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The title role of Black Robe is Father Laforgue (Lothaire
Bluteau) a black-clothed Jesuit priest who journeys some 1500
kilometres away from the safety of European settlements into
remote Canada, then known as New France.
Accompanying him is Daniel (Aden Young) and a party of Indians,
led by Chomina (August Schellenberg), that includes the gorgeous
Annula (Sandrine Holt) – his daughter.
The cultural differences between the French and the locals
are examined well by Beresford - but also their similarities.
It's not hard to miss his point at the start when you see
French peasants and uncivilised Indians indulging in similar
activities with similar beliefs.
On the journey, Laforgue discovers that his spiritual sensitivities
need to be toned down and he learns a lot about life, lust
and the brutal nature of the world away from France.
Some of the scenes are utterly vicious - dealing with combat
and torture - and it's fair to say that Black Robe
is not a sit-down-and-have-fun type of movie.
That said, it is an excellent in-depth examination of a little-explored
period of time and will have you completely absorbed for its
seemingly too-short 96 minutes.
The video transfer is perfectly acceptable, although not
outstanding.
An atmospheric movie like Black Robe would have benefited
from a top-notch transfer, however, given that a lot of it
was shot under grey skies or in snow and most of the costumes
are black or brown there's not much call for perfect colour
saturation. It is, however, miles ahead of the VHS copy floating
around the Anthony household and it will make you feel the
cold and isolation the story's characters are enduring. The
sound is only stereo, but it is well done, and the dialogue
is clear.
Well worth considering for the home library.
Conclusion: Movie 85%, Extras 30%
Continued:
DVD details at a glance >
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