Review of Black Robe (1991) by Guy G — 09 Jul 2011

[85/B+] This is a dour but majestic and clear-eyed look at the settling of Canada, through the missionary activities of French Jesuits. The title character, an idealistic and inflexible priest, finely played by Bluteau, is guided by Native allies on a religious mission from Samuel de Champlain`s little settlement of Quebec into the grim, resplendent, forested expanses of the Canadian wilderness, where few (if any) white men have dared to pass, and where Indian peoples still hold sway.

The harshness and beauty of the landscape is powerfully evoked, manifesting a sullen, unforgiving presence that is almost a character in its own right. It becomes one of the primary challenges facing the Black Robe, not only in terms of physical negotiation, but through its emanated spirits of coldness and futility, which he interprets as filling the souls of the indigenous peoples, too, who are stubbornly and impractically resistant to his civilizing mission. Wracked with doubt and misunderstanding of the Natives` ways, his courageous efforts prove ultimately futile and senseless, even helping destroy the Algonquins who had loyally aided him, as well as the Hurons he had been sent to save spiritually.

This kind of Catholic heart of darkness may be familiar to many from other movies and tales, and it`s brought to life very well here, illustrating with deft touches the role such sadly misguided projects played in the founding of the European New World. But what BLACK ROBE really excels at is its raw, intelligent, and unsentimental depiction of the Natives whose world and souls (and resources) were so coveted to begin with. It`s their points of view, their civilization and precarious circumstances, at a time when they still held the upper hand over white men, that make this a movie quite unlike any other.