''George's Island'' is a Canadian drama film. It was shot in and around Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

Plot

Ten-year-old George (

Nathaniel Moreau , nickname = {{Plainlist, * Nat (name), Nat * Nate (given name), Nate , footnotes = Nathaniel is an English language, English variant of the Bible, biblical Greek language, Greek Name, name Nathanael. People with the name Nathan ...

) lives in a dilapidated home near the

Halifax Harbour Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax largely owes its existence to the harbour, being one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural harbo ...

with his grandfather Captain Waters (

Ian Bannen Ian Edmund Bannen (29 June 1928 – 3 November 1999) was a Scottish actor with a long career in film, on stage, and on television. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in '' The Flight of the Phoenix'' (1965), the first ...

). Captain Waters is a wheelchair-using former sailor. He is fond of telling George ghost stories. He volunteers an old story about the time he saw Captain Kidd's ghost out in Halifax Harbour. When George learns in school about Kidd's supposed buried treasure out on nearby George's Island, he volunteers the story, and is punished by nosy school teacher Miss Birdwood (

Sheila McCarthy Sheila McCarthy (born January 1, 1956) is a Canadian actress and singer. She has worked in film, television, and on stage. McCarthy is one of Canada's most honoured actors, having won two Genie Awards (film), two Gemini Awards (television), an A ...

). Miss Birdwood believes that the root of George's outburst is "trouble at home." She launches her own sneaky investigation to find out the truth. When she discovers that Captain Waters has a fondness for grog, she reports the family to Mr. Droonfield (

Maury Chaykin Maury Alan Chaykin (July 27, 1949 – July 27, 2010) was an American–Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of detective Nero Wolfe, as well as for his work as a character actor in many films and television programs. Personal lif ...

) at Child Services. While Mr. Droonfield determines a course of action, George is temporarily placed with a foster family, the Beanes (portrayed by Brian Downey and Irene Hogan) who keep him locked up in a basement cell. On Halloween night, George and the Beanes' other adoptee, Bonnie ( Vickie Ridler), escape with Captain Waters and head for safety on George's Island. Miss Birdwood and Mr. Droonfield give chase, but they accidentally awaken the ghosts of Captain Kidd (

Gary Reineke Gary Reineke (born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian actor. Early life Reineke was born in Scarborough, Ontario on May 27, 1945. Career Reineke has appeared in more than eighty films since 1974, and was a Genie Award nominee for Best Supporting Act ...

) and his men, who think that the intruders are after their chest of gold.

Cast

as Captain Waters *

as Miss Birdwood *

as Mr. Droonfield *

as George Waters * Vickie Ridler as Bonnie * Brian Downey as Mr. Beane * Irene Hogan as Mrs. Beane *

as Captain Kidd

Inspiration

''George's Island'' is an actual island in the

. Local maritime folklore holds tales of pirates seeking revenge over buried treasure stolen from the island. These tales inspired the script for the film.

Reception

Upon its release, the film went relatively unnoticed. It was overshadowed by films with larger production and advertising budgets. It was only shown in Canadian theatres for three weeks. George's Island was judged the best live-action film at the 1990 Chicago International Festival of Children's Films.CBC Digital Archives: George's Island: Canadian movie gone in three weeks
/ref> Currently, there are no critical reviews of the film on

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References

{{Reflist Canadian children's drama films Films set on islands English-language Canadian films Films directed by Paul Donovan 1989 children's films 1989 drama films 1989 films 1980s English-language films 1980s Canadian films