Trudeau

Pierre Trudeau was one of our greatest leaders, love him or hate him, and this documentary helps endear him to a younger generation, people like me, who weren't alive when he was Prime Minister of Canada.

The film takes you through his terms as PM, with a keen eye for detail. Portions include the invoking of the War Measures Act, which sparked controversy all around the world; his marriage to his first wife, Margaret, the catastrophe with the FLQ, and much more.

The acting in the series is top-notch, except for Polly Shannon, who turns in an uneven performance as Margaret. She's often either very excited or very down-in-the-dumps, which was realistic, but she didn't really capture the essence of Margaret, or so I think.

Colm Feore, who looks nothing like Trudeau; turns in a great performance as the man himself. Despite the non-resemblance of the two men, Feore has all of the famous quotes, body movements, and mannerisms of the former PM done to a T.

Patrick McKenna, who many Canadians remember as loveable-dope Harold Green on 'The Red Green Show' turns in a solid performance as Duncan. This was one of his first serious roles, and he did an excellent job.

I think that Pierre himself would have enjoyed this miniseries, as it is brilliantly lit, shot, and edited.

Even though he is widely regarded as 'Eastern Canada's' PM; Trudeau was the man that people around the world identified as Canada during the 1970's, and he was a fine ambassador for our country.

The CBC, a government-controlled operative, does a great job in showing us the trials and tribulations of Trudeau's life. This is easily their best film since 'White Lies'.

While my mother would tell me stories of what happened when I was younger, the four-hour miniseries, "Trudeau," was like a knowledgeable neighbour filling in the external details about the politics and events of the time.

Through the music of the time, interspersed with clips from actual news footage, and the actors' performances, we were brought through such groundbreaking events as the October Crisis, the Québec Referendum and the bringing home of the Constitution to Canada.

The role that Margaret Sinclair Trudeau played in the life of Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau and his political life is given its due importance in this production. Margaret was played as a strong support to Pierre, in spite of their marriage breakdown and Margaret's escapades with drugs and hanging out with the Rolling Stones.

While it was only touched on during the broadcast, Trudeau's legacy is the maturing of a Canada that welcomes languages and cultures from around the world. Additionally, Trudeau's statement that the government "has no business in the bedrooms of the nation" made it easier for divorcing couples and those with so-called "alternative lifestyles" to have the opportunity to participate more fully in Canadian society.

This piece was casted, not with look-alikes, but with actors who could convey the essence of the players of a generation ago. Anyone with knowledge of the era could easily recognise the premiers, aides and other characters played by a group of very familiar actors, whose performances were nothing less than stellar. Kudos to Colm Feore (Pierre) and Polly Shannon (Margaret)!!!

This production was broadcast with closed captions and descriptive video making it a trendsetter in accessible TV for the hearing and visually impaired.

Some might argue the most memorable line from Trudeau was, "Just watch me!" However, after seeing this miniseries, I think it should be, "This is us! Here we are!"

And we are, indeed!

Phenomenal performance from Colm Feore (who HAS lived in Canada for 40 yrs. despite being Boston-born). It is eerie, you almost believe it really is Trudeau, the voice, mannerisms are spot on. Peter Outerbridge is particularly strong as Jim Coutts. The mini-series in typical CBC fashion deifies Trudeau while ignoring the real harm he did to Canada: flawed constitution that left out one of the founding peoples agreement to it, rise of alienation & the threat of separatism, the ruin of the economy, staggering debt & out-of-control spending. Trudeau was reviled outside Canada as a world leader; Thatcher & Reagan wouldn't give him the time of day! That being said, he was a man of conviction & courage & the miniseries brings that element out well. The extra features on the DVD, particularly the 1968 Liberal leadership convention documentary, is particularly good in presenting the political intrigue & drama of the time. A movie well-worth seeing or owning for that matter!

The 1960s-1970s pastiche style of this telefilm was so very well accomplished that it made me realize again why I HATED films of this era so much--the semicoherent lets-pretend-we're-tripping mise en scene, the syrupy musical interludes, the overall style-over-substance approach. But then around the three-quarters point I realized how RIGHT this approach is to this particular story. What "Trudeau" says to me is that Trudeau was put into office because he seemed to fit the style of the times--as one of his handlers terms it at the beginning of the film, he's "sexy"--but, as is demonstrated over and over, he utterly lacked the stuff of a real statesman, as reflected not only in his fumbling of various Quebec separatist uprisings but in his personally and politically suicidal choice of the immature, abusive narcissist Margaret Sinclair as his consort. I found "Trudeau" painful to watch, especially the scenes in which the aging Trudeau is browbeaten and humiliated by his hystrionic child-wife, the objective correlative of his former glamorous self, which contrasts with smarting irony with the progressive revelation of his inability to deliver the goods ("What do you want me to do about it?" he squawks to an aide, not the first or last revelation of this very hollow man's essential cluelessness.) I bought "Trudeau" wanting to see more of Colm Feore after being enchanted by his portrayal of Glenn Gould, another stupefyingly complex late 20th century Canadian mass media icon. Weirdly, and appropriately I think, Feore's Gould comes across as a far warmer, more authentic personality than his cold, brittle Trudeau. Polly Shannon's whimpery Margaret just made me want to slap her in the mouth, which I think is perfectly appropriate to the character. Most of all I just loved the way the director used Patrick McKenna in this film, not giving him that much to DO but posing him strategically near Feore at crucial moments, his chubby, mobile face and beautiful huge gray eyes telegraphing perfectly all the ideas and emotions that the fuzzy, chilly stick figure next to him just isn't grasping.

Rarely does a 3 hour political docu-drama have more than its subject matter to hold the viewer's interest. However, Canadian director Jerry Ciccoritti does not rely on his intriguing subject matter but tries many things to make "TRUDEAU" a ground breaking effort in this genre. His camera shots and techniques are staggering in their diversity. The film is full of visually effective montages, clever, seamless blending of real life footage and other arty editting techniques. The movie has as much cinematic flare as Trudeau had political flare. One such scene has Trudeau and his two henchmen(Duncan and Greenbaum) running and hiding from screaming girls, a parody of the Fab Four films. This was a neat summary of how Trudeaumania was as big as Beatlemania in the 1960s. Another original technique was the use of various time markers. During the FLQ crisis segment, which was a short 2 week event, Ciccoritti uses a shaded timeline to keep track of the event. During the Quebec Referendum/Constitution segment, a much longer event, the full date was displayed. Never have a seen a film with such sensitivity to the audience's potential problem of following events. Another thing that will cement this movie into Canadian lore is the cast. Patrick McKenna(RED GREEN SHOW) and Don McKellar(TWITCH CITY), more known for their comic style, get a chance to show their dramatic talents. The cast also includes veteran ensemble stars like Eric Peterson and R. H. Thomson(the King of Canadian mini-series). Ciccoritti's choice of Colm Feore(INSIDER, PEARL HARBOR) was perfect. Not only does Feore have star appeal, but his performance of Trudeau is award winning. Not only did he have the voice and mannerisms down pat but Feore vividly expressed the prime minister as a real character, not a caricature. Overall, this movie will delight Canadians and should have universal appeal as well.