Customer Reviews

Black Robe

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is a very moving film about the clash of two radically different cultures. The young Jesuit priest, Father LaForgue, although very rigid in his belief system, sincerely wants to help the Native Americans by bringing them the Truth. But his message of paradise has no meaning for the Alogonquins, Hurons, and other tribes that he comes into contact with. They cannot understand why he has no woman. They fear him as a demon because he reads from books and makes strange signs (of the cross). He, in turn, believes they are living in darkness and must be saved. He is fearful of the vast forests where the devil reigns. There is a great deal of complexity in the character of Chomina, the Algonquin leader who fears the Black Robe but who feels honor bound to assist him. Father LaForgue is a tragic figure, so lonely and confused in the vast expanses of 'New France'. Why is he here, so far from his mother's comfortable drawing rooms? What does he hope to accomplish? The film is beautifully shot on location. A warning to the faint-hearted: there are some gruesome scenes in the film. Black Robe is a moving, balanced film with a profound spirituality.

An outstanding look at what happens when cultures collide. "Black Robe" tells the story of a 17th century French Jesuit missionary sent to the Canadian wilds to proselytize among the Huron Indians. Unfolding artfully and slowly, the film explores both the questionning of and committment to his faith encountered by the priest as he gets to know his Indian guides, their culture, and their spiritual beliefs. In the film, the priest's character is juxtaposed to his young apprentice who falls in love with the daughter of their Algonquin guide and comes to a deep understanding and appreciation of their culture. Far from romanticizing and idealizing it's Native American characters, however, "Black Robe" presents them fully as rich, varied, multi-faceted individuals capable of pettiness, wisdom, loyalty, kindness, atrocity, humor, close-mindedness, and love. Likewise, the priest retains his committment to Roman Catholicism and his confusion over Native American spiritual beliefs, while coming to a profound love and respect for the individuals and the tribes he has come to serve. It is a truly remarkable film, magnificently photographed, with rich, memorable characters. It speaks clearly about the conflicting values and world views held by these two cultures without denegrating or idealizing either one. There is violence and sexual situations -- similar to what you might expect in "Braveheart." A great film!

There are remarkably few historical movies which give you the feeling of actually being in another time and place. In almost all costume dramas, however accurate the costumes and sets may be, the characters think, speak and act like people of the present day. The issues are modern issues, and the movies are colored by modern political correctness, and by romanticized and simplified views of the past.

Black Robe is a movie that makes you feel "this is how things really were." It shows both Native Americans and European settlers honestly in all their humanity and complexity. But the issues are 17th century issues, not 21st century issues. The movie is not self-concious, or preachy, or pushing a particular agenda. It's just telling a good story, and telling it very well.

This is perhaps the best and most accurate portrayal of Native Americans in any movie ever. They are shown neither as noble, politically correct, ecologically sound, wise heroes, nor as racist caricatures. They are shown as real people, and as individuals with their own personal concerns and opinions. There is no glossing over harsh living conditions, violence, brutality, torture, and superstition. But honor, loyalty, love, and closeness to nature are just as vividly present - as are doubt, deception, self-interest, and cruelty.

The French are likewise shown in a real, accurate and believable way. The narrow-mindedness of the Jesuits and their perverse desire for martyrdom are shown along with their deep sincerity and courage. Colonial attitudes and the overwhelming role of religion in 17th century culture are there, but the characters are never caricatures. Neither European nor Native American religions are denigrated, but both are shown to have their flaws as well as their values.

The role of solemn ceremony in both cultures is vividly shown in some of the opening scenes - an aspect of life which has almost disappeared in today's world. There is a feeling of vast distances, and slow, hard travel into the unknown which is likewise missing in our modern world of fast transportation and globalization. We get a sense of the smallness of human beings compared to the vast forests, mountains, and rivers of 17th century North America.

Highly recommended.

"Black Robe" is based on a novel of the same title written by the late Brian Moore, who also wrote the film's screenplay. Moore's idea for the plot of his novel and most of the details he used within it came from the Jesuit Relations- a 17th century chronicle of the day to day events of the North American mission of the Society of Jesus. While the Relations' main purpose was to describe successful conversions, miracles, and battles fought against Satan, they are also one of the most important historical records of the lives and customs of many American Indian tribes.

