Review of Black Robe (1991) by Apostolos M — 11 Jan 2013

'The English and the Dutch have colonists, we have priests' we hear a French militia man saying in the beginning of the film set sometime in 1630s at a French outpost somewhere in Quebec, Canada. The priest who is seen walking past the militiamen and construction workers is father Laforgue (played by Lothaire Bluteau; a great performance). Laforgue is a young Jesuit sent from France to the new World to convert the Hurons and other indigenous tribes that lived once in large areas of Canada and the northern states of the US.

To aid Laforgue in his mission the local French authorities ask a group of Hurons (allies of the French at the time) to accompany him until he reaches a Jesuit-controlled mission much deeper in Quebec. During the trip of the group we see past moments of the life that Laforgue left behind in France (through a number of flashbacks) before deciding to commit himself to such a task in the New World. The trip is dangerous. We learn that except the actual hardships of the trip the Hurons will try to avoid the Iroquois (at least other tribes of the Iroquois nation, since I did my homework and it appears that the Hurons were part of the great Iroquois nation) and the English who have started to become more powerful than the French in the region.

Soon, however, friction begins. For the Hurons (a traditional pagan society with Shamans acting as the intermediaries with the spirits) the Christian message of Laforgue 'love your neighbor' will mean certain death to the hands of the Iroquois. Therefore, they view father Laforgue with suspicion, even hatred after a while believing that he is a demon (especially after he demonstrates to them the reading of a book, a fact that unsettles them) and they start to wonder if it is worthwhile to risk too much for a person who promises them a paradise in an afterlife after death.

'Black Robe' is a very interesting film but I think it is not for everyone. To start with it is not entertaining, it is not epic. There is no 'payback' for this mission that Laforgue undertakes. Despite the idyllic scenery of the New World the trip is very hard and demanding and the eventual conflict with the Iroquois is very harsh. Laforgue, nonetheless is a brave man and perseveres. His conviction to introduce Christianity to the Hurons and convert them is too strong and gives him the courage to go on. The question is if it was worthwhile. The movie cleverly avoids taking sides on this matter. I believe this is the big question that the movie asks and there is no easy answer.