Masaryk University Faculty of Arts
The Department of English and American Studies
English Language and Literature
Bc. Andrea Zajícová
We the People of Canada, in Order to Form a More Perfect Union Make Canadian Films: The Representation of 'Canadianness' in Canadian Films Master´s Diploma Thesis
Supervisor: doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Dr.
2012
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I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.
……………………………………………. Bc. Andrea Zajícová
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Acknowledgement
I would like to thank my supervisor – doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Dr. – who generously gave his advice and made comments and suggestions to improve my writing and the direction of my thesis, and who also lent me several of the secondary sources. Furthermore, I would like to thank Mgr. Radoslava Pekarová for her constant encouragement and advice; Bc. Vladimír Zán for lending me some secondary sources as well; and all my Canadian friends, especially Kevan Vogler, and their acquaintances for providing me with myriads of personal experiences, observations and views regarding the issues my thesis is concerned with.
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction ………………………………………………………7
1.1 Primary Sources………………………………………………………………..10
2. What is identity?...... 11
2.1 Distinction of identity – internal vs. external…………...... 12
2.2 Landscape identity…………………………...... 14
2.3 Technologized identity………………………...... 15
2.4 Conclusion……………………………………...... 16
3. What is Canadian identity?...... 17
3.1 Canadianness vs. other identities……………………………………………..21
3.1.1 Canadianness vs. Americanness…………………...... 21
3.1.2 Canadianness vs. Britishness…………………...... 23
3.1.3 Francophones and First Nations in Canada …..……...... 26
3.2 Technologized Canadianness…………………………………………………27
3.3 Canadian landscape identity……………...... 29
3.4 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………29
4. Canadian identity in Canadian films……...... 31
4.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………….31
4.1.2 Canadian film …...…………………………………………………………32
4.1.3 Themes in Canadian film…………………………………………………..33
4.1.4 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………37
4.2 The Analysis of a Selected Set of Films…………………………….38
4.2.1 The Ernie Game (1967) by Don Owen……………………………………38
4 4.2.1.1 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………….47
4.2.2 The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974) by Ted Kotcheff……………47
4.2.2.1 Conclusion………………………………………………………………..54
4.2.3 The Big Crimewave (1985) by John Paizs …………………………………56
4.2.3.1 Conclusion………………………………………………………………..65
4.2.4 Last Night (1998) by Don McKellar………………………………………..66
4.2.4.1 Conclusion………………………………………………………………...74
5. Conclusion ………………………………………………………..76
6. Annotated bibliography ….……………………………………...83
7. České resumé …………………………………...... 88
8. English Résumé ……………………………………………….....89
5 1. Introduction
The aim of the thesis is to identify Canadian identity as depicted in Canadian feature films. One’s identity influences many spheres of human life: how they act in individual situations, what they do in a particular social location, and in accordance with this thesis what they produce – what films they make. The thesis aims to discern and demonstrate Canadianness in a selected set of films. It is divided into two parts – the first part being theoretical, which is to give the readership a general introduction to the topic, while the second part consists of the actual research and case studies of the particular films.
According to my hypothesis, a closer analysis of the Canadian film can valuably contribute to the problem of identifying the notion of Canadianness, and provide further characteristics of what is generally typically understood under this term. My hypothesis is also supported by John Gray’s claim: "Canada is not something we experience in the town hall…it is something we watch on television, read about in newspapers and magazines, and hear on the radio", implying that the film is an adequate area to examine when studying the issue (38).
Both selected topics - film and identity - might be considered recent inventions.
"[I]dentity as such is a modern invention", thus they have been paid attention to extensively in recent years (Bauman qtd. in Jørgensen 623). Bauman certainly makes a point here which is worth contemplating. Never before has there been such a strong aspiration to define oneself, to distinguish oneself from the others, to determine an individual’s personal identity. People in the past used to stay in groups more than the present society, where, by contrast, individualism is encouraged. However, the contemporary attempts for distinction of identity might alienate people, rather than unite them. Especially with concepts such as social identity, which is supposed to hold people
6 of one society together, there is an alongside by-product which at the same time inevitably positions them against the other society.
Another contemporary issue which is simultaneously connected both with film and identity, and thus deserves to be addressed as well, is technology. It is a relatively up-to-date invention which might cause people to drift apart even more than an individual’s identity determination efforts. On the other hand, it might also unite the people and blur any boundaries left between them, hence establishing one common general virtual identity shared by everybody. It is a relevant aspect for the thesis topic, since it frequently occurs in the Canadian film. Technology has had a profound impact on people’s thinking and acting. To what degree is, especially prominently, visible in the realm of film, as it tries to reflect the era’s contemporary ideas and thinking.
The structure of the thesis is the following. In the introductory chapter I present the motives that led me to the choice of the topic, and the reasons why these motives should be considered relevant. I further preview the outline of the structure of the whole thesis. The materials to be explored are listed as well and their importance is clarified.
The introduction is taken up with a brief background to the work in general.
In the second chapter the concept of identity is explained – what it comprises and how to comprehend it when it is connected with a person and with a whole country, since the notion is applicable to both, however, does not express an identical meaning.
The chapter provides the readership with a few existing definitions of the notion, and determines two different points of view on identity – one shaped from the inside of the identity holder and the other from his/her outside. Although, to adhere to the thesis’ content, the outside identity, becomes a focal point of further discussions, and is analysed more thoroughly. The contemporary notion of technologized identity is also touched upon.
7 Chapter Three focuses on the specific notion of Canadian identity. It analyses it and determines the influences that have helped to shape it throughout the years. There have been two main: one is the culturally dominant neighbour – the US and the other is the past colonizer - the UK. Those two have definitely had an enormous impact on the formation of Canadian identity, Canadians’ sense of belonging and the country’s self- confidence. The chapter is concerned with some of the other factors that have contributed to the shaping of the country in similar manner. To preview some of them, it has been, for instance, the multicultural policy of Canada, its harsh landscape and climate, and especially recently the technological progress. The general concepts introduced in chapter Two are applied specifically to Canadian surroundings and discussed here.
The chapters in the second part of the thesis consist chiefly of case studies, which are each devoted to one of the selected films, respectively. The introduction provides basic information about the film industry in Canada and general characteristics of the Canadian film. The subsequent analyses focus on the features related to Canadian identity mentioned in the preceding chapters and depictions of them in the films. The chapter demonstrates how Canadian identity is actually dealt with as such, how the directors interpret it, and how the audience might comprehend the interpretations.
I conclude the work with brief revising of the chief points of the thesis, and summarizing the findings that have been presented to support my hypothesis, stated in the introduction, regarding the importance and close connection between the Canadian film and 'Canadianness'.
8 1.1 Primary Sources
As regards to the analytical part, for the purposes of the thesis a set of Canadian films has been carefully selected. Those films were all made by Canadians and set in
Canada thus assuring the film provides us with a sufficient amount of material coming from essentially Canadian surroundings. The explored films are successively:
The Earnie Game (1967) by Don Owen,
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974) by Ted Kotcheff,
The Big Crime Wave (1985) by John Paizs,
Last Night (1998) by Don McKellar
The films are analysed one by one, identifying the 'reel' Canadianness in them.
The analyses are concerned not only with a person’s identity, but the whole country’s identity and all the aspects regarding shaping the identity that have already been listed.
The most significant are Canadian landscape, its weather – especially harsh winter, the influence of technology, etc.
The selected features were each made in a different decade and that is taken into consideration during the study, since it is definitely worth attention and comparison of how the ideas and opinions on Canadian identity differed in various eras in Canadian history. To limit the thesis’ scope, no film of Francophone origin has been included. It must be emphasised that it by no means implies that the French-Canadian production is not worth one’s regard. Including it would, however, require to take into consideration a substantial amount of additional factors which would go beyond the scope of the current thesis.
9 2. What is identity?
It is not possible to present the notion of identity in a clear-cut manner and provide one simple definition. There have been ample influences on the notion, hence making it difficult to clearly specify the term, and concurrently changing the scope of it as well. This chapter mentions a few specific definitions of identity that exist and are in use nowadays.
To adhere to the thesis’ content and its main occupation with national identity – specifically 'Canadianness', Benedict Anderson points out the concept has not always been perceived in contemporary manner. Rather,
the concept was born in an age in which Enlightenment and Revolution were
destroying the legitimacy of the divinely-ordained, hierarchical dynastic realm.
Coming to maturity at a stage of human history when even the most devout
adherents of any universal religion were inescapably confronted with the living
pluralism of such religions…" (6-7).
The cohesiveness of the people did not always use to depend on the secular principles such as a common language, shared territory, etc. It used to be religious cohesiveness, prior to nowadays reasons, which made people to associate then. P. Sean Hier further argues the need to associate came along with "capitalism, technology and linguistic diversity" (80). All of these aroused people’s imagination and initiated formation of the nation and the sense of belonging, i.e. identity, connected with it.
In a more general sense, the concept of identity, as any other notion, might be described both in positive and negative terms, i.e. what it is and what it incorporates in positive terms; and what it is not thus what it excludes in negative terms. To be more specific, identity might refer to a person’s belonging somewhere, which corresponds to the positive conception. At the same time, it conceptualizes the person as an individual
10 separating him/her from each other or the other, which corresponds to the negative conception.
Defining the term in a more detailed manner, it is necessary to say that identity is socially constructed. There have been many attempts to explain the term, and concurrently more factors influencing the definition process have emerged. Therefore, for the purposes of the definition, a simple distinction of the term identity into internal and external is provided, drawing on Deaux’s assertion that "on the one hand, identity is a feature of the individual, reflecting an internal process of self-definition" which refers to the concept of internal identity, while "[o]n the other hand, identity emerges in a social context and is shaped by the immediate circumstances as well as the broader culture" which is linked to the external identity (qtd. in Jørgensen 618). The terms are further discussed in the following chapter.
2.1 Distinction of identity – internal vs. external
As briefly stated above, the thesis takes account of the chief distinction of identity into two main types –internal and external identity: "Identity has two significant faces, an inner and an outer one" (Greenacre qtd. in Jørgensen 618). Due to the thesis’ scope limitation and its principal focus, however, I am not occupied with the internal identity separately in detail. The chief aim is to discern a common Canadian national identity. It is a concept shared by people in Canada, explained further in the chapter and also employed later when analysing 'Canadianness' in the films.
As it was previewed, external identity is subdivided into three categories - cultural, national and social. Out of these, national identity is paid closer attention to in the thesis. National identity is shared by the members of the nation, hence considered
11 typical of the nation and its inhabitants. It can be observed by the others and be used to generalize the whole. It is more connected with comparison to the others as well.
One of the existing interpretations of national identity is David Rousseau’s speculation that "a shared sense of identity can reduce, or even eliminate, perceptions of threat posed by power asymmetries" (686). People need to belong somewhere for the fear of danger or harm that can afflict them while standing alone. Regarding Rousseau’s assertion, it is a justifiable reason for the strong aspiration of people to define their external identity nowadays, at times of new previously unknown inventions and new threats appearing.
Both internal and external identities intertwine, and one cannot exist independently from the other. On the one hand, internal identity influences one’s thinking and acting, on the other, external identity shapes one’s internal identity in return. It is difficult to say which concept came into existence first as well as which is the cornerstone of the other. After such an assertion, identity might seem to be a perfect example of a schizophrenic: it is "a running battle and an interminable struggle between the desire for freedom…and the need for security [the need to belong somewhere, to be part of a community and to be attached to others], haunted by fear of loneliness and a dread of incapacitation" (Bauman qtd. in Jørgensen 622). One strives to differentiate from others and establish his/her own separate identity, while concurrently wants to belong to those others and conform to a certain external identity.
So far, only human identity has been mentioned – internal vs. external of an individual person, and national – shared by more people. However, there exist identities not so predominantly connected to a human.
12 2.2 Landscape identity
Apart from the previously discussed identity predominantly tied to a person, there also exists a landscape identity. It is connected to land; the soil people are related to, thus here the concept of identity acquires a whole new dimension, a palpable aspect.
Sometimes, landscape identity makes itself very overt as a part of a human identity. It influences the person: [L]andscapes hold different layers of meaning and evoke diverse senses of belonging. They can provoke reflection on experience, hold memories and motions…[C]hanges in landscapes can entail the drawing of new boundaries
(Bienkowski 3). The changes of a landscape can cause a change of one’s identity. It might change the landscape’s identity per se. For instance, once hostile and cold tundra might alter its identity profusely having been exposed to the effects of global warming for a considerable amount of time. These changes of landscape identity are palpable, in comparison to the changes of human identity.
Identity can be found in every place and in every landscape. "Building styles, field patterns, and settlement arrangements imply larger meanings and representations about the place, culture and identity" (Gade 430). People project their identities into architecture, into what they make. However, it is not only humans who solely shape the landscape identity. Other constituents contained within the landscape might shape the place’s identity – mountain ranges might make it seem inaccessible, for instance, etc. Of course, landscape identity is closely connected with human’s identity – both internal and external, since the perception of others’ identities is always influenced by our own.
