''Stand!'' is a 2019 Canadian

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

set during the 1919 Winnipeg general strike that occurred in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, Canada. Directed by

Robert Adetuyi Robert Adetuyi is a Canadian screenwriter and film director who works in Hollywood. Born in Sudbury, Ontario,"Interview with Robert Adetuyi", ''Sudbury Star'', January 24, 2007. Adetuyi is a graduate of York University, where he studied communicat ...

and written by Danny Schur and

Rick Chafe Rick Chafe is a Canadian playwright from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is most noted for his play ''The Secret Mask'', which was a shortlisted finalist for the Governor General's Award for English-language drama at the 2014 Governor General's Awards. His ...

, it is based on the 2005 stage musical '' Strike!'' by Schur. The film stars

Marshall Williams Marshall Williams (born July 31, 1989) is a Canadian actor and model. He is best known for his role as Spencer Porter on '' Glee'', and Albert Banks in ''How to Build a Better Boy''. Life and career Marshall Williams was born in Winnipeg, Manit ...

Laura Slade Wiggins Laura Slade Weishaar (née Wiggins) (born August 8, 1988) is an American actress, singer and musician. She is most known for her roles in '' Shameless'', ''The Tomorrow People'', '' Starving in Suburbia'' and ''Rings''. Early life Wiggins was b ...

Lisa Bell Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), ...

, and

Gregg Henry Gregg Lee Henry (born May 6, 1952) is an American character actor and rock, blues and country musician. He is best known for his performance as serial killer Dennis Rader in the made-for-television film '' The Hunt for the BTK Killer'', and for ...

Premise

An immigrant

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

in 1919 battle for love and a better future during a time of social upheaval.

Cast

Production

In 2005, Danny Schur produced the stage musical '' Strike!'' set during the events of the Winnipeg General Strike. Approaching the 100th anniversary of the strike, a movie version was developed by Schur and

. It was originally intended to be shot in 2016, with

Samantha Barks Samantha Jane Barks (born 2 October 1990) is a Manx people, Manx actress and singer who rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show-themed television series ''I'd Do Anything (BBC TV series), I'd Do Anything'' in 2008. She has rele ...

attached to play Rebecca Almazoff and Joseph Novak to direct. Both had to be replaced as the production was delayed. The final production was filmed entirely in Winnipeg in August and September 2018. Most of the cast were local Winnipeg actors, including

, who had previously starred on the ''Glee'' television series.

Release

The movie was premiered at the

Royal Cinema The Royal Cinema is an Art Moderne event venue and cinema in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was built in 1939 and owned by Miss Ray Levinsky. When it was built in 1939, it was called The Pylon, with an accompanying large sign at the front of the th ...

in Toronto on September 9, 2019, during the

2019 Toronto International Film Festival The 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 September 2019. The opening gala was the documentary film '' Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band'', directed by Daniel Roher, and the festival closed with a ...

, although not as an in-festival film. The movie was released in selected theatres across Canada on November 29, 2019.

Reception

Critic Randall King of the ''

Winnipeg Free Press The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as ...

'' rated it three out of five stars, saying the musical play "hit incisive notes" but had been turned into "a conventional, contemporary Hollywood movie, geared not to the cineaste but to the wide-open movie marketplace." He was disappointed that Adetuyi, who had previously worked on dance-centric films, had "eschewed choreography." 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 ...

'' described ''Stand!'' as a "spirited new Canadian movie musical" that features "a well-crafted score plus Broadway-worthy tunes that stick in your head." Reviewer Neil Weisensel singled out the performances by Gregg Henry, Marshall Williams, Laura Slade Wiggins, Hayley Sales, Lisa Bell, and Paul Essiembre. Noting the parallels between the world of 1919 and the present, he wrote that "it's heartening to see a film that is actually about something, made by people who are expert storytellers." He gave the film three and a half out of four stars.

References

External links

* {{Robert Adetuyi 2019 films 2019 romantic drama films 2010s Canadian films 2010s English-language films 2010s musical drama films 2010s romantic musical films Canadian films based on actual events Canadian musical drama films Canadian romantic drama films Canadian romantic musical films English-language Canadian films Films about the labor movement Films about law in Canada Films based on musicals Films directed by Robert Adetuyi Films set in 1919 Films set in Winnipeg Films shot in Winnipeg Musical films based on actual events Romantic drama films based on actual events Winnipeg General Strike