''The Wars'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by
Robin Phillips
Robin Phillips OC (28 February 1940 – 25 July 2015) was an English actor and film director.
Life
He was born in Haslemere, Surrey in 1940 to Ellen Anne (née Barfoot) and James William Phillips. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic, where a c ...
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. 234. An adaptation of the novel '' The Wars'' by
Brent Carver
Brent Carver (November 17, 1951 – August 4, 2020) was a Canadian actor best known internationally for performances in both London's West End and on Broadway in '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' as Molina, for which he won the Tony Award for Best L ...
), the immature and closeted
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
son of an upper class Rosedale family who enlists to serve in the
Canadian Army
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
As with the novel, the film blends a number of scenes set at war with depictions of the formative experiences from childhood that have led Robert to enlist, including his relationships with his disabled sister Rowena ( Ann-Marie MacDonald) and their parents ( William Hutt and
Martha Henry
Martha Kathleen Henry (née Buhs; February 17, 1938October 21, 2021) was an American-born Canadian stage, film, and television actress. She was noted for her work at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario.
Early life and training
Martha ...
). The cast was drawn predominantly from the stable of actors Phillips had worked with at the Stratford Festival.
Cast
*
Brent Carver
Brent Carver (November 17, 1951 – August 4, 2020) was a Canadian actor best known internationally for performances in both London's West End and on Broadway in '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' as Molina, for which he won the Tony Award for Best L ...
as Robert Ross
*
Martha Henry
Martha Kathleen Henry (née Buhs; February 17, 1938October 21, 2021) was an American-born Canadian stage, film, and television actress. She was noted for her work at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario.
Early life and training
Martha ...
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, ...
as Miss Davenport
* Jean LeClerc Captain Taffler
*
Domini Blythe
Domini Blythe (August 28, 1947 – December 15, 2010) was a British-born Canadian actress. Her numerous stage, film and television credits included ''Search for Tomorrow'', ''External Affairs'', '' The Wars'', '' Savage Messiah'', '' Montreal Sto ...
as Lady Barbara d'Orsey
*
Alan Scarfe
Alan John Scarfe (born 8 June 1946) is a British–Canadian actor, stage director and author. He is a former Associate Director of the Stratford Festival (1976–77) and the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool (1967–68). He won the 1985 Genie A ...
as Captain Leather
*
Margaret Tyzack
Margaret Maud Tyzack (9 September 193125 June 2011) was an English actress. Her television roles included '' The Forsyte Saga'' (1967) and '' I, Claudius'' (1976). She won the 1970 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for the BBC serial ''The First ...
as Lady Emmeline
*
Barbara Budd
Barbara Budd (born May 23, 1951) is a Canadian actress, narrator and radio announcer. Between 1993 and April 30, 2010, she was the co-host of CBC Radio One's ''As It Happens''.
Early life
Budd was born in St. Catharines, Ontario. She studied th ...
as Nurse Turner
* Susan Wright as Ella
* Richard Austin as Michael
* Rodger Barton as Charles
* Paul Batten as Poole
*
Rod Beattie
Rod Beattie (born 1948) is a Canadian actor who has been active in Canadian theatre for over 50 years. He is best known for performing the Wingfield Series of plays by Dan Needles. In these plays Beattie plays all the characters, employing cha ...
as Levitt
* Tom Bishop as Rider
*
Kirsten Bishopric
Kirsten Johanne Alice Bishopric (September 6, 1963 – April 15, 2014), also known as Kirsten Bishop, was a Canadian actress best known providing the voices of Zoycite, Emerald, Kaorinite, and Badiyanu in the original English adaptation of ...
as Peggy Ross
* Richard Blackburn as Sergeant
* Fred Booker as Verger
* Dwayne Brenna as Tom Bryant
* Michael Caruana as Soldier
* Shirley Cassedy as Honor
* Clare Coulter as Eena
* Richard Curnock as Minister
*
Shirley Douglas
Shirley Jean Douglas (April 2, 1934 – April 5, 2020) was a Canadian actress and activist. Her acting career combined with her family name made her recognizable in Canadian film, television and national politics.
Early life
Douglas was born A ...
as Mrs. Lawson
* David Dunbar as Mr. Brown
*
Rupert Frazer
Rupert Frazer (born 12 March 1947) is a British actor.