The Jesuits presented a wonderful depiction of the people they were trying to convert. Some of the stories are very funny- one Algonquin hired by the Jesuits to be a translator was asked by his employers for the Algonquin words relating to spiritual and religious topics. The translator instructed them and the Jesuits rushed off to preach to the Algonquins. It was only upon being greeted by the peeling laughter of their would-be converts did the Jesuits realize that their translator had instead instructed them on Algonquin foul language.

However, the Relations also depict a very grim picture of life in the mid 17th century wilderness. Contrary to what another reviewer has written here- adoption was not guaranteed for anyone! Yes, mass adoption later become something the Iroquois practiced, but only after their numbers had been so badly dwindled in their wars of conquest in the 1650-1670's. Women, children, and the elderly could be hideously tortured to death as well as men. The movie, in fact, was edited to avoid showing the Indians practicing ritual cannibalism on that slain boy- a custom that was common among the tribes of Eastern woodlands. To devour an enemy's flesh was to devour his power. The heart of a particularly brave enemy (such as the Jesuit martyr St. Jean Brebeuf) would be eaten by chiefs.

Also in the 17th century, the gauntlet was not the only ordeal for a male prisoner captured alive. If captured a male prisoner would usually have his hands mutiliated in some way- finger joints cut off by either cutting (sometimes with sea shells as shown in the movie) or by biting. Why? A warrior without the use of his fingers was useless- could not pull a bowstring or grasp a knife.

One could say that the Jesuits were biased in their desire to portray the Indians as savages and thus justify their conversion. However, the Relations are reknowned for their candor and there are too many other sources that describe women and children captives being summarily executed for little or no reason. (The famed voyageur and explorer Pierre Esprit Radisson in his autobiography "Voyages" saw with his own eyes- children and women being tortured to death by the Mohawks.)

The Algonquin bands of hunter/gatherers, with whom the French Jesuits made first contact, lived a mean existence by any standard. Theirs was a society that was utterly "christian" in that they shared everything, but also one that could not tolerate those who fell sick or lame. These unfortunates would just be abandoned. Life was hard enough for those healthy and fit. Also, living in a birchbark tent with almost no ventilation for smoke, zero privacy, a bunch of dogs, and lots of unwashed bodies was probably a much, much nastier place than what was shown in the film. (The meanness of these living conditions must have have been very tough on many members of the Society of Jesus because a lot of them came from families of great wealth and privilege.)

"Black Robe," the novel and the film, were meant to be an antidote to the current romancization of the AmerIndians. In recent decades we've taken one myth about the AmerIndians, that of the blood thirsty savage, and replaced it with another, the new age Eagle scout with a bent for ecology. "Black Robe" attempts to hit a middle ground- showing these people as humans who lived in a culture that was governed by different values than our own. They are shown as intelligent and brave, but also as greedy and very cruel. That Europe was awash with blood at the same time is beside the point. Brian Moore was trying to show that North America was never a Garden of Eden- people here still treated people different from themselves very cruelly.

As mentioned above, Moore actually held back in the screenplay certain elements of Algonquin life that could be found in his novel. Their everyday language was peppered by words that we would call vulgar- but to them it them it was just talking. They allowed promiscuity among unmarried young men and women- a fact that was found very enticing by French laymen, but scandalized the priests.

I don't think this movie is some sort of "propaganda" to perpetuate negative stereotypes on AmerIndians. I do think it is an honest attempt to show that these people were human beings whose lives were governed by the harshness of their surroundings. For an Algonquin band of hunter/gatherers living along the St. Lawrence, life truly was a survival of the fittest. Brian Moore simply held up a picture of the cruelty and difficulty of this existence, if some neo-romanticists don't like what they see then so be it.

Black Robe is a lush, incredibly deep, strikingly emotive motion picture, that tells the story of a young Jesuit priest's journey across the dense wilderness of seventeenth-century Quebec, undertaken while he simultaneously experiences a transformative test of his commitment to the stark way of life he has chosen. Which holds the greatest desire for him, a beckoning existence of ease and comfort amid relatives back in France; the possibility of earthly love; or service to God, that almost certainly includes a violent martyrdom?

