''Stations'' is a Canadian comedy-drama film, directed by William D. MacGillivray and released in 1983.

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 Corp ...

, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 205. The film stars Michael Jones as Tom Murphy, a former Roman Catholic priest turned television journalist; after undergoing a crisis of faith when his deep questioning of his old friend Harry (Richard Boland) in an interview leads to Harry's suicide, he is assigned to undertake a train trip across Canada to interview various everyday people he meets at train stations across the country. Featuring a mix of professional and non-professional actors, the cast included

Libby Davies Libby Davies (born February 27, 1953) is a Canadian politician from British Columbia. She was the member of Parliament for Vancouver East from 1997 to 2015, House Leader for the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011, and Deputy Leade ...

, Patricia Kipping, Joel Sapp, Maisie Rillie, Beth McTavish, Claudette Sapp, Graham Hayward and Mary Walsh. The film premiered at the 1983 Festival of Festivals, but was distributed primarily via

pay TV Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, b ...

rather than commercial theatrical distribution. It was later screened at the 1984 Festival of Festivals as part of Front & Centre, a special retrospective program of artistically and culturally significant films from throughout the history of Canadian cinema.

Critical response

Jay Scott Jeffrey Scott Beaven (October 4, 1949 – July 30, 1993), known professionally by his pen name Jay Scott, was a Canadian film critic."Critic Jay Scott, 43 among world's best". ''Toronto Star'', July 31, 1993. Early life Scott was born in Lincol ...

of ''

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 ...

'' wrote that "Unfortunately, the director of Stations, William D. MacGillivray, is not attracted by those interviewed - many of whom are wonderfully funny - but by the interviewer, a humorless middle-class dolt with a tedious mid-life identity crisis."

, "Festival of Festivals: Nelvana's first feature unaspiring but amusing". ''

'', September 15, 1984. In his 2003 book ''A Century of Canadian Cinema'',

wrote that "as most of the participants in this film belong to the lively, outspoken school of Newfoundland comedy, there are quite naturally a great many laughs on the journey, and the scenery is marvellous."

Wyndham Wise Wyndham Paul Wise is a Canadian film historian, critic, editor and publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of the film magazine '' Take One: Film & Television in Canada'' (1992-2006). Career Born in London, England, Wyndham Wise was rais ...

described the film as reminiscent of early Wim Wenders, and wrote that the film was "an absorbing examination of distinctly Canadian angst and the modes by which our culture expresses it".

References

External links

* 1983 films 1983 comedy-drama films Canadian comedy-drama films 1980s English-language films 1980s Canadian films Films directed by William D. MacGillivray {{1980s-Canada-film-stub