The perception of our own identity might also be influenced by various other means, which can even cause a new identity to come into existence in the end. The means I am talking about are of technological nature.
13 2.3 Technologized identity
New communication technologies have freed interaction from the requirements of physical co-presence; these technologies have expanded the array of generalized others contributing to the construction of the self. Several research foci emerge from this development: the substance of “I,” “me,” and the generalized other in a milieu void of place, the establishment of communities of the mind, and the negotiation of co-present and cyberspace identities. Karen Cerulo
What has come to the fore lately, at the time of technology and the Internet, as well, is a notion of technologized identity. As the thesis indicates later, this is applicable to Canada specifically, since Canadian image has extensively been 'technologized' recently, and 'Canadianness' has been influenced by the progress of technology in ample manners.
Technology is an important part of Canadian identity. "Information and communication technologies are becoming an increasingly direct part of many
Canadians’ experience at home and at work (Adria 169). The country virtually defines its identity by means of technology, as this thesis proves to show by the choice of the topic. Canadian film and identity considerably intertwine. The director’s identity is always reflected in his/her work. The films influence the audience’s identity.
Canadian government also uses technology to strengthen national identity and to unite the citizens: "[t]he access and new connections of a wired Canada are explicitly intended to lead to new forms of social integration" (Adria 182). Nonetheless, it is arguable to what extent the mentioned strategies are actually efficient. In fact, it rather seems to fulfil a reverse role to its original intensions. The employment of technology might induce the distortion of the uniqueness of the individual, leaving him/her standing
14 alone among many other generalized others, to borrow the term from Cerulo. The individual then feels alienated from the rest. His/her identity is often so heavily mediated via various available technology means that he/she sometimes feels alienated from his/her personal identity as well.
Technology was intended to help to unite the people and hence support the formation of national identity, or one common identity. However, its involvement is gradually increasing and pushing an individual’s identity slowly into the background, replacing it with technologized identity.
2.4 Conclusion
So far four types of identity have been discussed – internal, external, landscape and technologized. These will be further referred to in the analytical part of the thesis while examining the selected Canadian films. The focus on a specific type of identity also shifted concurrently with the period in which the film was produced, since the surrounding events influenced the directors´ focus of attention to a great deal. Apart from the period and contemporary events, it was also the place where the film was made, class, race, gender of the film crew and other features that had an impact on the process of making the film and its final shape.
15 3. What is Canadian identity?
As the title suggests, this chapter’s aspiration is to examine the concept of
Canadian identity. It is achieved by means of differentiating it from American and
British identities, which have exercised a considerable influence over the formation of
'Canadianness'. Moreover, I consider other aspects influencing Canadian identity, such as the role of multinational minorities in the process of shaping it – the Francophone part of the society and the first nations substantially. Alongside with it, I explore the role of immigration in general. The chapter is as well concerned with a recent trend of technologized Canadian identity. The Canadian identity classification in this chapter is based on the definitions of the general concept of identity presented in the preceding chapter.
It might seem a most daunting task to define 'Canadianness' at all, since
"[b]oundaries blur, cultures overlap and it becomes increasingly difficult to point confidently to distinctive national features" (Kyloušek 6). Nonetheless, the thesis’s aim is to do that and thus to follow in the steps of those such as Douglas Coupland’s
Souvenir of Canada and Canada House, projects likewise gradually collecting typical artifacts of Canadianness. In this case, however, the thesis attempts to find those distinctive features of Canadian identity in the Canadian film.
I begin the exploration of Canadianness with the analysis of the name of the country per se. In native language, Canada means 'village' or 'settlement', however, if we consider the term in Spanish language, it would be translated as nothing1. This insinuation might seem discouraging. Is it really true? Does Canada really entail nothing specific? This is a standpoint the second chapter tries to disprove to its utmost.
1 Hodgins, J. George. The Geography and History of British America, and of the Other Colonies of the
Empire. Toronto, Maclear & co., 1858. pp. 51
16 It might be advisable to reconsider the whole notion of Canadianness, and replace it with a different term Tracey Raney uses in her article where she mentions
""pan-Canadian" civic identity [which in her views] provided a platform for a pan-
Canadian identity that could appeal to every Canadian regardless of birthplace, race, or religion" (10). Based on this assumption, Canadian in her general understanding applies to the sense of belonging one feels, how he/she conceives of himself/herself. While, pan-Canadian includes everybody and everything within Canada; located on the
Canadian soil. The scope of pan-Canadian is then less unambiguous and wider. On the other hand, it might be considered a too general term.
Originally, I intended to determine what Canadian identity is comprised of.
Though, now it seems less of an obstacle to define what Canadian identity is not comprised of, since Canadianness is indeed multi-faceted and multi-layered, and recognizably multi in many aspects. Drawing on that, Canada definitely does not promote a specified or strictly limited pattern of its identity. "…Canadian identity [is] often described as 'not American', 'not British', 'not French'" (Kaye 75). The positive definition of Canadianness, on the contrary, would indeed be a long proposition incorporating many smaller identities within.
Nevertheless, the proposition might be limited by surrounding it and demarcating it employing the other, or more specifically in this case the others that
Canada refuses to continue 'assimilating' with. "Canada owes its very existence to a conscious rejection of the American Dream – without the United States to rebel against there would be no Canada" (Axworthy x). This is indeed a radical assertion, but it is only included here to support the fact that, so far, it seems Canadianness has been constantly and predominantly defined by means of comparison to the other, albeit it is
17 not so other2 as Hegel originally assumed it to be. In fact, the Other in this case is contained within Canadianness per se, does not stand against it: in Canada "everyone’s
'true' identity is presumed to be rooted somewhere else" (Howard-Hassmann 523). If this assumption is to be rendered true, then Canadian identity would inherently embody the same broad principles as the concept of identity in general. It would incorporate as many aspects as the general notion of identity. Assuming the previously proposed, a question logically follows: ´Is there after all such a concept as 'Canadianness'?´
Fortunately, Canada itself aspires to deal with this issue and delimit its identity, which subsequently makes projects such as Coupland’s Canada House, filled with Canadian artifacts, come into existence.
What might also raise questions and cause chaos, in the immigrants especially, is the fact that "[f]requently, biological ancestry is confused with social ethnicity"
(Howard-Hassmann 523). The people with different places of origin, who find themselves in Canada, might still be confused about their identity after several years living in the country. "Making "Canadian" an…option… allow individuals to proclaim their Canadian identity" (Kalbach 1). After the need for recognition was officially acknowledged and pronounced by the state, people began to reconsider their sense of belonging. Simultaneously, from then onwards, they have been slightly manoeuvred to do it by several official means, such as census, for instance. There, they are obliged and supposed to claim a certain identity, one of the options being Canadian.
Nevertheless, Canada as a country itself does not have an unambiguous attitude towards defining what its identity incorporate. On the one hand, there have been ample attempts to clarify the one common and generally shared identity in Canada, while on the other, "multiculturalism" [a policy employed by Canada] "encourages private,
2 Robert R. Williams. Recognition: Fichte and Hegel on the Other. State University of New York Press,
Albany: 1992.
18 individual choices of identity" allowing people to pursue their own origins, and only in the times when it is necessary to overtly proclaim themselves Canadians (Howard-
Hassmann 523). Summing this up, it is possible to observe two simultaneous and discrepant tendencies there: one is the effort to find and define Canadian identity, and the other is the possibility of multiculturalism caused by the Canadian policy, which obstructs the idea of Canadian identity to be fully established.
To conclude the chapter, there is one last part of Canadian identity to be touched upon. Of those many cultures that co-exist along each other in Canada, there are two prevailing groups – Francophone and Anglophone constituent. Of these two, Québec and the Francophone part of Canada tend to be more certain about their sense of belonging and identity than the Anglophone part. "Canadians (other than Québécois)
[are] just a mishmash of individuals from all over the place" (Seguin qtd. in Howard-
Hassmann 524). Québécois do not attach themselves to French origins nor to any other origins. They consider themselves a separate group of Francophone basis, even though they do not distinctively dwell upon the question of their origins. After all, this particularly, paradoxically, might be the aspect that binds them together, apart from the shared culture, language etc.
In the following chapters, Canadianness is compared to other identities that have had an impact on its formation. These are predominantly American and British. By the comparison I aspire to demarcate the Canadian identity from the outside. Later in the thesis, I attempt to demarcate it from the inside and consider several issues which are dealt with in the selected films and connected with Canadian identity. The general concepts of various types of identity mentioned in the second chapter are specified and applied to Canadian surroundings there. The chapter deals with Canadian identity vs.
19 American and British identities, Canadian landscape identity and Canadian technologized identity, respectively.
3.1 Canadianness vs. other identities
In the chapter 2.1, David Rousseau’s definition of national identity as one’s commitment to the group for fear of potential threat was presented (Rousseau). It is applicable to Canada as well: "rather than weaken or diminish national identity, perceptions of group threat might have the opposite effect, leading to the possibility that
Canadians’ national identities have intensified over time, and perhaps resulting in some defining their national identity in exclusionary or restrictive ways" (Raney 10). The threat that many Canadians possibly feel arises mainly from the possible breakdown of their 'unity' which, if so, might be induced by two principal factors – the Francophone part of Canada endeavouring to separate itself, or the culturally dominant neighbour occupying the same continent with Canada, the United States of America. Canada has permanently led a war on two battlefronts – on the one hand it has been the urge to differentiate itself from the US and Britain, and on the other, the omnipresent awareness of the necessity to incorporate its Francophone part. Nevertheless, it has not only been this struggle that has lingered on. There has also appeared the conflict between the Old
World, being represented by Britain and the New World, a crucially Canadian concern.
The two upcoming sub-chapters are occupied with the above mentioned relationships of Canada and the US, and Canada and the UK, respectively.
3.1.1 Canadianness vs. Americanness
Canada, in order to mature and differ from Britain, was forced to define itself in terms of the continent it was situated on, consequently being forced into another union -
20 with the US The relationship acquired a continental dimension. Detaching from the rigid prior sense of belonging to its colonizer, Canada became more 'creative' by means of "substituting a politics of authenticity (being) with a politics of creativity
(becoming)" (Hier 9). In other words, Canada does not encompass Canadianness within, it creates it with its open-mindedness towards immigration and tolerance of minorities.
Despite the strengthening of Canadian contacts and vis-á-vis interactions with the US, which induces that Canada refrains from dwelling on its past ties so vigorously, there is a "fierce ambivalence, one might almost say a schizophrenia, about the United
States [and] Canadians are [still by some, such as Frank Underhill, considered] the world’s oldest continuing anti-Americans" (Axworthy x). It is indeed an ambiguous relationship, since the US both positively and negatively intervenes into Canada’s life, taking a toll that is extensively reflected in culture, more specifically in film production to which the second part of the thesis is devoted. With respect to the Canada/US relationship, be it considered positive or negative interference, it is evident that it alters
Canada immensely.
The strong influence inevitably emanating from the US, which is sometimes claimed to slowly oppress the Canadian culture, which then "need[s] special support in its efforts to withstand the American tide", might not always perforce only be rendered a negative impact (Smith 7). It is due to the constant pressure from the US, Canada set up institutions on national scope, such as National Film Board (NFB), and caused that "the state was involved [more eager to express Canadianness than ever before]…. No longer manifesting itself merely at the margins and in principle, it began to play a full, active, and altogether central role" (Smith 99). Consequently the search for a unified identity began, as a concomitant to the intensifying national involvement.
21 There have been many scholars all over the world emphasizing that
"“Canadianness” is based on the opposition to the “Big American Other”" (Pospíšil qtd. in Kyloušek 222). Both the nations conjointly, more or less, experienced histories akin to each other in relation to Europe and immigration, yet, they both associate with their histories, presents and futures in a distinctively different manner. It seems the US is generally conceived of as more confident and more assertive of the two, in comparison to Canada which seems to be preoccupied with resolving the histories of all it members respectively:
In Canada the idea of creating a new being has gained nothing like the currency
it has in the United States [the melting pot]. Here the controlling metaphor has
been the mosaic, a grand design consisting of many different elements, each of
which retains its own character and quality while simultaneously contributing to
the realization of the design as a whole… (Smith 129).
Paradoxically, the outcome of this theory is reverse in its essence, since in the US everyone has its own American personal identity – it is supposedly embraced in one, the state injects it into every individual regardless their origins. Compared to this, in Canada there is one common Canadian national identity placed outside every individual, it is shared by everyone and one can reach to it and claim his/her Canadianness whenever required by the circumstances. It is not necessarily part of one’s personal identity, which might be of any other nationality than Canadian.
3.1.2 Canadianness vs. Britishness
It has not been only the preceding opposition to the US that Canada has had to face in the course of its existence. Another relevant one has always kept appearing from beyond the ocean. Though, in this case, it might have more prominent authority and
22 claims on Canada than the US. Britain was for a long time considered an important part of Canadian history. Interestingly enough, likewise, for those who immigrated to
Canada from other parts of the world, the British Queen was deemed the authority they recognized: "Canada had never, so far, entirely severed the umbilical cord which bound it to England" (Grove qtd. in Axworthy 129). Concurrently, it is convenient for
Canadians to stay attached to Britain, i.e. having one solid core around which other layers are gradually accumulating throughout the years. The problem of identifying seems less perplexing then, if they can concentrate only at the core, rather than attempting to define all the layers around it, which have almost no shared attributes nor common past.