Guided by his nation's Algonquin allies, the determined, idealistic young man of a privileged caste seeks to take up his assignment at a mission on the edge of "New France's" colonial frontier. As this decidedly quiet and cerebral epic unfolds, a journey of spiritual evolution takes this priest and his small band through numerous personal tests and into the face of many dangers, not merely from the unwelcoming savagery of the landscape itself, but from hostile aboriginals who welcome neither the Algonquians nor the European intruder into their homeland. What begins amid the opulence of Bourbon France becomes bluntly visceral with unsparing depictions of torture, bloodlust, rape, and death, and yet the way in which this tale is left to carry itself toward its most unforeseen climax is absolutely courageous.

There are too many noteworthy performances to list here, and any written description of the scenery within this film would fall flat. With its countless tiny moments that contrast cultures (Algonquians thinking the Frenchmen's' mechanical clock was somehow their king, since they lived by its motions) for the alternating bravery, sadism, devotions and loyalty of those characters within it, for its terrific story, and for its end to end flawless quality, I truly think Black Robe is among the greatest films shot in the 1990's, and might just be at the top of its particular genre.

After watching and rewatching "Black Robe," I could not believe this film was more favorably received. Critics seem to have liked it. I never saw it released in Chicago or San Diego. How could such a masterpiece be buried? Bruce Beresford is an excellent director. Oddly enough "Driving Miss Daisy," the film most have seen and won a few Academy Awards pales in comparission to his previous films like "Breaker Morant," possibly the best courtroom drama ever made. Then Beresford brings out "Black Robe," a movie that takes a totally fresh vison of the American Indian. The acting is flawless. The French and the Indians, thrown togther, literally perceive different worlds and religions. The late Brian Moore, the author of the novel, wrote the screenplay, and he spares us very little of the harsh world view, the harrowing survival in the wilderness, the myth of the "Noble Savage," the realization of just how hard it was to make a colony foothold in the New World. You get the feeling, after watching this film, that there was no foothold, that the wilderness wins, and no religion or superstition can prevail under such conditions. Man, whether French colonist or Indian, when confronted with such hardships, rarely conquers the land. And what a glorious picture of Native Americans. Never has a movie given such a vivid, balanced picture of Indian life and attitudes. It is all about ambiguity. Good Redman? Bad Redman? We see examples of kindness and brutality on both sides. Few films can create and transport one into an entire new world and this is what Beresford has accomplished. In the wake of the so-called "realistic" portrayal of the Native Americans in "Dances With Wolves," "Black Robe" jumps light years ahead. "Black Robe" leaves most movie Indian portraits in its wake. How Beresford did this is a mystery. He avoids almost all cliches from previous movies and we see, brilliantly, his vision, a stark, brutal vision of what it was like to be alive in the 17th century wilderness. And what a beautiful wilderness, and as the winter sets in, one can feel the chill in the bones. The tent scenes are incredible, mixing humor, sex, and bewilderment on the part of the priest, who at first thinks he is in complete control and will save these "savages." In the end of this great movie, the young priest seems to have been converted partly to the superstitions that he previously condemned. His fearfully walks in the snow and ice, showing the landscape in a different light. Is nature really cruel? Or is it just man's perceptions? Is this where faith comes in, to face such hardships? That Berseford can squeeze questions such as these into an unflinching adventure flim is a triumph of a master film maker. Many moviegoers want to escape to an ideal world, with happy endings. "Black Robe," although not ending happily, presents us with a greater truth, a truth that will make us stronger for experiencing the vision unfolding before us. "Black Robe is one of the greatest historical dramas ever filmed.

When I first saw this movie at the theatres more than 10 years ago, it made a profound impact on me. As I now have it my DVD library, I can watch this movie over and over again. Portraying a Jesuit priest's 1500 mile journey through the Canadian wilderness in the early 1600's, it is a story of God and demons, human relations, and our view of other cultures. It gives a wonderful insight into the minds of the Jesuits, how Europe came to conquer the "savages" and "save them" from their false believes. The filming is wonderful, the landscape and scenery stunning, and the performances very good. The movie does not wear silk gloves - the harsh reality of the wilderness is showed in its true and brutal form. Here, only the strong survive, and you cannot be sure that God will save you. One of the best movies of the 90's, and a great preference over Dances with wolves.

