Black Robe

Following his Oscar-winning Driving Miss Daisy, one would have thought that Bruce Beresford might decide to stick with more mainstream material, but historically this Australian director has flirted with Hollywood (Tender Mercies, King David, Crimes of the Heart), and then proceeded along his own path (The Fringe Dwellers, The Club, Mister Johnson). His latest, a joint production of Canada and Australia, has already racked up 6 Genie Awards (the Canadian "Oscar), yet did very little boxoffice in the U.S. Based on Brian Moore's novel, which Moore adapted for the screen, Black Robe tells the story of a young idealistic French Jesuit priest named Father Laforgue (Lothaire Bluteau), who sets off from Quebec in 1634 on a 1,500 mile river journey to a remote mission. Laforgue is guided by Algonquin Indians, led by Chief Chomina (August Schellenberg), whose daughter Annuka (Sandrine Holt) becomes the mistress of Laforgue's young assistant Daniel (Aden Young). This semi-clandestine relationship between Daniel and Annuka eventually turns Daniel against his master, and when Laforgue is abandoned by the Algonquins (following the comic pronouncement by a dwarf medicine man that Laforgue, the "black robe," is a demon), Daniel too disappears, leaving Laforgue alone in the wilderness. A change of heart brings Daniel and the Algonquin guides back only to be captured and tortured by the Iroquois in a series of scenes that are disturbingly grizzly (including an arrow through the neck and a finger sawed off). Eventually, the remnants of the party escape, and Laforgue is once more left on his own to try and reach the Huron Indians and the mission. Black Robe's strengths are its exquisite cinematography, excellent performances all around, and (to some extent) its brutal realism. Unfortunately, Laforgue remains a bit of a cipher: he cries a lot, but says little, and beyond simple determination we learn almost nothing about his character. Still, Black Robe is a powerful film that has been favorably compared to Dances With Wolves (for no good reason, since the films are miles apart in subject matter), and deserves a much wider audience than it received during its limited theatrical release. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)