The aforementioned ´theory of threat´ (see chapter 2.1) is applicable here as well. Canadians are afraid of both losing the former bonds as well as of forming new ones. As if they wanted to stay detached, in the middle, exploiting parts of each of its others to its common advantage, which, in fact, becomes Canadian policy nowadays indeed. Canada contains multiple others, and it does exploit them beneficially when convenient. For instance, as the following example depicts:
The story mentioned that the "well-known Canadian cartoonist George Feyer"
was also one of the contributors…. Commented George wryly at the time, "If I
had raped a girl instead of painting a mural, I am sure I would have been referred
to as the 'notorious Hungarian rapist, George Feyer.' I guess "Canadianness"
depends on what you do to earn it"… (Firth 7).
The two or sometimes many fold identity is indeed influenced by the contribution one makes to Canadian society. By maintaining the not clearly specified identity, Canada secures its society’s image to a certain degree, extracting the good from the others incorporated within Canada, and at the same time excluding the bad parts of it.
23 Since multiculturalism policy is pursued in Canada and people are allowed to maintain the connections to their homelands, the government has another mechanism how to reinforce and promote Canadian attachments to Britain. The concept of homeland is incorporated in Canadian policy and concurrently it is often highlighted, and a strong emphasis is put on the fact which country in particular is to be conceived of as homeland. Therefore, Canadians feel the freedom of choice, yet they might be obliquely manoeuvred into what the state policy wants them to pursue. "…the sheer self-assertion and will to power…possesses no moral or political legitimacy whatever.
The will to power must therefore conceal itself behind a mask of quasi-historical narratives couched in a specific normative vocabulary" (Madison 106). That is what the
Canadian government, and not only Canadian, is actually doing, promoting whatever past connection is convenient to justify its power.
Canada provides its inhabitants with myriad stories about common past and shared history with the UK and, concurrently, convinces itself that the relationship and interactions between the two is thoroughly based on liberal premises. Likewise, Britain attempts to have a liberal attitude towards Canada, by means of which it implicitly sustains the mutual attachment. The ensuing example adverts to that:
When India and the other Asian Dominions, with the exception of Burma,
declared in 1949 their intention to remain within the Commonwealth, there was
immense satisfaction in Canada. The decision meant that the Commonwealth
was not merely a matter of British sentiment, but an association founded on
principles universally valid, to which nations of one of the most ancient
civilizations of the world, despite two centuries of dependence, thought it
important to adhere (Morton 55).
24 This effort of maintaining a certain level of British involvement with the people in
Canada, however, encounters obstacles, especially among young generations: "…the community in which [the young] are raised and live can be highly oppressive. They are especially oppressive when a majority’s desire to preserve cultural traditions creates pressures to conform to "the old ways,"…" (Madison 129). The same, in this case, is also applicable for Quebecois: "…younger voters are more enthusiastic about Quebec independence because they feel more alienated from the older values, including the values of Canadian unity…" (Doran 97). Attitudes change along with the times.
Younger generations do not share the principles of the older generations.
Nevertheless, it might not be an easy effort for the younger generations to alter the contemporary state, since the Canadians "must not forget those histories, lest [they] lose the blessings [they] receive from them" (Madison 197). The reason is the fact that
"the overall spontaneous order depends upon these treaties [that] represent profound commitments between peoples that enable [the Canadians] to "let go" of conflicts in favour of respectful coexistence" (ibid. 198).
3.1.3 Francophones and First Nations in Canada
Of the coexisting constituents, there are two that attain rather significant and specific position in Canada and whose "claims to sovereignty…must be reconsidered"
(Madison 198). Those are the genuine Canadians, which entails the people who were there as first in the past. "[I]mmigrant cultures have no historical legacy in Canada" in comparison to First Nations and Quebecois (Madison 199). Those two also feel the strongest sense of belonging and most unambiguously conceive of themselves as people of Canada. I intentionally do not employ the term Canadians here, since they do not
25 seek to conform to the unified term, but rather differentiate from it and adhere to
Canada by their own means.
In Canada, sometimes, as if the two identities – external and internal – were not able to coexist alongside each other: "Must all talk of belonging, community, and "our" way of life threaten individual autonomy…"? (Madison 91). That is indeed what most of the Quebec separatists perceive - the common and shared Canadianness as a threat to their Quebec individuality. In the past "the milieu from which the document emerged was one in which the two founding (white) cultures, Francophone and Anglophone, had to make room for each other" (Mathews 52). Unfortunately, since then a lot has changed. The Anglophone constituent has substantially grown in size which subsequently entailed acquisition of more power, and also has aroused fear in the
Francophone minority, which has aspired to exploit the opportunity and has claimed its minority rights. Some complain that "English dominated capitalism…took over social, intellectual, and economic power from the Quebecois, and rendered Quebec society
''unnatural'" (Mathews 58).
3.2 Technologized Canadianness
What has been considered natural nowadays, however, is
the advent of new media and the Internet [that] provides a fresh opportunity to
explore the relationship between Canadian nationhood, as expressed in cultural
activities, and the information and communications technologies (ICTs) by
which those activities are developed and diffused" (Marco 167).
This has not only been an impetus for a transformation of Canadian society externally, but internally as well. It has had a huge impact on Canadianness as we have known it so far. It has re-established it from its very core. Canadian identity itself indeed is an
26 invention, a wireless mechanism in which nobody feels connected firmly to anything.
This technologized identity might not always, however, be conceived of only as something bad and alienating. It has positive traits as well. By means of technology,
Canada presents itself to the Other, the outer world, in ample manners. Simultaneously, an aspiration to define itself arises to provide a clear-cut distinction from the Other. On the other hand, the centre of attention might gradually revolve around the new inventions and machinery more and more, while the issues concerned with identity might slowly be pushed to the background.
Nonetheless, the Canadian identity we perceive on TV, hear on the radio, search on the Internet is extensively mediated. Several directors pointed to the fact. After such vast changes caused by technology development, the question has come to the fore again: 'Is there anything like Canadian identity, in the end?' The potential answer might resemble this:
technology had a totalizing influence on all cultures generally, changing the
trajectory of human evolution and the physical environment. From this
perspective, technology would eventually dissolve any cultural distinctiveness
that Canada could claim, leaving a homogenous, technologically driven but
morally hollow society in North America and eventually the world…
(Adria 180).
The technology progress makes the distinctiveness less profound indeed; the technologized identities mingle and the boundaries between them slowly blur in order to adapt to the progress. In the forthcoming future, the questions related to various specific identities might not be applicable any more, since only one shared heavily technologized identity might exist.
27 3.3 Canadian landscape identity
As it was aforementioned in the chapter 2.2, the landscape also conveys an identity. Canadian landscape used to be associated with descriptive adjectives like wild, free, vast and also dangerous. "Canadian landscape [has played an important role] as an active element in identity formation at all levels - individual, communal, as well as national" (Prajznerová qtd. in Kyloušek 178). People in Canada are aware of the landscape, and conceive of it as part of their identity, as people in Britain, for instance, tend to contemplate about weather in a similar manner. Contrarily, the nowadays attitude towards it has shifted from the former fear to a desire for closer relationship:
"Traill belongs into a particular "landscape tradition" consisting of Canadian[s]….who, rather…strive to become at home in Canada by "crafting a complex intimacy with the wild nature around them"" (Hessing, Raglon, and Sandilands qtd. in Prajznerová qtd. in
Kyloušek 188).
3.4 Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be noted that Canadian identity is an ever-changing and unstable notion. The ever-changing aspect is prominently caused by the immigration and by Canada accepting more and more pieces into its mosaic, which is thus slowly growing out of its borders demarcated in the past by Canada’s colonizers or culturally dominant neighbours - Britain and the United States. As a consequence, Canada needs to set new borders, and new obstacles collaterally appear with those new establishments. Recently, an attempt to obliterate the borders and limits by means of technology has been in progress, although it has appeared to have its liabilities in the shape of distorting the notion of identity to a considerable degree. To answer the
28 question if there is such a thing as Canadian identity might indeed be a most daunting task in the upcoming technologized era.
29 4. Canadian identity in Canadian films
4.1 Introduction
It has been contemplated over in the foregoing chapters if there at all exists such a notion as Canadianness, while, simultaneously, it has been supported by ample quotations, and specific examples have been provided. Therefore, in conclusion, we might declare there, de facto, might be such a concept. In any case, several directors, screen-writers and people engaging in Canadian cinema have throughout the years attempted to discern it in their work, and recount it in a comprehensible, very often implicit, manner to the audience.
The following chapter is concerned with the general situation of the cinema and film in Canada. It accounts for the influence and the impact on the film industry exercised by the emerging institutions such as the National Film Board of Canada
(NFB), the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and similar. According to Albert Kish, NFB filmmaker, those have played an important role in the forming of Canadian identity: "If you remove the CBC and the NFB, there is no
Canada" (qtd. in Keller 54). The aforementioned institutions have indeed tried to affect the Canadian film, but they should not be deemed as a cornerstone for Canadianness.
The thesis as well presents other features and impetus the filmmakers have been engaged with when making their oeuvre, and to which they attributed a high level of importance regarding formation and influencing both Canadian identity and Canadian film.
Further, I attempt to enunciate general common characteristics of the Canadian film and its Canadian hero, in comparison, for instance, to American Hollywood film and its hero. Another area the chapter pertains to is the subjects the directors are engaging with in their work, and how they reflect the Canadianness in those. I take the
30 different years of production of the analysed films into consideration, and observe how the topics and contents of the films have changed as well as how the centre of attention has shifted throughout the time.
4.1.2 Canadian film
The role of the Canadian film has changed in the course of its existence. "[A]t its origins, Canadian film was propaganda, a tool for giving immigrants a model to emulate, an exemplar for the good, Canadian citizen" (Gittings 415). This assertion makes film an important device in determining what is Canadianness. It is a topic that appeals to a vast majority of inhabitants in Canada, since media indeed accounts for a big part of everybody’s life, especially recently. Recurrently, film keeps appearing to be a relevant area to explore regarding Canadian identity.
On the other hand, the "model to emulate, the exemplar for the good, Canadian citizen" (ibid.) which was supposed to help the citizens to assimilate and hold together, itself consisted of many smaller different components. Hence, the definition lost its essential purpose and continues losing it more rapidly, alongside with contemporary growing immigration in Canada. It is difficult to discern the Canadianness in the films, since it is so all-embracing and many times so hyphenated that sometimes it is easier to observe it separately part by part. Therefore, it might happen that the Canadian aspect dissipates when, for instance, considering Canadian-Indian movie from the point of
Indian view first. The Canadian constituent is included, implicitly, yet nobody wants to accentuate it in particular, since it requires an elaborate attempt to venture an unambiguous explanation of what it denotes. A specific example of this is provided in chapter 4.2.2.
31 In order to help to identify which minority groups’ works are specifically to be maintained Canadian, institutions, such as National Film Board of Canada, were set up, and act as a referee in the realm of film industry. Generally, as already stated, anything good and useful might have a chance to be claimed by the Canadians, since
"…Canadian film policy attempts to root trans-national movie-makers, who boast multiple national identities…" and are acclaimed (Keller 4). Reflecting upon this, if the previously mentioned Canadian-Indian film, for instance, is well-received by the audience and critics, it might even first be considered from the Canadian point of view.
What NFB aspires to do is de facto the goal of this thesis. It tries to store the
Canadian film and media production at one place, easily accessible to anybody interested. It might appeal to one as chiefly a collecting task, but in fact, the institution as well functions as a director and promoter of the Canadian film. This is particularly applicable to the productions that fit NFB’s definition of Canadian, and is common to all the selected works stored in its archives.
The consequent chapter explores the themes Canadian directors are engaging with, and compares them to those addressed in the American film. A few times they are identical, yet, the receptions of both Canadian and American films differ profusely.
4.1.3 Themes in Canadian film
A few themes are recurrently attended to by the directors of the Canadian film. It is particularly the notion of the Other, which reappears in various symbols and shapes, implicitly or explicitly. Sometimes the director places "the monstrous otherness into the inside of our own body and mind", and thereby almost accurately reflects the situation in Canada – the schizophrenic state of mind attached to the mosaic style of assimilation, which inflicts both fear and need of the Other on the Canadian citizens (Keller 150).
32 "The truly Canadian hero figure is one who wishes to maintain his own separate identity within the social complex, however cramping it seems to be…" (Brown qtd. in La
Bossiére 25). This is paradoxical indeed, since the true Canadian hero is classified as the one who does not aspire to be Canadian. The true Canadian hero is the Other. On the basis of this statement, we might generally proclaim that most of the heroes in the
Canadian film give us the impression of being lost, depressed and suicidal, aspiring to claim their otherness in opposition to the omnipresent concept of Canadianness.