Few movies of recent memory arrived with such little fanfare but had such enormous impact on the viewer as did Black Robe. As powerful a tribute to good film making as Dances With Wolves or Last of the Mohicans [1992], this film transports you back to the North American wilderness of the seventeenth century, and gives the viewer a dose of realism that will live in your consciousness for days on end. Epic in it's scope and historically accurate in it's story, this movie captures on film what few others have accomplished for this period of history. If your idea of good cinema is an opportunity to be educated as well as to be entertained, and to relive a time in history long since past, then DO NOT miss this fine film! It is a must see movie for all history buffs... Excellent!

I first saw this film, coincidentally, shortly after having read Francis Parkman's "Pioneers of France in the New World" and "The Jesuits in North America in the Seventeenth Century", the classic histories of that period. I was impressed throughout the movie by the care its makers took to portray things as they really were. There is no agenda of any sort other than to present an accurate, fascinating, and truly artistic version of historical events.

This visually stunning and ultimately heartbreaking film by Bruce Beresford became something of a rental cult classic after it disappeared from theaters. Based on Brian Moore's fine novel of the same name (which I also read), the film's central character is young Father Laforgue, an idealistic French Jesuit priest who is determined to bring the light of salvation to the savages, i.e., the Algonquin, Mohawk, and Huron nations who inhabit "New France" in the Canadian frontier in the mid-17th century. The title of the film refers to the name the Indians have given to the French priests because of their long black habits.

Fr. Laforgue is given a mission at the start of the film: to travel 1,500 miles north by river to the Jesuit mission in Huron territory, to assist the aging priest who can no longer function on his own there. Fr. Laforgue's long journey by canoe, guided by a band of Algonquin who have agreed to take him to Huron country for a heap of trade goods, is doubly perilous as it begins just as winter is setting in. The journey north comprises most of the film, and for all concerned becomes one of evolution of the mind and soul as well as bodily hardship, as Fr. Laforgue and his Algonquin companions get to know each other and begin to question the assumptions that each has made of the other's culture.

The cinematography is breathtaking, and as the film was shot on location in Canada during mid-winter, the actors involved have referred to this shoot as one of the most painful and difficult in their experience. The cast is wonderful, with special mention to Lothaire Bluteau as Fr. Laforgue and August Schellenberg as Chomina, the Algonquin chief. Composer Georges Delrue produced a beautiful score for the film, which enhances but never intrudes upon it (Delrue also did the striking score for "Anne of a Thousand Days"). The rest of the cast is also exceptional, with Aden Young giving a nicely restrained performance of the young Frenchman who accompanies Fr. Laforgue, but during the journey slowly goes "native under the skin", as it is sometimes put.

The film is sad and at times quite disturbing, exploring the cruelty, both unintended and deliberate, that humans inflict upon each other in the name of cultural bonding and beliefs. The condescension of white Europeans toward Native cultures is not spared, but neither is the ritual cruelty inflicted by Indians of different tribal affiliations on each other. Fr. Laforgue and his companions are ambushed and captured by a band of Mohawks on the way northward and are tortured and humiliated by them, barely escaping via the seduction of the Mohawk guard by Chomina's beautiful young daughter. In fact, there was some outcry in the Native community when the film came out because the Mohawks are shown only as brutal torturers without any other social context. However, as Chomina grimly points out to Fr. Laforgue, when he protests that these Mohawks are nothing like Chomina and his family, "We would have done the same thing." More than anything else, "Black Robe" is an indictment of assumptions of cultural and spiritual superiority - a trait shared in the film by both the Natives and the Europeans.

The film's ending presages the catastrophe for Native peoples that European emigration to and conquest of North America will bring about in another 150 years. However, on an individual note, it is a tender and evolved ending. By the end of his journey, Fr. Laforgue questions whether acceptance of baptism without understanding its meaning represents a true salvation. When a man among the crowd of Hurons asks Fr. Laforgue if he loves them, Fr. Laforgue looks out at them and sees not a group of savage souls to add to the Christian heaven, but indivdual human beings. "Yes," he whispers, his eyes filling with tears, "I love you."

This is a very affecting film and a far superior entry into the European/Native "culture clash" genre than films such as Kevin Costner's "Dances With Wolves" and Michael Mann's "Last of the Mohicans". I don't say that these films did not work on their own terms or that they did not at least try to repair decades of the film industry's insensitive portrayals of indigenous peoples, but those films were made and intended for the action/adventure market and show it.

"Black Robe" is a vastly more complex and adult - and less comfortable - exploration of the "culture clash" theme, and its emotional impact lingers in the mind and heart long after the credits fade.