''125 Rooms of Comfort'' is a 1974 Canadian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Patrick Loubert Patrick Loubert (born 1947 in Toronto, Ontario) is one of the founders of the Canadian animation studio, Nelvana Limited, along with Clive A. Smith and Michael Hirsh. He has produced, and executive-produced, much of the company's most memorable fa ...

. The film stars Tim Henry as Billie Joyce, a gay former musician who has been involuntarily institutionalized in an

asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...

by his family since showing up to his father's funeral in drag. When his father's will leaves him possession of a smalltown hotel in

St. Thomas, Ontario St. Thomas is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It gained its city charter on March 4, 1881. The city is also the seat for Elgin County, although it is independent of the county. At the time of the 2021 Census, the population of the city wa ...

, he returns home intending to sell the hotel to American real estate developer Oscar Kidd (

Robert A. Silverman Robert A. Silverman (born February 24, 1938) is a Canadian actor cast five times by writer/director David Cronenberg. He is sometimes credited as Bob Silverman or Robert Silverman. He has also acted in the '' Friday the 13th: The Series'' episo ...

), but soon finds himself in the position of defending the rights of the hotel's staff against Kidd's renovation plans.

Gerald Pratley Gerald Arthur Pratley (September 3, 1923 – March 14, 2011) was a Canadian film critic and historian. Piers Handling"Gerald Arthur Pratley" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', September 18, 2011. A longtime film critic for the Canadian Broadcasting Cor ...

, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 161.

Cast

* Tim Henry as Billie Joyce *

Jackie Burroughs Jacqueline "Jackie" Burroughs (2 February 1939 – 22 September 2010) was a British-born Canadian actress. Early life Born in Southport, Lancashire (now Merseyside), England, she emigrated to Canada on 26 August 1948 with her mother Edna, her ...

as Bobbie Kidd * Robert Warner as Jim McKeagan *

as Oscar Kidd * Les Barker as Leo Basho * Sean Sullivan as Jack * Michael Lewis as Pete * Jackie Crossland as Marge * Marcia Diamond as Doris * Russ Little as Announcer * Leonard Glenn as Byron Joyce * Bob Vinci as Couple in Bed * Enza Vinci as Couple in Bed

Critical response

Robert Fothergill of ''

Cinema Canada ''Cinema Canada'' (1972–1989) is a defunct Canadian film magazine, which served as the trade journal of record for the Canadian film and television sector. The magazine had its origins in the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), which beg ...

'' wrote that the film featured strong cinematography and editing, but that its script lacked a coherent narrative centre, and ultimately analyzed the film as a mangled metaphor for

Canadian nationalism Canadian nationalism seeks to promote the unity, independence, and well-being of Canada and the Canadian people. Canadian nationalism has been a significant political force since the 19th century and has typically manifested itself as seeking t ...

Awards

The film was a nominee for

Best Feature Film Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

at the

26th Canadian Film Awards The 27th Canadian Film Awards were held on October 12, 1975 to honour achievements in Canadian film.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 111-114. The cer ...

in 1975, but did not win."Competing as Canada's best". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', October 9, 1975.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0177472 1974 films 1974 comedy-drama films 1974 LGBT-related films Canadian comedy-drama films Canadian LGBT-related films English-language Canadian films Films set in hotels Films shot in Ontario LGBT-related comedy-drama films Films set in Ontario 1970s English-language films 1970s Canadian films