Likewise, since Canadian policy is multicultural, the true Canadian hero is influenced by the society’s conventions. He/she is thus multicultural to a certain degree as well, explicitly or implicitly.
Another influential theme emerging in the films is Canadian landscape, which, as it was mentioned before several times, conveys identity on its own as well.
Frequently, the plot of a Canadian film is set in winter when there is a lot of snow and low temperatures, yet the genuine Canadian characters do not seem to be afflicted by the freezing weather in a profound manner. "The overwhelming power of the Canadian wilderness has often shaped Canadian artistic productions" (Keller 138). In comparison to Hollywood film set in wild and hostile countryside, where the main protagonists tend to vanquish nature with only slight problems, Canadian hero realizes that he/she cannot defeat it and hence must yield to it. For instance, Careful by Guy Maddin, referred to as a bergfilm, a German expression for a mountain film, is a work in which almost every main protagonist from a small mountain village dies. It is discernible there is the omnipresent terror of nature deeply rooted in Canadian directors, emerging via allusions. It is not specifically Canadian settings in the film. Careful takes place in
Alpine village of Tolzbad in Germany. Nevertheless, Maddin depicts the countryside as dangerous and harsh in winter conditions as only a Canadian director can.
33 To mention a few other topics Canadian directors have been prone to address in their oeuvre, I reflect on Katherine Monk’s suggestions for "typically Canadian themes and motifs in the film. These include anti-heroic protagonists, dysfunctional relationships, an obsession with death, and, of course, strange sexual cravings" (Monk qtd. in Alioff 38). Generally, Canadian film is perceived by many as gloomy, depressing and not happy-ending, compared to Hollywood, at all. Though it is not owing to the subjects the directors examine, even though those previously listed might not provoke very intense feelings reminding one of Hollywood glamour. Nonetheless, it is mainly due to the directors’ attitudes towards the themes they inspect, that those films seem dispiriting. According to Don Shebib: "…even when people fail in American films…their failure has been glamourized, whereas in Canadian films, the characters are usually grubby and more-than-a-little dumb. They just can’t cope, they’re pathetic even when … they rebel and shoot it out with authorities" (Hofsess 77). The attitudes they maintain might impress the audience as too real, they might bear too much resemblance to one’s ordinary life, from which everybody strives to detach themselves for a while when watching the film. Canadians are supposedly claimed to be masters of documentary, and they exploit their mastery quite efficiently, yet sometimes, as if they overused it. Even Mr Skin, a character playing a role of Satan in Bruce McDonald’s
Highway 61 looks too real a person.
To elaborate on the opposing reception of American and Canadian film, I further insert a quote by Peter Urquhart who notices the profound difference:
Rather like shooting fish in a barrel, several reporters could not resist making
fun of the apparent absurdity of a government-funded yacht hosting champagne
and lobster parties with scantily-clad starlets, movie producers, and federal
34 bureaucrats all moored in the Cannes harbour. It all seemed too trashy and
America (qtd. in Keller 42).
In the preceding excerpt it is suggested that when Canada devotes itself to copying the
US style, the painstakingly copied style is considered trashy, but yet, this almost identical trashy keeps repetitively being thrown into Canada’s face, shown as a glorious and stronger opponent on the common film industry battle field.
It is universally acknowledged that an original often appears to be better than a copy, though Don Shebib has a different answer to the query regarding the negative criticism towards Canadian film:
Critics like to play games in which film-makers are just pawns. Critic X will
rush into print a review of a new film, weeks before the others, and praising it to
the skies. Along comes the critic Y, who doesn’t want to appear to be marching
goosestep to X’s march…so he nitpicks his way through the movie, and says,
well, it isn’t as good as you may have heard. Critics write for one another more
than the public. (74)
This might be a brief summary of what the situation appears to be based on. Film industry is indeed not thoroughly concerned with film only. There are apparently more factors to pay attention to and to consider. Since the US is generally conceived of and often referred to as a stronger cultural neighbour of Canada, and definitely one with more strongly developed feeling of self-confidence, Canada is logically consequently pushed into the role of the weaker neighbour. It is therefore doomed to try to cope with it at its utmost, which further influences Canadianness and likewise Canadian film.
One last factor which influences both Canadian film and Canadianness is the already mentioned technology development. Technology is widely used by Canadian directors, either as thematic means in the film, for instance, in those by Atom Egoyan.
35 Or in case of Guy Maddin and similar, it is used as a strongly visible means of production of the film. Jennifer Wenshya Lee and Yvonne M. Hubert in their common article implicitly incorporate technology into a definition of Canada. The proposition asserts that "Canada images itself as a community… This community is complicated by struggles over language, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and ecology; by consumption as a constitutive part of identity formation; by the production of images,…" (498).
'Production of images' goes hand in hand with technology. One might object that technology development is an all-over-the-world process, yet, how many countries mention it and pay attention to it while discussing their identities?
Another question is to what degree technology influences us, and to what degree we can influence it? Alongside technology progress, lack of identity distinction has appeared as a side-effect. The boundaries have been distorted and mingled, which is always more beneficial for Them than for Us. If one’s country has problems with defining itself unambiguously, it is easier for Them to come and assimilate with Us than if the country has a strictly delimited identity and does not accept the others as easily.
4.1.4 Conclusion
To conclude the chapter and to proceed with the specific films analyses, I summarize the few topics that recur in the Canadian film. Firstly, it is the other – a hero who aspires to maintain his/her separate identity and who is usually multicultural.
Secondly, it is the dangerous and powerful landscape. Thirdly, there are further issues
Canadian directors engage with, such as, according to Katherine Monk, anti-hero, atypical sexual relationships, and death. Regarding American and Canadian film, their reviews differ profoundly. The reason for these opposing opinions might be the directors´ attitudes towards the handled topic. Canadians are masters of documentary,
36 thus their versions of a story seems more depressive and less glamorous than the
American. Finally, technology is coming to the fore and becomes one of the important issues of the Canadian film as well.
4.2 The Analyses of a Selected Set of Films
In the following part of the thesis, I analyse the set of films mentioned in the introduction. The titles I have chosen for the purpose are: The Earnie Game (1967) by
Don Owen, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974) by Ted Kotcheff,, The Big
Crimewave (1985) by John Paizs, and Last Night (1998) by Don McKellar. My aim is to find traits of Canadianness that were incorporated in the films by the directors, and explore their meanings and their role there. I also pay attention to the years of their production, since those influenced the content to a certain amount as well. Further, I include some of the films’ reviews to illustrate what impact they had on the audience and how they were generally accepted. All the mentioned films address their contemporary Canadian societies. As a matter of fact, it is not virtually possible to make a film without any contemporary society issues being reflected in it, even though implicitly. This fact makes it possible to actually define Canadianness by means of exploring the films.
4.2.1 The Ernie Game (1967) by Don Owen
The film by Don Owen, itself is supposed to be concerned more with the personal identity rather than the overall Canadianness, nevertheless, there are still features due to which we can observe Canadian society’s impact on the director.
Likewise, it is apparently not an easy task to produce a film completely devoid of any society influence. Furthermore, The Ernie Game is mainly analysing the personal
37 identity in relation to society, thus the Canadian community is also an important theme in the film.
The plot centres around Ernie Turner, who has just been released from an asylum, and tries to assimilate back into the Canadian society, which is not an easy task for him. On the way back to 'normal' life he encounters two women – his ex-girlfriend and his new lover. He wants to write, but cannot succeed in it, since everybody thinks he is not supposed to be a writer and discourages him from it. His ex-girlfriend even suggests: "Maybe you’re not a writer, alright? You know, maybe, you’re something else. Maybe you are a plumber or something…" (The Ernie Game). We might trace the distinctive general Canadian hero’s attitude to life. She does not encourage him to write.
Instead, she claims he cannot do it, thus calling him a loser: "Canada as a country without an identity or as a nation in 'perpetual self-doubt'" (Resnick qtd. in Raney 20).
On the contrary, Ernie might be de facto able to do it, which is obvious in the scene following later in the film. He meets a girl in the library and among the poetical silence and complete stillness of books tells her about his lyrical dreams: "…and while he slept, he dreamt he was a butterfly flying through the garden and that he could see a man asleep. But when he woke up, he was no longer sure if he was a man dreaming that he was a butterfly, or if he was a butterfly dreaming that he was a man" (The Ernie
Game). Although, before he manages to finish his contribution, the girl leaves, showing no interest at all in what he is composing. What this might indicate is the director’s awareness of the prevalent Canadian film situation – it lacks audience, like Ernie does.
It is inherently good, but only a few interested pay attention to it long enough to discover it.
The film was produced in 1967, and already back then technology was widely recognized and its advantages extensively exploited. This is reflected in the film, where
38
"…and while he slept, he dreamt he was a butterfly flying through the garden and that he could see a man asleep. But when he woke up, he was no longer sure if he was a man dreaming that he was a butterfly, or if he was a butterfly dreaming that he was a man" (The Ernie Game).
"I wanna live. I just realized it" (The Ernie Game)
39 the telephone functions as a mediator for the people to maintain communication with one another. In the last scene when Ernie is slowly dying in his lover’s flat, it is the telephone via which he is finally able to convey his thoughts to her and frankly ask her for help: "I wanna live. I just realized it" (The Ernie Game). Owing to inventions like the telephone, it is easier to transfer one’s ideas instantly, almost at the moment of their realization, and concurrently "individual’s identity is challenged in the course of interaction with information technology" (Nach 620). With respect to this, the film’s theme dealing with a mentally challenged young man might be aptly pursuing the problems which the contemporary Canadian society was facing.
In the course of the film, Ernie develops a momentary obsession with another type of technology, and it is a camera, which similarly gives one a distorted image of themselves. Despite that, it makes Ernie satisfied when he acquires it. In order to do this, however, he is forced to steal a typewriter from an officer in the asylum. This might be interpreted as a reaction to the contemporary society evolution – disposing of old technology, superseding it with the new one, such as camera over a typewriter, in this particular case. "Indeed, a user may find that a given technology provides a creative way of doing his or her job, one that may add a desired role that confirms, supports and reinforces his or her identity" (Nach 621). Ernie is constantly pestered by his girlfriends to find a job, which he does not. As a consequence of one such an argument with his girlfriend, he departs from the house to steal the typewriter, and buys the camera, feeling himself employed while taking images of others in the streets. He is predominantly consumed by capturing images of ordinary every-day images, as
Canadians in general are when making documentaries.
On the contrary, technology does not only improve one’s life as suggested above. There is a scene when the phone is ringing while Ernie is about to leave his
40 girlfriend’s house at night. On hearing it, he decides to wait until she finishes the call.
What follows is a 10-second shot when the audience can only hear the phone ringing aloud in an irritating manner, and feel the tension of the two protagonists silently standing in the small hall. As if this was to alert the audience of what might come if they allow the technology to occupy their lives excessively. Technology is on the other hand also the only 'companion' to Ernie when he is dying. He tries to contact various people on the phone to talk to them, to ask them to save his life. However, his calls for help are mediated through the phone so heavily that the reality of the situation does not strike anybody as real. Thus, nobody helps Ernie, and he dies in the kitchen alone surrounded by the state of the art appliances, and only the phone talking to him, using the voice of Donna, his girlfriend.
Apart from technology, Owen pays attention to depiction of Canadian character as well. "There you have it. The blandest adjective in the English language, and we have claimed it proudly as our own. Canadians are nice. I was never more depressed" writes
Will Ferguson in his book Why I Hate Canadians (9). The Canadian nice is illustrated in the film as Ernie and his friend rob a gas station. After that Ernie shoots at his accomplice just for the sake of fun and despair. He later slaps him for that. On departing, though, as he is taking his fair share of the stolen money, he does not take everything, but allows Ernie, who he has barely known for one day, to keep an equal amount. This indeed is a nice Canadian!
What Canadian directors also often employ is sarcasm, irony and dark humour.
The Ernie Game contains plethora of examples of those. Nevertheless, every time it is appropriately inserted by Owen to complete a certain scene. One instance of that might be the moment when Ernie meets his new girlfriend on the street and starts to pursue her when she initiates a conversation: "'Are you an alcoholic?' 'No, why?' 'The way you
41 walk. So slow…'" (The Ernie Game). It is inserted suitably here just to fill up the awkward silence that could occur between those two strangers. It relaxes the audience watching this awkward moment. The whole film per se, actually, is a collection of sarcasm and irony. Everything seems to be possible here, and people are helpful at all costs. The scenes are construed in a sarcastic manner, the characters are made excessively frank, yet are not at all. Nothing seems real, and the moments are often exaggerated profoundly. With reference to that, the film style may remind the audience of camp, often employed by Guy Maddin in his films, though in Owen´s case it is not as cheesy as camp usually aspires to be.
