''Stand!'' is a 2019 Canadian
musical film 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 ...
,
Manitoba
, image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg
, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
, Label_map = yes
, coordinates =
, capital = Win ...
, 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.
Hi ...
, 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, Manito ...
,
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 ...
,
Lisa Bell, 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 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 lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...
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
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.
Hi ...
. It was originally intended to be shot in 2016, with
Samantha Barks
Samantha Jane Barks (born 2 October 1990) is a Manx actress and singer who rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show-themed television series '' I'd Do Anything'' in 2008. She has released three studio albums: ''Looking in Your ...
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
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, Manito ...
, 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
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is ...
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 ...
'' 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 f ...
'' 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
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{{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