Career
His work in theatre includes performances at the Citizens Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre and the Royal National Theatre. In 1975, he played the title role in the first British st ...
as Clive
* Craig Gardner as German Soldier
*
Graeme Gibson
Thomas Graeme Cameron Gibson (9 August 1934 – 18 September 2019) was a Canadian novelist.Jeff Hyslop
Jeff Hyslop ( ; born May 30, 1951) is a Canadians, Canadian actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, and director. Many of his roles have been in musical theatre. His most famous roles were as Jeff the mannequin in the children's show ''Today's S ...
as Clifford Purchas
* Eleanor Kane as Woman
* James Kidnie as Martial
* Leo Leyden as Bishop
*
Hardee T. Lineham Hardee T. Lineham is a Canadian actor.Martin Morrow, "Ex-Calgarian wins Best Actor award". ''Calgary Herald'', July 7, 1993. He is most noted for his performance in the 1996 film ''Shoemaker'', for which he was a Genie Award nominee for Best Suppor ...
as Bonnycastle
* Robin McKenzie as Stuart Ross
* David Main as Mr. Lawson
* William Merton Malmo as Collins Louis Negan
* Jefferson Mappin as Teddy Budge
* Marti Maraden as Lady of Easy Virtue
* Anne McKay as Child
* Richard McMillan as Harris
* David Robb as Major Terry
* Stephen Russell as Cigarette
* Abigail Seaton as Juliet
* Heather Summerhayes as Heather
* Irene Sutcliffe as Nurse
* Simon Treves as Patient
* Annette Vyge as Madam
*
Timothy Webber
Timothy Webber is a Canadian television, film, and stage actor best known for his performance as Djordje in the film '' My Father's Angel'', for which he was a Best Supporting Actor nominee at the 21st Genie Awards.
as Corporal Bates
Production
The film was produced by Nielsen-Ferns International and the
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
, the first time the NFB had ever collaborated on a narrative feature film with a commercial production company."Robin Phillips turns his hand to movies". ''
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 ...
'', May 7, 1981. Shooting began in May 1981 near Longview,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, but within days Phillips had to revise the production schedule due to unforeseen late snowfall in the area.
Other scenes for the film were shot in Calgary,
Kleinburg
Kleinburg is an unincorporated village in the city of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, an art gallery with a focus on the Group of Seven, and the Kortright Centre for Conservation. In 2001, the villag ...
,
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
and
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
. However, due to technical problems with the sound, much of the film had to be rerecorded in the post-production phase, resulting in one of the key delays from the film's originally planned release date of early 1982.
Carol Off
Carol Off (born 1954/1955) is a Canadian journalist, commentator, and author associated with CBC Television and CBC Radio.
Early life
Off was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1954 or 1955. She moved to Ottawa at ten years old and later move ...
, "Robin Phillips and Timothy Findley discuss the sound and fury of The Wars". ''
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 b ...
'', January 1984. pp. 14-19.
Distribution
Organizers of the Festival of Festivals attempted to secure the film as the opening gala of the 1982 Festival of Festivals; however, due to a conflict between Nielsen-Ferns, the NFB and key funder
Torstar
Torstar Corporation is a Canadian mass media company which primarily publishes daily and community newspapers. In addition to the ''Toronto Star'', its flagship and namesake, Torstar also publishes daily newspapers in Hamilton, Peterborough, Ni ...
, it was unable to secure the premiere and instead opened with the Australian film '' We of the Never Never''.
Additional production conflict was also reported between Nielsen-Ferns and the NFB, resulting in additional delays in securing distribution. While theatrical distribution in North America and the United Kingdom was still in flux, a subtitled version of the film was broadcast on
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
television in March 1983.
The film was acquired by Spectrafilm in May 1983 for theatrical distribution, and had its theatrical premiere in November."The Wars premiere to be a benefit". ''
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 ...
'', November 3, 1983. Its premiere was organized as a fundraising benefit for the Parkinson Foundation of Canada, following Findley's father's death of
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
.
Following its initial theatrical run, the film was not widely seen for many years, until it was acquired by the
Canada Media Fund
The Canada Media Fund (CMF, french: Fonds des médias du Canada - FMC) is a public-private partnership founded on April 1, 2010 by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canadian cable industry. It is used to fund the creation of original ...
for distribution on its Encore+
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
channel in 2020.
Awards
The film received three
Genie Awards
The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scul ...
from the
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is a Canadian non-profit organization created in 1979 to recognize the achievements of the over 4,000 Canadian cinema of Canada, film industry and television in Canada, television industry professionals ...
in 1984, for
Best Actress
Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...
Best Picture
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
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 ...