The film was being produced at the time when Canada was beginning its lengthy journey towards multiculturalism. There is one sequence in the movie which might be conceived of as an allusion to those events taking place in the 1960s. It is Ernie’s encounter with the African-Canadian immigrants. While talking to them, they introduce the object of his later short-time obsession to him – the camera. This scene might aspire to ensure us the immigration is a positive aspect of the society, it might bring something fresh and new into self-doubting Canadian life, as it, for instance, brought to Ernie.
What might strike one in the movie is a scene when Ernie slaps his girlfriend while talking to her, after she has just said calmly: "You’re not gonna see me around any more if you keep this up…" (The Ernie Game). His action appears not to fit the moment entirely. Nonetheless, there is a potential explanation in a book by John Gray
Lost in North America, where he claims that "there is such a thing as Canadian violence…Brutality is part of Canadian culture too. But we fail to bring this up in our media. Too complicated. Too relativist and ironic. Too Canadian" (37). This is applicable to the mentioned scene, where all of a sudden violence is unveiled. It is not
42
It is Ernie’s encounter with the African-Canadian immigrants. While talking to them, they introduce the object of his later short-time obsession to him – the camera.
"there is such a thing as Canadian violence…Brutality is part of Canadian culture too…"
43 included in the scene when Ernie encounters a drunk quarrelsome man, being drunk himself, but it happens unexpectedly, as if the director felt a sudden urge to incorporate it, even though the timing might not seem fitting.
As stated earlier, Will Ferguson in his book mentions the fact that Canadians are very nice people, which he is not overly glad about. This aspect of Canadianness is depicted in the film as well, and in more than one scene. All the characters behave politely to each other, no matter what the situation is, how tense it appears to be. The characters always seem to mind their good behaviour. For instance, the scene when
Ernie encounters the drunk man would certainly turn into a fight if the same material were treated by a Hollywood director. However, it ends up in a lively and polite discussion and eventually biding good nights to each other, when treated by the
Canadian Owen. The same situation occurs in the scene where Ernie pursues a lonely girl at night. In the streets he meets another young drunk man who is later willing to rob a cinema with him. Yet, this delinquent saves the girl from being bothered by Ernie.
The director usually displays both negative and positive traits of his/her hero. He/She does not allow their characters to assume a definite attitude to being good or bad.
Recurrently, we can notice Canadian mystery of a documentary style. They incline to depict the characters as realistically as possible. They are not thoroughly bad nor thoroughly good, exactly as it happens in real life.
The response to Canadian nice and polite behaviour should apparently be nice and polite behaviour from the others, as well. At least, it is what Canadians might expect: "Just sew a maple leaf on your backpack, my boy, and when the terrorists storm the bus they’ll be offering you tea and crumpets while the Americans, Israelis and Brits are being lined up against a wall and shot" (Ferguson 12). This assertion is also depicted in the film, specifically in the scene when Ernie plays with the tourists’ camera and he
44 seems unwilling to return it. Yet, they do not argue with him nor push him to return it too assertively, merely wait until he gives it back to them. He is a nice Canadian, hence they return the niceness.
Regarding Ernie’s girlfriend, she utters a sentence in the film which conveys an important message to all the Canadians. She says: "You just have to think differently"
(The Ernie Game). As if she tried to address the Canadians, not only depressed Ernie.
As if she wanted to change their depressive way of thinking: "'Poor Ernie, always feeling sorry for himself.'…'What are you trying to do?' 'I´m trying to get you to see that you create these things for yourself'" (The Ernie Game). Owen possibly realized what Shebib did (see Hofsess’ quote in Chapter 4.1.3): Canadians handle the given topics in darker and more depressive way than Americans usually do, hence the films’ popularity is not as acclaimed, since their overall form might impress the audience as too pessimistic and arousing negative emotions. Owen might have inserted this short utterance in order to point out that fact. He does not employ the encouragement of
Canadians only once. Later he introduces Ernie himself to mediate this 'encouraging' message. "Gotta remember the right mental attitude. Come on! Be happy! Think positive…right?!" (The Ernie Game).
On the other hand, there is one aspect included in the film that is not typically considered Canadian. It is Ernie’s narcissism. Ernie is a typical depressed Canadian loser, however, at the same time, he is obsessed with his looks and image. He often looks into the mirror exploring his face. One scene is all taken up by Ernie getting dressed trying various models on, indecisive about what to wear for a day spent at home, anyway. Canadian heroes cannot usually afford such vanity. "Ehm…well…what am I gonna put on today? I think I’ll wear my brown shirt and my brown pants and my
…." (The Ernie Game). This monologue about clothes takes a few minutes. Ernie is
45 overtly vain in this scene, which Canadian heroes usually do not have a chance to be.
The surrounding conditions do not allow them.
The final scene of Ernie’s suicide consumes seven minutes of the film. It lets him talk, yet, nobody listens again: "No, I’m not crazy. I’d just like to speak to somebody. That’s all" (The Ernie Game). One can again find a resemblance to the situation of Canadian film which has only little audience. The final shot of the film shows Ernie at the window, separated from the life outside. It might be another allusion to Canadian film, which is safely stored in the NFB archives, hidden from the outer world as well.
4.2.1.1 Conclusion
To summarize the analysis, the film from the 1960s contains all the aspects influencing the Canadian society then – the technology progress, multiculturalism and social illnesses, such as depressions Ernie suffers from. The director Don Owen as if aspired to compare Ernie’s life to Canadian film’s situation, at least it might strike the audience as so. It seems Ernie plays the role of Canadian film. Unfortunately, he/it dies in the end. Nobody wants to pay attention to him/it since he/it is generally conceived of as too depressing and a loser.
4.2.2 The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974) by Ted Kotcheff
The film itself is based on a novel written by a Canadian author Mordecai
Richler, a Companion of the Order of Canada, "the centrepiece of Canada’s honours system [that] recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. The Order recognizes people in all sectors of
Canadian society" (The Governor General of Canada). It is an important Canadian film,
46 since it "was a rare box-office success that temporarily revived a dormant Canadian film industry", however, it still contains much Canadian dark sense of humour, pessimism and more than one failure of the main character - Duddy Kravitz (Betzold 2).
Regardless the fact that it contains all the aspects they did not like in other Canadian films, the audience shows recognition this time. One of the reasons might be the excellent performances given by, among many, Richard Dreyfuss, Randy Quaid and
Denholm Elliott, who all make the film look documentary. The success might also be ascribed to the fact that Mordecai Richler himself participated in making the film with his cooperation on the screenplay, which certainly influenced the final shape of the film, and the perception of the audience as well. Kotcheff himself acknowledges Richler’s significant contribution: "But finally I persuaded him. I said: 'Look Mordecai, you gotta come and write the dialogue. Only you know how these people talk.' And he did come….and he wrote all the dialogue from beginning to end" (Kotcheff).
It seems Canada in general profits from co-operation. It does not manifest itself only in the multicultural 'mosaic' society, where there are many cultures co-operating on at common territory, but also in the film realm: "those [films] with separate writers and directors can be and are highly successful on all levels…[and]…Canada…[is a country] with more co-production treaties than any other country in the world…" (Kaye 66).
Based on the previous assumption, it might be appropriate to rather than search for
Canadian identity, to consider endeavours to find Canadian commonality.
The plot of the film centres around Duddy Kravitz, a young Jewish man who is soon turning 20. He lives in a small flat together with his father and his brother who is a medicine student, financially supported by their rich uncle Benjy. Duddy is a very ambitious person and desperately yearns for success, regardless of in what field.
Throughout the movie, he invents several schemes which help him to gain the longed-
47 for fame and moves him closer to reaching his goal. The only aim Duddy has in mind is to buy a lake, since his grandfather has always told him: "A man without land is nobody" (The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz). The importance of land is emphasized here, and much of Canadian landscape can be seen in the film, yet this time it is not covered in snow, and the temperature is not dangerously below zero. On the contrary, it is dangerously boiling this time. The director keeps the fact that Canadian climate is to be considered dangerous and harsh, however, he shows the audience that not only in winter. In many scenes the characters are sweating profusely. Duddy even vomits once after having been exposed to heat for a whole day. Kotcheff as if reacted to the 1970s environmental activism connected with increased awareness of global warming:
"Environmentalists are still fond of recalling the outburst of environmental activism in
1970, epitomized in the 20 million Americans who joined the first Earth Day celebration on April 22" (Uekoetter). He seems to, if only unconsciously, point out there are such problems as over-heating of the planet, hence he made his actors to bathe in the consequences of the contemporary events, as well.
During the film Duddy hurts several of his closest friends and family members.
By forging a cheque, he steals money from his disabled friend, whose injury was partially caused by Duddy´s neglect. He uses his French girlfriend Yvette whenever he needs and wants. He disappoints his Jewish grandfather for whom he claims to do everything connected with acquiring land for him. Moreover he insults Dingleman, a powerful businessman in the Jewish community, and he lets his uncle Benjy die without visiting him at his death bed once again. There are more failures in Duddy’s life, yet they all as if were balanced with good things happening to him throughout the whole movie. This balance might, de facto, remind the audience of a co-operation of two people – a Canadian-Bulgarian director and a Canadian-Jewish writer, in this case. The
48 transitions between positive and negative events happen so quickly that the viewer sometimes does not have time to dwell on them for too long, thus it does not manage to cause him/her any depressive feelings nor exaggerated happiness: "Duddy’s successes and disasters follow upon each other as quickly as … [t]hey seem almost magical"
(Canby).
The opening scene starts with a march of Duddy’s High School Cadet Corps, where the leader of the parade steps into excrement lying on the street while ceremonial music is being played in the background. We might take this as a preview to the film:
'Yes, indeed, it is Canadian, it will be full of losers, it will be exaggerated, but it will all be fun together.' This indeed happens. As the previously analyzed movie, this one too includes plenty of artificial postures and exaggerated feelings and acting, in this case it is presented in the shape of hyper-active and frantic Duddy.
Apart from the traits of camp, which tends to be used by many Canadian directors in their productions, there appear other features typically employed in
Canadian film. It is documentary, which is chiefly provided by the excellent performance of the main protagonists. Furthermore, traits of body horror, very typical of David Cronenberg’s style, are visible as well. It is specifically in the scene when the forbidden and unknown director Mr. Friar (Denholm Elliott) makes a short film, where there is a process of circumcision shown on the screen, accompanied by another scene with a man eating razors, followed by Hitler’s speech. This film becomes popular and acclaimed among the audience. The allusions are rather evident here. The director as if had an optimistic view of the future of Canadian film again, as if this un-known director
(be it Mr. Friar or David Cronenberg) with his short film could possibly gain a world- wide acknowledgement one day, without a necessity to leave his country.
49 The family who gather to watch the film look quite sceptical when the scenes full of cutting, blood and swallowing razors start appearing on the screen, and there is silence among them when the films ends. Nonetheless, somebody starts applauding in the end and the crowd joins in: "An Ekos survey…found that…92% [of Canadians] considered ´attending a performance of a Canadian artist or seeing a Canadian filmˋ important to their ´sense of belonging`" (Kaye 71). They realize it is still a film about them, even though pessimistic and dark and sometimes even immensely shocking. It is them in the film, thus they are bound to acknowledge it once they encounter it.
The film also deals with Francophone society. It is though more Richler’s pre- occupation than Kotcheff’s, since he as a Jew felt a member of minority, living and growing up in French Montreal full of "superstitious anti-Semitism of the French
Canadian "other"" (Brauner 77). He demonstrates his feelings on Yvette, Duddy’s girlfriend, when he allows Duddy to use her meanly and sometimes treats her badly:
"I'm sure many of them [French Canadians] believed that…the St Urbain Street Jews were secretly rich. On my side, I was convinced all French Canadians were abysmally stupid" (Brauner 76). The film is about Jewish community, however, it is not concerned only with it. The plot does not only happen behind the closed door of the Jewish community. They are open, as proper Canadians should be. They accept multicultural
Canada. Duddy finds a French girlfriend and a non-Jewish friend. The story mentions anti-Semitism, but it never causes too many obstacles to Duddy nor any other Jewish character in the film. The characters are of various nationalities, however, are able to co-operate and live along with each other, exactly as in real Canada. Although, a hint to
Francophone separatist society’s situation might be observed towards the end of the film. Yvette eventually breaks up with Duddy, in a way as Quebecois aspire to break up
50
…as if this un-known director (be it Mr. Friar or David Cronenberg) with his short film could possibly gain a world-wide acknowledgement one day, without a necessity to leave his country.
The only aim Duddy has in mind is to buy a lake, since his grandfather has always told him: "A man without land is nobody" (The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz).
51 with the rest of Canada. In this scene, Duddy might represent Canadian society while
Yvette acts on behalf of Quebecois separatists: "I don´t want to see you…ever…again"
(The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz).
