Black Robe (1991)
Written for the screen by Brian Moore (based on his novel),
and directed bu Bruce Beresford, Black Robe examines the
efforts of a missionary to win converts in 1634 Canada. The missionary,
a tirtured and unbalanced priest named Father LaForgue (Bluteau),
journeys up-river with a group of Algonquins to find a remote
mission in Huron country. Newly arrived from France, he is unprepared
for the harsh American winter, and, more inportantly, the stark
savagery of its inhabitants. An academic with no experience in
living outdoors, Father LaForgue (or "Black Robe,"
as he is called by the natives) is regarded as a weakling, and
his austere values and vow of chastity viewed with suspicion.
Black Robe draws interestingparallels between the "religion"
of the Europeans and the "superstitution" of the Algonquin;
the film offers neither saintly priests nor "noble savages;"
rather, vice and villainy are feature of both cultures. Father
LaForgue is a pious man of high ideals, but the indigenous people
cannot comprehend the gospel of mercy he attempts to impart when
he himself practices self-flagellation. His efforts are further
compromised by an Algonquin shaman named Mestigoit, whose religious
fanaticism and urge to control make im every bit as treacherous
as any cult leader.
Brutality and carnage are depcted with uncompromising honesty,
particularly in a cringe-inducing sequence where the priest and
his Algonquin companions are taken captive and tortured by the
Huron. in spite of he priest's many faults, he retains a Chris-like
compassion for the indigenous people, even after he is beaten
and abused, and his body mutilated at their hands. Beresford's
images are striking, with the Canadian wilderness providing a
grandly impressive backdrop, and the entire production is enshrouded
in a mournful, period-flavored score by George Delerue.
Black Robe is a beautiful film - thoughtful, passionate,
and tagic. It offers no easy answers, but finishes a gripping
study of the inevitable tragedy which ensues when cultures clash.
Paul Andrew MacLean
© 2003
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