''Stand!'' is a 2019 Canadian

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), 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 serv ...

set during the 1919

Winnipeg general strike The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 was one of the most famous and influential strikes in Canadian history. For six weeks, May 15 to June 26, more than 30,000 strikers brought economic activity to a standstill in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which at the ...

that occurred in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

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 ...

, 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 communic ...

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 (TV series), Glee'', and Albert Banks in ''How to Build a Better Boy''. Life and career Marshall Williams was born i ...

Laura Slade Wiggins Laura Slade Weishaar (née Wiggins) is an American actress, singer, musician, and realtor. She is most known for her roles in '' Shameless'', ''The Tomorrow People'', '' Starving in Suburbia'' and '' Rings''. Early life Wiggins is the daughter ...

, Lisa Bell, and

Gregg Henry Gregg Lee Henry (born May 6, 1952) is an American actor. He is best known for his performance as serial killer Dennis Rader in the television film '' The Hunt for the BTK Killer'' and for playing various "heavies" in various films, such as in ' ...

Premise

An immigrant

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

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 British 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 Y ...

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 Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Pro ...

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 ''Free Press'' (or FP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press''; previously known as the ''Winnipeg Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, natio ...

'' 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 more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it fall ...

'' 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 English-language musical drama 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 drama films based on actual events Romantic drama films based on actual events Winnipeg General Strike English-language romantic drama films English-language romantic musical films 2019 musical films