Another widely addressed topic is the dysfunctional relationships. Duddy is the less popular out of the two sons in the family, though the audience does not in fact throughout the course of the film find out why. Duddy himself asks his family several times, nevertheless a clear and proper answer does not come. Kotcheff as if reflected upon the fact that Monk asserts; that "typically Canadian themes and motifs in the film… include … dysfunctional relationships", and tried to keep them in the film to make it more genuinely Canadian (see Chapter 4.1.3). Another theory proclaims that the dysfunctional relationships, mainly within a family, that recur so amply in Canadian film are connected with the ties between the family consisting of a mother and two siblings – the US, Canada and the UK:
The ongoing conflicts between the two cultures and languages [Anglophone and
Francophone] have been acted out, usually indirectly and unacknowledged, in
Canadian movies. Some results have been filmic themes of family dysfunction,
siblings or sibling-coded characters and twins, plus outright or subtextual incest"
(Monk and Kaye qtd. in Kaye 74).
Sometimes, the family might consist of three members, including the Francophone part of Canada, as well.
On the other hand, the characters playing Canadians in the film are indeed nice people overall, who help each other and are polite to each other: "The movie breaks with the unbearable niceness of being Canadian. Its characters arouse sympathy because of their comically flawed humanity, not because they are abstract symbols of class or nationality" (Alioff 1). The arch-enemy, Irwin, even gives Duddy back all the money he
52 lost to him in a poker game. The guests in the summer resort collect quite a big amount of money for Duddy, because they simply find him a nice and cheerful attendant. The movie would indeed cause many sleepless nights and goose bumps to those similar to
Will Ferguson, who are not excessively happy about Canadian niceness (see Ferguson’s quote in Chapter 4.2.1).
Search for one’s personal identity is an issue taken into consideration as well.
However, it is conceived of as negative, in this case. It affects Virgil, who identifies himself mainly as an epileptic and wants to set up an association for all epileptics. He wishes to belong somewhere, to have a family. In the movie he asks Duddy: "Do you like me?" (The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz). His identity makes him lonely and his happiness depends on the others, such as Duddy and Yvette. Again, identity is closely tied to the other as referred to in Chapter Two. Duddy likewise feels the loneliness when asking his father about his dead mother: "Did she like me?" (ibid.) The answer he gets is: "Sure, why not?" (ibid.). What happens here, according to Daniel Golden, is that
"family bonds seem to twist or break under the pressure of assimilating" (1). The
Canadians who strive to assimilate with the Canadian society come farther and farther from their family circles, and sometimes severely damage their ties, as it happens with
Duddy. The film might be deemed a warning against too overwhelming attempt to adhere to Canadianness.
4.2.2.1 Conclusion
Kotcheff’s film contains plethora of quintessentially Canadian topics and concerns, yet this time they happen in fast sequence, hence giving the audience some time to comprehend it, but not to dwell on it for too long. Throughout the film one
53
The guests in the summer resort collect quite a big amount of money for Duddy, because they simply find him a nice and cheerful attendant.
"I don´t want to see you…ever…again" (The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz).
54 experiences many types of emotions from hatred, through love to loss. Everything seems to be balanced just perfectly though. One can notice the co-operation between the director and the writer, which was indeed a good idea from which the film benefited.
Another advantage was the well chosen cast, who attracted the necessary viewers, and caused the film to stand out. It might be considered a Jewish minority film, hence it is a good sample to analyse, since it encompasses the multiculturalism, so typical of
Canadian society.
4.2.3 The Big Crimewave (1985) by John Paizs
The Big Crimewave (1985) aka Crime Wave is a collection of almost all, in previous chapters mentioned, typically exploited themes of Canadian film. It contains everything from weird sexual practises, through dark humour to irony and sarcasm; and nice Canadians cannot be left out either. The technique used by Paizs might be identified as a mixture of several techniques at once. He employs meta-film, camp, documentary – simply everything Canadians are generally considered to be good at.
To mention examples of meta-film, there are several scenes describing a process of making a film. Steven often reveals the techniques and processes of making a movie to his little friend Kim. The audience is, at one point, even included in an experiment which Steven practises on Kim to demonstrate how it works with animation, thus one can be deeper engaged in the film. The director relied on another method how to make the audience more involved in the story, and it is the generally acknowledged assumption that "throughout the history of movies, audiences have been obsessed with tales of crime…Something about breaking the law and getting away with it seems to appeal to everyone" (Jackson and Hughes qtd. in Jackson 120). What also supports the previous claim that crime films were popular at the time, is the fact that at the same time
55 Paizs’ film was being released, there were simultaneously more crime stories coming out. One of them was, de facto, the reason for the two names of Paizs’ film –
Crimewave and The Big Crimewave. It was a film by Sam Raimi called Crimevawe, as well occupied with crime stories, hence exploiting a popular topic of the contemporary audience.
Not to forget to include brief synopsis of the film, there are predominantly two main characters on the screen – Steven Penny and Kim (Penny’s landlord’s little daughter). Steven strives to become a colour crime movie director, though is forced to start by typing short crime story scripts every night when the street lamp is turned on.
Unfortunately, he is only able to come up with beginnings and endings to his scripts. He lacks the ability to think of a good twist or any twists at all. In the end, it is Kim who attempts to help to solve this problem of his. She does that in return for his lectures on film making and film industry. She finds an experienced tutor for Steven in an ad in
Colour Crime Quarterly, which Steven regularly reads. The tutor finally turns out to be a mad Dr. Jolly from the US, craving for weird sexual practises, for which he later uses
Steven. Nevertheless, all these experiences make Steven improve his writing and get to the top where only "few people made it" (The Big Crime Wave). At the end of the film,
Steven dies as a wealthy and acclaimed director, having turned all of his scripts into successful and popular films.
The whole story is about a struggling Canadian director whose path to success is painful and full of obstacles, yet he succeeds in the end. Unfortunately the end comes too soon. One might also notice that he is not happy when 'at the top', experiencing the enchantment of the success and fame. The whole story reminds the viewer too much of the situation of a Canadian director in general in reality. Paizs might insinuate by this that Canadian directors and movies on purpose do not aspire to be generally
56 acknowledged, since it is not what would make them happy anyway. This assertion corresponds to "Jay Scott’s Globe and Mail feature on Cannes 1980, headlined 'Yachts and Tax Breaks Do Not Good Movies Make,…'" (Urquhart qtd. in Keller 42).
Canadians indeed as if followed this pattern, they do make good movies, yet "Canadian film is lamentably underappreciated. Despite the best efforts…less than five percent of screen time in the country is devoted to Canadian films" (Keller 1). The efforts of the
Canadian film distribution is not accompanied by such sumptuous and spectacular propaganda as, for instance, the US feature film production is, thus it is not paid attention to in such extent. Although, it does not imply it is less good, only little less astounding and distinct on the surface. In Canadian film, one must go deeper to find the astounding and distinct. It is worth paying attention not just to the propaganda and the special effects, the outside qualities of the film in general; the plot and the thoughts i.e. the inside qualities are the true source of inspiration and where the best of the Canadian film might lie.
The story of The Big Crimewave is not completely invented. It is a semi- biography of John Paizs’ himself, and as mentioned earlier, well-mastered Canadian documentary. It is not only a documentary on Steven Penny/John Paizs’ life but on a
Canadian film in general. The whole existence of it is mentioned step by step in the course of the story – NFB, animation, bad reception of it, aspiration to cope with
Hollywood’s production, insufficient promotion of the production and all the aspects connected with it. It might be considered a critical documentary, since Paizs alludes to and criticizes the situation of Canadian cinema on many occasions, whether explicitly or only implicitly. Steven writes about his heroes who come from 'the North': "In 1977, critic Martin Knelman wrote of the period when Toronto and Canada became known as
57 ´Hollywood North´ for making unsuccessful, large-budget movies with Canadian producers, second-string American stars and expatriate Canadians" (Kaye 71).
Except meta-film, Paizs’ film pays homage to another technique also widely employed by Guy Maddin and touched upon previously in the thesis. It is camp. Many scenes in the film are exaggerated and ridiculous, especially the scenes containing violence. Those might also remind one of another Canadian director – David
Cronenberg. Several scenes where limbs are being cut off or people cause harm to themselves produce a lot of blood, and one can sense the spirit of Cronenberg´s Shivers, for instance. However, camp makes it all seem little theatrical and weakens the final impact on the audience, although, still leaving a strong impression of violence.
To finish listing the techniques applied in the movie, it chiefly generally gives the impression of a model NFB documentary. There is Kim’s voice over throughout all the movie, and she herself acts as an usher to every scene, introducing the facts and the background information of what the audience is about to watch. Kim’s voice over and her postures are also quite theatrical. The speech is exaggerated as well, since she, as a little girl, mentions every single detail, even those of no importance to the main storyline. She also tries to behave as an adult which gives the performance a little comical trace.
Despite the comical trace, the hero starts as a loser again. Steven cannot reach his goals and to make it worse he is even presented as dumb in the movie, so cannot really express aloud at all. He can express himself via his writing though, which he does.
However, his endings are never happy. His heroes are made losers too. The only thing
Steven can compose are pessimistic endings to his stories, which is apparently so typical of Canadian writers. That is one of the reasons why their stories do not attain such popularity as, for example, Hollywood production: "The tragedy occurs when a
58
There is Kim’s voice over throughout all the movie, and she herself acts as an usher to every scene…
The tutor finally turns out to be a mad Dr. Jolly from the US, craving for weird sexual practises, for which he later uses Steven.
59 picture made by intelligent people tries to be more than a trivial romance or crime story.
Then, it often suffers badly at the hands of this formula-loving audience" (Pratley 16).
The genre of crime story might have, de facto, helped Paizs to make the audience at least aware of the film and made them interested in it, however, prior to that he was forced to change the original pessimistic ending of the film into a lighter one: "Then, at the last moment, the retard lowers his lantern towards the creek and Steven sees what he was meant to see--his reflection in the water. And Old Mum boots him into the creek and starts to berate him for being a quitter" (Corupe). The former ending of The Big
Crimewave, did not follow the formula the audience was used to, hence they were not happy about it, and the critics wrote
[t]hat when Crime Wave cooks, it sizzles, but that the ending kinda lets things
down--which I [John Paizs] had to agree with. So I returned home determined to
fix the last 20 minutes of the film. I basically rewrote and re-shot it to make it
more like the stuff that came before it…[because] I could hear people laughing
all the way through the first hour, but then it gets dark and there was silence. I
felt the first hour had been so strong that I could remake the last half-hour like
it." (Corupe).
The end of Steven’s story within the film terminates with his lonely death, nevertheless, the whole film continues with Kim’s narration and a common shot of Kim and Steven together happily eating a cake shaped in the form of 'the top', which everyone has tried to reach throughout the movie, but only they finally made it. "[The film] never became a cult hit, but it really did connect with anyone who has a dream to make it" (Corupe).
60
Nevertheless, all these experiences make Steven improve his writing and get to the top where only "few people made it" (The Big Crime Wave).
…shot of Kim and Steven together happily eating a cake shaped in the form of 'the top', which everyone has tried to reach throughout the movie, but only they finally made it.
61 However, we might argue about what views Paizs actually holds on 'the top' which is nowadays predominantly ruled by American cinema. His last shot is likely to give us some hints: the two Canadian protagonists biting into it and slowly eating it bit by bit.
Paizs, as almost every Canadian director, also pays attention to technology:
Paizs’s films have the power to fascinate viewers who, like the filmmaker, grew
up in the TV age and found themselves simultaneously seduced and abandoned
by the televisual dream screen. His intriguing character studies exhibit a
constantly fluctuating love/hate relationship with the idealized images that have
organised both the director's fantasy life and those of his like-minded viewers
(Cagle 2).
Technologized identity is mentioned here, in Cagle’s quote. It speaks about what we see on TV screen. It is John Paizs, who we perceive with our eyes in the film, however, it is
Steven Penny, who we associate with throughout all the story. Via technology, Paizs’ identity is mediated, hence the audience eventually perceives him as Steven.
Technology completely changes his identity into a different one.
To summarize the techniques Paizs employs, there are a few advertisements included within the film. Some of them promote technology per se – product placement is employed with Bolex, Kodak, Star Trek, and others. It might strongly remind one of a different film widely exploiting product placement as well. It is The Truman Show
(1998) by Peter Weir, where actually the product placement is overtly justified as the source of financing for the show in which the products were placed. This might as well relate to the TV age, Cagle talks about above, when there appear more and more advertisements on TV.
Paizs addresses Canadian-American relationship in his film, specifically
Canadian-Hollywood cinema relations. It is namely in the shape of the perverse and
62 crazy American Dr. Jolly who almost destroys Steven’s writing spirit and talent when he sets off to meet him in the US to acquire some advice and help from him on writing twists and middles to his scripts. Paizs might insinuate here that Canadian cinema is constantly exploited by American production, hence slowly destroyed: "The historical and ongoing predicament of the lack of success of English-Canadian films has been variously attributed to similarities to the United States in language and culture, lower production budgets, and weaknesses in distribution, exhibition, marketing and ´quality´"
(Kaye 61). Nevertheless, Steven manages to escape the influence of the American script writer and succeeds to get to the top in the end. Might there be such a happy ending awaiting Canadian cinema in reality as well? Might Paizs be capable of thinking that optimistically, i.e. in such non-Canadian manner?
