William McDougall
* Ted Atherton as Governor General Charles Monck
* Patrick McKenna as Alexander Galt
* Steve Cumyn as Spence
== Production ==
=== Pre-production ===
Ciccoritti, who had previously directed "Trudeau", was chosen to direct the film, then titled "The Rivals". The script was written by Bruce Smith, who had previously written "Prairie Giant". Ciccoritti had previously directed Outerbridge in ReGenesis.Ciccoritti on board Rivals - Marise Strauss - 13 April 2010 - Playback - Retrieved 15 November 2020
== Reception ==
=== Initial reception ===
Andrew Coyne called it "the finest historical drama to appear on the CBC since The National Dream".The brilliant John A. biopic - Andrew Coyne - 26 September 2011 - Maclean's - Retrieved 16 November 2020
The film went on to earn four Canadian Screen Awards for directing and writing, and for Doyle and Outerbridge's perfomances.CBC's Rick Mercer Report snags 3 Canadian Screen Awards - 28 February 2013 - CBC News - Retrieved 16 November 2020
=== Legacy ===
In a 2019 interview, Doyle spoke about his role in the film, stating "I have very mixed feelings about it. I think it’s actually a very good film. I’m very proud of the work that we did, and I’m proud of the work I did," but that "we lionize him a little bit in a way that I regret based on what I’ve since learned about his behaviour towards First Nations people."SHAWN DOYLE SPEAKS OF UNSPEAKABLE AND SOME REGRETS PLAYING CANADA’S FIRST PRIME MINISTER - Greg David - 15 January 2019 - TV, eh? - Retrieved 15 November 2020
== Notes ==
* Steve Cumyn later portrayed Macdonald twice in the Heritage Minutes series.
== Links ==
* John A.: Birth of a Country on Wikipedia
* John A.: Birth of a Country on IMDB
== References ==
Category:Fiction
Category:Real films
Category:Real historical films
Category:Real Canadian historical films
Category:Real Canadian films
Category:Real films released in 2011