Manto negro

For having worked on this movie and lived with it for a period of over 3 years I can tell you that it is a work of passion and will remain in my heart a real epic of reliving the struggle of discovering and living the north American wilderness in the 17th century. The characters expose the clash between the European culture and and indigenous survival in a wild rugged country.

This movie is a gift. Beautiful cinematography, spellbinding adventure, powerful acting and historical accuracy all wound up in a wonderful story line. It is not only a study of the French in the New World (with an emphasis on the Jesuit experience) but also of the native Indians which they encountered. Instead of trying to simplify each group by stereotypes the film sympathically delves into variances in each culture and how individuals reacted and interacted differently to the changing environment and ultimately an acceptance of each other. Unlike other films that have an agenda either to glorify or attack Catholicism (i.e. colonial expansion) or to praise or defame Indian life (enlightened shamans vs dumb savages), Black Robe shows its characters in moments of incredible faith, insight and personal triumph along with all their mistakes and failings. For me that is the theme of the movie as it is more or less a commentary on the human experience then as now. What a pity that few movies these days seek to explore anything other than the obvious and dish out a stale formula of sex and action with a mind-numbing blur of special effects. Black Robe will cause you not only to rethink your take on the past but more importantly will allow you to examine your own personal value system in today's world. This movie will stay with you for the rest of your life.

_Black Robe_ is an under-appreciated gem. With fine acting, a strong, literate screenplay, beautiful visuals from the spare, cold Canadian wilderness, and a lyrical, dialogue-light storytelling style, this film is an absorbing experience. Viewers with less patience for visual storytelling, or who don't like having to pay attention to details, will probably find it slow-going.

Be forewarned: _Black Robe_ is a brutal film, by modern western standards. Gruesome torture is openly referred to; native americans, particularly the northern Mohawk and Huron peoples, are _not_ substantially idealized.

Nice ethnographic touches are preserved -- for example, the Alqonkian-speaking group who agree to guide the Black Robe are permitted to clearly express their perplexity at the Jesuit's rudeness for not sharing his tobacco. Similarly, a Mohawk war-leader keenly sees opportunity in permitting the French to live: they can be traded for muskets, and forced to teach the Mohawk how to use the powerful new weapons. No "simple savages", after all: The Iroquois did not come to control much of the northeast through stupidity.

While widely excoriated by some native american advocates for its depiction of Mohawk and Huron brutality, the film actually soft-pedals the reality (as noted by other reviewers). The southern, Five-Nations Mohawk may have abandoned ritual cannibalism by this time, but it's certain that ritual torture and cannibalism were practiced throughout the Iroquois sphere of influence up to the early contact period. It was an aspect of their culture, and really no stranger than similar practices as recorded among christianized Scandinavians circa 1060 AD.

I'm a history student of second grade of a french canadian university. So, in a history point of view, I can assure you that this movie is simply amazing. The story is about a jesuite priest who wants to bring catholic faith to the Indians of the french colony Nouvelle-France (New France, the future Quebec of Canada) in the seventeen century. In fact, there was a lot of jesuite doing that by that time. The priest and his young translator ask the Algonquins natives to guide them to the Hurons natives. That is also exactly correct! But in their quest,they had some problems with the Iroquois natives. And that is exactly right! At the end, the priest reach the Hurons. The chief of the tribe tells that if they accept the god of the priest, they will become weak and their ennemies will kill them. And that's what's gonna happen! In fact, the Hurons were the first Indians of New France to accept catholic religion. I saw the movie with the french dubbing. The Indians of that time didn't knew how to prononce R. So, in the movie, they say : obe noie, instead of Robe Noire (Black Robe). I don't know if they said black obe in the English version. In one scence, the priest tells the Indian sorcerer that he is reading a breviaire (book of prayers). And the sorcerer said: beviaire, witout the R. The way the natives are dressed and wears their hairs is also very exact in an historical view. This is not only a great movie, but an amazing reconstitution. Natives actors are great, with August Schlleberg, the always good Tantoo Cardinal and the charming young Sandrine Holt. Lothaire Blutheau is one of the best french canadian actor (see him in Jesus of Montreal). This is absolutely a superb piece of work ! And some kind of perfect history book.

It's 1634 Quebec. LaForgue (Lothaire Bluteau) is a Jesuit which the natives call Black Robe. He and young Daniel (Aden Young) are sent on a dangerous journey by Champlain to the distant mission with the Hurons. They are guided by a group of Algonquin Indians led by Chomina (August Schellenberg). Daniel falls for Chomina's daughter Annuka (Sandrine Holt). Simple things like a clock and writing seems to be magic for the natives and they suspect Black Robe is a demon.

There is great realism in this movie. The characters are human and complex. There is confusion and lots of misunderstandings. It's a no nonsense take on the grim early interactions. Both sides are doing what they perceive to be right but the clash of cultures is too much. The acting is superb especially from August Schellenberg. The locations are grand and they have a brooding danger about them. The wilderness takes the movie and never lets it go.