There are more allusions to American society one might notice. Steven Penny is finally awarded many golden statues for his films, which are widely popular among mass audience - too similar to Steven Spielberg’s production and his many Oscars winning films. Steven Penny also builds his own theme park where all his characters can be met by their fans. It is advertised as "a theme park [where]…on route magic touched everyone…Such was the attraction of Steven Penny’s most enchanting creation…" (The Big Crimewave). This, in turn, might remind one of Walter Disney and his Disneyland.
Paizs also praises Canada as a land of opportunities and touches upon its multicultural aspect and the openness of Canadian society: "It’s only in a great country like this that all that’s happened to us, happened to a couple like us. Any places else we might’ve ended up herding sheep or…" (The Big Crimewave). This is an excerpt from the Holidays’ speech in the first half of the film. They mention Canada being the land that has given them a chance to make a career. However, as it was already mentioned
63 before, how much one is to be considered Canadian depends on how much one contributes to overall Canadianness. Hence, even the Holidays are successful and acknowledged salespeople giving speeches, yet only until it is discovered that they had committed a crime. After that, they are brutally pursued by the police regardless their prior economic contribution to Canadian society.
Although the whole movie takes place in the town and not much of Canadian wild and eerie landscape is thus represented in the course of the narration, there is still a part of it incorporated within – it is Canadian winter. The story begins with it. When
Kim appears in the opening scene, there is snow heavily falling behind the window.
Likewise, Steven’s life ends with his death in winter: "Now frozen for the ages Steven
Penny rests peacefully while old friends gather to say goodbye…" (The Big
Crimewave). It reminds one of a similar pattern occurring in Denis Arcand’s Decline of
American Empire (1986), where the story opens with a snow-covered countryside and terminates again with freezing winter.
4.2.3.1 Conclusion
In conclusion, it is appropriate to point out the fact that Paizs’ film is very similar to Guy Maddin’s films. The style is almost identical, yet enriched by specifically John
Paizs’ "primordial style--crisp, mock-radio sound, no camera movement, mood lighting-
-showing a debt to low-grade pocketbook covers, instructional films, technicolor travelogues and even Saturday morning cartoons" (Peranson). Paizs learnt from Maddin and was a good friend of his, admired his style and was constantly in touch with him, hence under the influence of Maddin’s ideas. He himself admits that he was affected:
"Though just knowing him [Guy Maddin] may very well have influenced me… And his point of view, his personality, they were so out of left field to me that they really made
64 an impression. And he was funny! Really, I’d have been lucky if any of this had rubbed off on me" (Scalzo).
Nevertheless, apart from the style, Paizs in his movie is profoundly occupied with the overall Canadian cinema situation. This serious problem is, however, wrapped up in a playful mode making the whole story seem funny and almost optimistic about the future of upcoming Canadian production.
4.2.4. Last Night (1998) by Don McKellar
This is indeed the movie one should start watching right before the end of the year to enjoy the atmosphere to its utmost. Last Night (1998) is a film about the end of the world, yet one might perceive it as the most optimistic and playful movie out of the selected set, and maybe out of the Canadian production overall as well. It was made in the 1990s, before the end of the second millennium, which must have most probably had a certain impact on the director.
The whole story takes place within 6 last hours on the Earth (approximately 95 minutes of screen time). The plot starts at 6p.m. and finishes at 00:00 sharp. There are different characters meeting on the screen throughout the course of the film, and the audience is invited to spend their last hours on the planet with them. Or are they invited to spend our last hours with us? As the movie progresses we are no longer sure, since the realities blur. Among the main protagonists, there are Patrick (Don McKellar),
Sandra – wife of Duncan (David Cronenberg), Patrick’s family, his friend Craig, and various other characters who those main protagonists meet on their last day.
The opening scene begins with a phone ringing, which is not what one would expect of a film about the end of the world, so one might feel a little puzzled. Yet, bigger astonishment is awaiting us after we hear a voice of a gas company employee
65 leaving a message on the answering machine: "Good afternoon, Mr Wheeler. I’m calling from the gas company. I hope you’re doing well and spending these final hours in peace with your loved ones. Rest assured that we will make every effort to keep the gas flowing right until the End" (Last Night). After the message has been recorded, not many of the viewers are to believe McKellar is really going to make the world come to an end. Who would ever go to work on the last day of the Earth? The Canadians.
Only few moments later, the audience is taken into Sandra’s car playing a song on the radio. The song goes: "Last night, I didn’t get to sleep at all/ I lay awake and watched until morning light/ washed away the darkness of the lonely night/…" (ibid.).
The song is, de facto, a preview of what is about to happen to the main protagonist,
Patrick. He intends to spend the last night on his own, however, he meets Sandra, who he slowly falls in love with, and since on the doomsday, the sun never sets, the light eventually washes away his loneliness. Unfortunately, the light washes away more than just the loneliness, all the world basically. So far it has not reminded one much of a
Canadian movie at all – too optimistic, under the circumstances, too lyrical, and too bright, literally.
On second thought, from a different point of view, everybody in the film might be deemed a looser. They are all losing the battle with the world. From that angle, the film suddenly begins to unfold in a more Canadian manner. Another thing that reassures the viewer about it is when "Sandra Oh, scouring a ransacked supermarket for some wine, finds two bottles left of the shelf. She picks the two up, reads the labels, selects one and returns the other politely to the empty shelf. That, exclaimed Clarkson, is how you tell it's a Canadian film" (Gittings 418). Here, we might once again recognize Will
Ferguson’s claim about Canadian ´extreme´ niceness and politeness (see Chapter 4.2.1).
It is also touched upon explicitly in the film when Mr Wheeler says that "the end of the
66 world is all the more reason to be civilized" (Last Night). On the contrary, to balance the emotions and hence complete the picture, while Sandra is ´shopping´, there is a mob of drunk teenagers outside destroying her car: "Americans use violence as a substitute for emotions. Canadians don't" (Tanzer). They let violence coexist alongside emotions, as they conjointly appear throughout the movie.
Interestingly enough, it is predominantly cars and other vehicles that attract people to commit violence or to destroy. There recur more scenes where a drunk mob attacks a bus, cars, telephone booths and similar. Violence directed at people is present as well, though aggression towards technology prevails. This might be interpreted as a criticism of technology. Moreover, there is also abundant complaining about cellular phones throughout the movie: "Well, they haven’t worked for weeks. Cell phones!
Never really did!" (Last Night) They do not work, while the old-fashioned hard line phones do. An old-type camera can be found among the presents, commented on by
Patrick’s sister: "It’s old…It’s like nostalgia" (Last Night) By contrast, the Internet is presented as an easy source of sexual services: "Baby, it’s not too late… If I were you, I would get on the blower. Get on the Internet, I mean. That’s what it’s there for. That’s why they invented it…" (Last Night). Nevertheless, contrary to the modern invention of the Internet, Canadian television and Canadian radio both work properly and efficiently. They continue broadcasting pleasant music and bringing the most recent news to Canadian people until the End. What the director might try to indicate here is that everything under Canadian official supervision works better than in the private sector. It might even be interpreted as an implicit positive criticism of institutions such as NFB et al. Another scene which might be considered a positive criticism of technology is when Jennifer instructs her mother: "Just leave it, Ma! Leave it to the machine!" (Last Night) Technology might indeed make people’s lives more
67 comfortable, when, for instance, in a full house, nobody needs to answer the phone. By contrast, it might get obnoxious when spoiling the Christmas atmosphere with piercing noise.
Patrick is also addressed as obnoxious by his sister. He reminds one of Ernie from
The Ernie Game (1967) by Don Owen. In his own way, he also strives to maintain his personal identity. He refuses to follow the others in the common celebration of the End, nor does he attempt to play along for the sake of his mother’s happiness. His acting and decisions hurt his family, as do Duddy Kravitz’s. With respect to that, Patrick is "the truly Canadian heroic figure…who wishes to maintain his own separate identity within the social complex, however cramping it seems to be…" (Brown qtd. in Bossiére 25).
He is a widower, introvert, depressed and longing to die alone. All those seem quintessentially Canadian issues. Patrick is a genuinely Canadian hero who perfectly conforms to Canadian traits. He is the type of a person "with no special skills, heroism or prowess [,which] represents a playful variation on a worn-out Canadian stereotype – that of a male loser" (Pospíšil qtd. in Kyloušek 212). Apart from a typical Canadian hero, there are more issues a genuinely Canadian film would engage with. Some of the examined reviews even argue that Last Night "is an oddly endearing film, low-key and
Canadian to the core: you could blindfold someone, spin him around three times and drop him in the theatre, and it wouldn't be five seconds before he recognized Last Night as a home-grown product" (Jay 1). McKellar as a person seems to comply with the description of his characters too: "'The apartment is a little messy,' he says. He [Don
McKellar] lives with a 2-year-old black-and-white female cat named Stinky he found at a bar. He has just broken up with a girlfriend" (Sullivan).
While watching Last Night where the protagonists deal with their own every-day problems, such as troubles with getting a car, partying, being stuck in a traffic jam,
68
Violence directed at people is present as well, though aggression towards technology prevails.
Patrick refuses to follow the others in the common celebration of the End, nor does he attempt to play along for the sake of his mother’s happiness.
69 coming late for a family gathering etc., it might happen that one completely neglects the fact of the world’s end approaching. This is based on "[a] frequently mentioned attribute of Canadian feature film [which] is its propensity to represent everyday life in a realistic way" (Pospíšil 213). It all seems too real to come to a sudden complete End: only
"about three-quarters of the way through, you get that feeling ´Oh my God, he’s gonna go for it, he’s gonna end the world´" (Romney). Therefore, an usher is incorporated in the film to remind us occasionally of how much time is actually left. That girl running throughout the scenes disturbs the viewer and prevents him/her from fully immersing into the film. Furthermore, countdown regularly appears on the screen. Those are the only aspects that destroy the documentary-like look of the film.
Likewise, as in previously explored films, the acting might seem exaggerated and sometimes artificial. The film contains acting within acting. The actors play people who try to act, who try to pretend the End is not coming, hence the effect might give an impression of looking strained and affected. All the dialogues seem to be too sophisticated for a certain situation, or sometimes too formal. People reflect on things overly and in detail.
A topic discussed and concurrently practised in abundant amount by Craig is sex, which Katherine Monk identifies as one of the typical Canadian issues: "Canadian film has explored more sexual quirks on screen than Canadians society has ever had the courage to talk about out loud" (qtd. in Cavell 113). In the film, Craig aspires "to enjoy as many choice permutations of sexual intercourse as he can", including intercourse with Patrick (Sullivan). However, in the film the audience is only shown his sexual intercourse with a virgin, his French teacher (Geneviève Bujold) and a black woman.
He only talks about the rest of the permutations with Patrick, therefore does something a
70 'true' Canadian would supposedly not do, since they do not talk about sex out loud, according to Monk (see Cavell’s quote above).
The characters are claimed to be Canadian, yet in one aspect they diverge from the characteristic Canadian traits. Those Canadians on the screen discuss taboo topics without restrain. Consider, for instance, Grandmother and Rose, who represent nice elderly loving ladies, yet at one instance they speculate: "I’m tired of the children. They haven’t lived, given birth, watched their friends die. I have invested eighty years in this life. The children don’t know what they’re missing" (Last Night). This particular scene exemplifies why Canadians do not wish to overly associate with Canadian cinema. It is excessively direct, comprised of taboos, and it does not aspire to follow the mainstream.
It is universally acknowledged, people prioritize children in plenty of situations.
Hollywood mainstream cinema does, yet the Canadian film reveals the grudge it might cause in people. It explores the issue from all angles, which might sometimes lead to surprising findings.
McKellar also alludes to Canadian cinema situation since it stimulates every truly
Canadian director to incorporate it into his work, if only implicitly. This idea is encompassed in the piano concert scene. Patrick’s friend is performing for practically an empty hall. This alludes to the popularity of Canadian cinema in reality. Providing the theatre plays something of Canadian production, the hall is empty. Regarding music, film score also plays a relevant role in Canadian cinema, as it is often put into foreground to complete or entirely create the atmosphere. Canadian film-makers seek to encourage Canadian musicians, and promote Canadian music as well, as "[t]here's so much great independent music out there, and so much is Canadian" (Quill). Another assumption asserts that "there are so many funding opportunities in Canada, in a lot of
71
Patrick’s friend is performing for practically an empty hall. This alludes to the popularity of Canadian cinema in reality.
There is a shot of Patrick and Sandra pointing guns at each other…
72 cases, producers have to hire Canadian composers, or even composers from a certain province if there are tax credits involved,…" (King 47).
The final scene of the film induces a lot of ambivalence. The last moments of the protagonists are quickly shown successively. There is a shot of Patrick and Sandra pointing guns at each other, people are chanting and counting the last minutes, Patrick’s friend is playing slow and sad melody on the piano, and Guantanamera³ can be heard in the background. The respective scenes might certainly be deemed light and bright.
Everything seems perfectly normal. It is the End.
