''War Brides'' is a Canadian television film, directed by

Martin Lavut Martin Lavut (December 18, 1934 – January 26, 2016) was a Canadian filmmaker born in Montreal, Quebec. He wrote and directed numerous theatrical and television dramas, and documentary films. Among his dramas are the films '' Certain Practices'', ' ...

and broadcast by

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

in 1980. The film centres on four women, three from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and one from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, who come to Canada as

war bride War brides are women who married military personnel from other countries in times of war or during military occupations, a practice that occurred in great frequency during World War I and World War II. Among the largest and best documented examp ...

s of Canadian soldiers after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

.Ned Powers, "25th Street director stars in CBC drama". ''

Saskatoon Star-Phoenix ''The StarPhoenix'' is a daily newspaper that serves Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is a part of Postmedia Network. The ''StarPhoenix'' puts out six editions each week and publishes one weekly, ''Bridges''. It is also part of the canada.com ...

'', September 19, 1980. The film stars Elizabeth Richardson,

Sonja Smits Sonja Smits (born September 8, 1958) is a Canadian actress. She was nominated for two Genie Awards: for ''Videodrome'' (1983) and '' That's My Baby!'' (1984). On television, she starred in '' Street Legal'' (1987-1992) and '' Traders'' (1996-2000) ...

Wendy Crewson Wendy Jane Crewson (born May 9, 1956) is a Canadian actress and producer. She began her career appearing on Canadian television, before her breakthrough role in 1991 dramatic film '' The Doctor''. Crewson has appeared in many Hollywood films, inc ...

and Sharry Flett as the women, and

Geoffrey Bowes Geoffrey Bowes is a Canadian actor.Gaetan Charlebois and Anne Nothof"Bowes, Geoffrey" ''Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia''. He is most noted for his performance in the 1979 film ''Something's Rotten'', for which he received a Genie Award nomination fo ...

Ken Pogue Kenneth Pogue (July 26, 1934 – December 15, 2015) was a Canadian actor. Career His first motion picture role in 1973 was in '' The Neptune Factor''. He almost drowned in scuba gear. He worked on stage at the Crest Theatre, Stratford Shakespe ...

Timothy Webber Timothy Webber is a Canadians, 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 Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor nominee at the 21s ...

and

Layne Coleman Layne Coleman is a Canadian actor, playwright and theatre director, most noted as a former artistic director of Theatre Passe Muraille. Originally from North Battleford, Saskatchewan, he first became prominent as a cofounder and artistic director ...

as their husbands. The film was broadcast by CBC Television on September 20, 1980. The film won four awards at the

Bijou Awards The Bijou Awards were a Canadian award for non-feature films, launched in 1981 but presented only once before being discontinued. Created as a joint project of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and the Canadian Film and Television Association (CFTA), ...

in 1981 for Best Television Drama Over 30 Minutes, Best Art Direction (Barbara McLean), Best Cinematography in a Drama (

Vic Sarin Victor Sarin (born 1945) is an Indian-born Canadian/American film director, producer and screenwriter. His work as a cinematographer includes ''Partition'', ''Margaret's Museum'', '' Whale Music'', '' Nowhere to Hide'', ''Norman's Awesome Exper ...

) and Best Editing in a Drama (Myrtle Virgo). It also received nominations for Best Actress in a Non-Feature (Flett), Best Director of a Drama (Lavut) and Best Screenplay (

Grahame Woods Grahame Woods (January 31, 1934 – November 25, 2022) was a Canadian cinematographer and writer.Blaik Kirby, "Grahame Woods: too many talents to just stay put behind the camera". ''The Globe and Mail'', October 7, 1972. He is most noted as a cinem ...

). Woods won the

ACTRA Award The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television and radio industries.

for Best Writing in a TV Drama.Rick Groen, "Waxman, Establishment, win Actras". ''

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 ...

'', April 4, 1981.

References

External links

* 1980 films 1980 television films Canadian drama television films CBC Television original films English-language Canadian films Films directed by Martin Lavut 1980s Canadian films {{Canada-drama-tv-prog-stub