4.2.4.1 Conclusion
Last Night (1998) is a film about the end of the world - a serious topic processed by Don McKellar in a manner only a Canadian could do it. It is full of music, which does not allow the audience for a single moment to shed a tear. Christmas carols, "top
500 songs of all time" (Last Night) and Guantanamera3 do not convince the viewer of he End approaching until the very End. Documentary style, on the other hand, makes us believe everything, so that it might not be advisable to watch the film in the last hour of
New Year’s Eve. It embodies 'Canadianness'. That entails people who are losing the battle against the world, yet they are still able to joke about it, behave in civilized manner to each other, and lead sophisticated discussions, or rather monologues.
3 written by José Fernández Díaz, Julian Orbon, Pete Seeger and José Martí
performed by Pete Seeger
published by Fall River Music Inc. (BMI)
courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc.
"Guantanamera." Soundtracks for Last Night (1998). Internet Movie Database. 1990. Amazon.com.
73 Furthermore, they intend to enjoy as many variations of sexual intercourse as possible.
In the end, unfortunately, the most Canadian aspect is yet the fact that the movie will not become popular with the mainstream audience.
74 5. Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to summarize the knowledge I have acquired from the analyses of the respective films, and hence provide the evidence that my hypothesis raised prior to the writing was verified. In the introduction I asserted that a profound analysis of the Canadian film can help one to understand and define Canadian identity, also referred to as Canadianness in the thesis. Throughout the 4 chapters I have attempted to verify the statement. On the following pages I am to present the results of my research, which has occupied one year of my studies. During that time I have studied the issues regarding concept of identity in general, and later Canadian identity specifically. I have watched relevant amount of Canadian films and have studied the background information connected with the process of their making and the crew involved – including directors, actors and the audience.
The thesis is occupied with three identities – American, British and chiefly
Canadian, which is dealt with in most detail, and also further divided into three subgroups – Francophone, Anglophone and First Nations. Prior to specific identities discussion, identity as a general concept is addressed. Reflecting upon the annotated literature, there is a basic distinction of identity per se into personal and social. When later preoccupied with Canadian identity, the thesis’ main concern is social identity, which is also predominantly represented in the analysed films. Personal identity is referred to marginally, but the thesis refrains from dealing with in much detail, mainly due to its scope limitation. Social identity is presented as a need of people to belong somewhere, to distinguish from the others, and also, according to Rousseau, a need to unite in anticipation of a threat from the outside.
Apart from social identity, landscape identity and technologized identity are illustrated in the work as well. Landscape identity is bound to a specific countryside,
75 and influences the people connected with that landscape. Likewise, the identity of the people inhabiting a certain area has an impact on the landscape identity. It is a mutual influence, landscape identity is invariably closely tied to a person’s identity.
Technologized identity is also closely related to an individual, influencing him/her in positive way, hence making his/her life more comfortable and easier due to new inventions. Concurrently, it might influence the individual in negative way as well, hence distort his/her image of him/her-self completely. Profusely mediated images might cause confusion regarding one’s identity, and lead to excessive generalization and blurring the boundaries between the identities. Identity definition then becomes obscure and only one global identity might linger on eventually.
All the introductory general information is applied on Canadian surroundings and therefore specified. The outcome of this is the thesis attempts to define Canadian identity by demarcating it in relation to American, British and its own smaller identities within Canada. It is a complicated task to venture one single explanation of
Canadianness, since it encompasses myriads of smaller components. Canadian society is based on a principle of 'a mosaic', and this policy is also officially acknowledged by the government of Canada. The inhabitants are therefore not forced to assimilate. They are allowed to pursue their own national roots, hence what one can observe in Canada is de facto a mixture of origins and identities at one place, yet not 'melted' (as in the US, for instance).
Based on the study, technologized identity is a typically accentuated issue both in Canadian film and Canadian society. This is reflected in a great deal of the distinguished Canadian director’ oeuvre, such as, for instance, apart from those presented in the thesis, Atom Egoyan’s Family Viewing (1988), Sriniva Krishna’s
Masala (1992) and David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ (1999). Canadian directors are both
76 engaged with technology in their works, as well as employ it extensively while making it, as in case of Guy Maddin’s films.
As far as the second part of the thesis is concerned, it is occupied with analyses of the respective films. The films are all made by Canadian or hyphenated Canadian (as it is quite common) directors: they sometimes refuse refraining completely from acknowledging their ancestors’ origins. Based on the readings and explored films, there are several issues and features that recur in Canadian cinema. Furthermore, based on the reviews and directors’ comments, certain aspects have even come to the fore repeatedly and concurrently. Among those of considerable importance, there is weird sex, thoroughly explored by Catherine Monk who wrote a whole book on it called Weird Sex and Snowshoes. She focuses on various perverse sexual manifestations in Canadian film: "Lord knows, there is no shortage of weird sex in our celluloid closet, and when I say closet – I mean it. We’re as quiet about sex in general…which itself affirms the guilt that sex has historically carried in Canadian culture" (qtd. in Cavell). There are several sexual contexts or insinuations in each of the analysed films.
Another feature occurring in each of the analysed film and mentioned in all the consulted sources are heroes losers, usually in comparison to the US heroes. Most of the bibliography comments on the Canadian loser in comparison to the US winner. The main protagonists from the explored films: Ernie, Duddy, Steven, and Patrick give an impression of characters who lead mental fight within, and three of them actually lose it and die. Ernie commits a suicide. Patrick plans to commit it though in the end waits until the End does that for him, since he is too afraid. Steven dies as a consequence of his life, the director does not offer any other explanation of his death. Duddy, as the only one, ´succeeds´ and reaches his chief goal, however, loses everything else on the way towards it. Canada commonly compares itself to the US, and consequently assumes
77 an attitude of a loser, which has an impact on the directors’ thinking, and is reflected in their final products, which later influence the audience. It is therefore a never-ending vicious circle.
Another often exploited topic is wild and eerie Canadian countryside, which likewise can be found in the US films. Nevertheless, somehow, Americans are always able to conquer it eventually, in comparison to Canadians who are heavily influenced by it and finally submit to it. The Canadian artists, including directors often "comment on the inescapable role of the natural environment in what may be seen as a specifically
"Canadian" artistic response engendered by the entrancing but also frightening land"
(Buss qtd. in Prajznerová qtd. in Kyloušek 186). Canadians respect their landscape, hence they do not exploit it in their films the same way Americans do.
Last but one preoccupation of Canadian film is technology, which might still sometimes contain liabilities, contrary, for instance, to the US, where it is successfully and thoroughly exploited to its utmost. Technology is commented on in each of the films the thesis focuses on. The opinions are ambivalent. The directors pay attention to its positive and negative traits concurrently. It is the telephone which disturbs people’s privacy in The Ernie Game, as well as it is the camera which he exchanges for an old type-writer that makes him obsessed with images and later his own personal identity. In
Don McKellar’s Last Night the Internet is criticized for providing an easy source of sexual services, yet on the other hand, people manage to stay in contact until the End due to hard-line phones. Patrick is able to spend the last hours with his parents on the phone while being with his new girlfriend at the same time.
To conclude the topics Canadian directors quintessentially engage themselves with, there is one last of which one might find allusions in almost every Canadian film – it is the general situation of Canadian cinema. Most directors usually incorporate a
78 scene insinuating the criticism of the low popularity and inefficient distribution of
Canadian production. Of the analysed films, only Paizs explicitly criticizes the fact,
Kotcheff, McKellar and Owen all incorporate scenes which implicitly touch upon the matter.
Considering the topics commonly depicted in Canadian movies, it might not strike one as a surprise that the Canadian film distribution is generally very low, and the awareness of the existence of Canadian cinema at all is mainly sustained in the close circle of Canadian film experts or zealous fans. In general, the films are received with scepticism and preliminary depression among the viewers. Canadians do not prefer watching films about them that might cause them depression or profound speculation.
They want to relax and enjoy the cinema, therefore they prioritize the Hollywood production, which follows a fixed pattern of its storylines, which very rarely takes the audience aback, as for instance, by contrast, Canadian film is prone to do. Canadian cinema is controversial, innovative, artistic, experimental, documentary and very often shocking.
One might object that there is a fixed pattern of Canadian storyline too, which is true. Plethora Canadian films contain the previously mentioned topics and myriads of them contradict Hollywood happy-endings. However, there are always deviations, which is one of the idiosyncratic features of Canadian cinema as well. It typically contains a deviation, which makes the film atypical and extraordinary, while still being made in a documentary style making us conceive of it as real.
In many ways, the four explored films can certainly be considered exemplary movies of Canadian cinema, and one can find plenty of representations of Canadian identity in all of them. The formal structure of the films is very similar as well. All the directors emphasize exaggerated acting, rely on implicit expressions and unambiguous
79 endings – entailing death in a certain way in all of the four movies. To sum it up,
Canadian film in general "revels in opposition and twin-mirror imagery; it is concerned with themes of alienation and has a tendency to show us the negative space around the subject to express character rather than indulge in contrived dramatic dialogue to articulate a specific meaning" (Monk 106).
The directors present a story to the audience made in documentary-like manner, however, at the same time constantly remind the viewer of the fact that what they see is only constructed. By means of this technique they prevent the spectators from identifying with the main protagonists, which is common for Hollywood cinema. Apart from that, the films are full of other contradictory aspects, which yet all together make a coherent whole. This idea stems from Canadian policy per se, which itself consists of
“multitude of people, rainbow belief systems and a cacophony of voices” (Monk 108).
The whole film consists of myriads of smaller components collected by the director and their teams from various sources. Therefore the impression the audience acquires of the film is never monotonous or unambiguous.
There are also plenty of contradictory forces present in every Canadian film.
Firstly, there are various identities contradicting each other; often, the director himself/herself has an identity consisting minimally of two parts which might contradict each other in the process of making the film. Secondly, people in Canada are ashamed to talk about taboos and sex, yet Canadian film is full of those, and not only ordinary versions. Thirdly, Canadians do not prefer watching Canadian films since it might make them depressed, yet the films are supposedly documentaries about Canadians – depressed losers scared of the wild countryside, and obsessed with technology and sex.
Music is an important component of the film, and not only in Thirty Two Short Films
80 About Glenn Gould (1993). De facto, it is prevalently more powerful than the dialogues, and conveys more meaning than words.
To conclude the thesis, I have analyzed four examples of the Canadian cinema.
Unfortunately, space has not been provided for more, nevertheless, in those explored, similar topics have been found. The topics have been profoundly and frequently discussed in the reviews and the secondary sources consulted. The analyses of more samples of the Canadian cinema would only confirm the already verified hypothesis:
Canadian films are about Canadians, and for Canadians. They contain 'Canadianness' which has been influenced in multifaceted manner.
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86 České resumé
Práce se zabývá kanadskou identitou zobrazenou ve vybraných kanadských filmech.
Analyzovanými filmy jsou: Don Owen a jeho The Ernie Game (1967), Ted Kotcheff a
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974), John Paizs s The Big Crimewave (1985) a
Don McKellar se svojí Last Night (1998). Ve všech filmech se objevují témata, kterými se kanadští režiséři opětovaně zabývají. Mezi tyto patří posedlost abnormálními sexuálními praktikami, neúspěšný a zdrcený hlavní hrdina, depresivní prostředí, zlomyslná a nebezpečná kanadská příroda, a moderní technologie ovlivňující životy všech obyvatel Kanady. Typickým rysem každého filmu je jeho dokumentární styl,
čehož jsou kanadští režiséři vyhlášenými mistry. Důraz je také kladen na roli hudby, která dotváří atmosféru z větší části než mluvené slovo. První část práce se zabývá teoretickou stránkou identity a kanadské identity. Tyto teoretické poznatky jsou později aplikovány na kanadské prostředí. Druhá část se již věnuje samotným analýzám filmů a jejich porovnáním, které je uzavřeno shrnutím společných rysů kanadských filmů a prezentací výsledků diplomové práce.
Klíčová slova: Kanada, kanadský film, identita, technologie, neúspěšný hrdina, dokument, krajina, kanadský režisér, typický rys
87 English Résumé
The work is concerned with Canadian identity represented in selected Canadian films.
The analysed films are: The Ernie Game (1967) by Don Owen, Apprenticeship of
Duddy Kravitz (1974) by Ted Kotcheff, The Big Crimewave (1985) by John Paizs, and
Last Night (1998) by Don McKellar. Common issues can be observed in all the films.
All the directors in their oeuvre address obsessions with abnormal sexual variations, the main protagonist is frequently portrayed as a looser, the surroundings impress the audience as depressing, everybody in the film is aware of the eerie Canadian countryside, and modern technology which influences lives of all Canadians, not only those on the screen is criticized, both in positive and negative way. Another factor the films have in common is the documentary-like style which Canadians are claimed to be masters of. First part of the thesis is occupied with theoretical background and introducing the general notion of identity. The general concepts are also specifically applied to Canadian surrounding. The second part consists of the analyses of the respective films and summarizing the findings of the thesis.
Key words: Canada, Canadian film, identity, technology, loser, documentary, landscape, Canadian director, typical feature
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