Hábito Negro

Wow, what a fascinating movie and different kind of film. One really can't get the full impact of this through a review. Anyone who has seen this, I think would agree with me on that.

If I had skipped over the credits and someone had told me Terrence Malick (Days Of Heaven, The New World, The Thin Red Line and Badlands) and directed this film, I would have believed it. Visually, this is his kind of film. I wonder if this movie inspired parts of his latest effort, The New World? There are a number of similarities. Black Robe has the same kind of beautiful and haunting images Malick's films possess but the director in this case is Bruce Bereford, the man who directed Driving Miss Daisy a couple of years before doing this film. DMD also is beautifully-filmed.

Black Robe is not just a piece of art. As great as it is visually, this is a powerful story of a well-intentioned Jesuit priest in the early 17th century who travels to "New France" (upstate New York/French Canadian territory) attempting to convert a few area tribes to Christianity. To unbelievers, that seems pushy but Biblically-speaking it is not. Jesus commanded his followers to do just that (Matt. 28:18-20) , so the priest is only doing what missionaries have done for centuries. He also is a good man, stays strong in his beliefs regardless of his own well-being and is a gentle soul. Kudos to the filmmakers for being fair to him.

The Algonquins and the Hurons are also shown with their beliefs, too, and their cultures which obviously were in contrast to the white European-based priest. All sides are shown fairly in this movie, with both positive and negative traits of all.

I was shocked at a few scenes in here, not expecting them as the film has such a gentle flow to it before anything dramatic happens. We see a few sexual scenes and then some brutal violence. The Hurons, particularly, do not want any invasion of their privacy and culture and are openly hostile to the priest and the Algonquins. The story transforms from a quiet Malick-type "New World" poetic piece to a violent, suspenseful film and the question is, will the "good guys" make it out alive?

The actors in here, perhaps, are not names most people outside Canada are familiar with, including me, but Lothaire Blueteau as Father Laforgue, Aden Young as his assistant "Daniel" and Sandrine Holt as Daniel's Algonguin lover "Anuuka" are all very, very good. All the characters in this film are very credible people, steadfast in their own beliefs and they come across as realistic people. Most films have unreal people with unrealistic dialog....but not in this movie.

Another big plus was the soundtrack: a lush, haunting score throughout.

Without spoiling the ending, or adding political/theological agendas my own, let me just add that if you enjoy a beautiful-looking movie which also has a thoughtful, haunting story with honest characters, you should check this out. Highly recommended.

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.

Released in 1991 and based on Brian Moore's researched novel, "Black Robe" relays the story of a young Jesuit priest in 1634 visiting the French settlement that later became Quebec City. Father LaForgue is assigned to a distant Huron mission accompanied by a young quasi-believing assistant and a family of Algonquin Indians. The group faces challenges beyond the harsh realities of the river trek itself, including an attack by hostile Iroquois. Of course the Indians question the "strange ways" of the priest and his dark attire and wonder whether he is a demon. Instead of addressing him as "Father" they simply call him "Black Robe."

I've viewed "Black Robe" three times now and it never fails to capture my attention from beginning to end (the film runs 101 minutes), which is why I don't get the criticism that it's somehow unabsorbing. What strikes me most is the raw realism. Viewing "Black Robe" is the next best thing to going back in time and viewing the events firsthand.

Other highlights include: Lothaire Bluteau's solid performance as the missionary priest; LaForgue's assistant, well played by Aden Young, and his developing love for the daughter of the Algonquin leader, played by the beautiful Sandrine Holt; the Algonquins themselves, particular the patriarch; the freaky midget shaman of a band of Montagnais natives; the harrowing events at an Iroquois fort; the subtext on the truth or falsity of spiritual beliefs, both of the Jesuits and the Indians; and the spectacular cinematography of the Quebec wilderness (mostly the Saint Lawrence River, filmed on location). The film successfully shows the desolate, untamed nature of the NE before the mass encroachment of Europeans.

Some may wonder: How does it compare to "Last of the Mohicans" or "Dances with Wolves," two contemporary films also featuring realistic portrayals of AmerIndians? Of the two, "Black Robe" is closer to "Last of the Mohicans" since the story takes place in the East and there aren't any cowboys & Indians, although the story takes place well over a century earlier. The film differs from both in that there aren't really any Hollywood contrivances, including conventional movie plotting. As great and generally believable as those other films are, "Black Robe" shows the harsher, bleaker reality, which some may translate as boring.

However, as raw and realistic as "Black Robe" is, it could've been more so, considering that it fails to show one disturbing reality of Eastern AmerIndian culture, as detailed in Moore's book (pointed out by another reviewer): The film avoids depicting the native practice of ritual cannibalism on a dead infant, a custom that was common among the tribes of the Eastern woodlands. To consume an enemy's flesh was to absorb his power. The heart of an especially courageous foe (such as Jesuit martyr St. Jean Brebeuf) would be eaten by tribal leaders. But, don't get me wrong here, I'm kind of glad the movie left this aspect out.

"Black Robe" has the same vibe as 2007's "Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan," so if you appreciate that style of raw-realism you'll likely value "Black Robe." Needless to say, if you have ADHD or require constant explosions to maintain your attention, stay far away.

GRADE: A

This film made major concessions to political correctness in its portrayal of the Indians, who are depicted in a considerably more flattering light here than they are in Brian Moore's novel. This could also be considered the romanticizing "Dances With Wolves" effect. The novel drew some (unjust) criticism here in Canada for its uncompromising approach.

The actual history is fairly readily available. "The Jesuits in North America in the 17th Century" by the great American historian Francis Parkman is the standard 19th c. work on the proselytizing efforts of the French Récollet and Jesuit fathers.

Still, if you are not very familiar with the subject, this film is a strong, and quite gruesome, introduction. I'm not aware of a lot of films about the colonial period which are as tough. Not "Last of the Mohicans", or the adult westerns from the '50's, in my opinion. "Little Big Man", perhaps. Or possibly "A Man Called Horse", which I haven't seen. The priest in the story is a composite of actual missionaries, and the impact of this historical adventure thriller is heightened for me knowing that everything in this film happened, and often a whole lot worse.

The rights and wrongs, the pros and cons, of the cultural collision of Europeans with the autochthonous peoples are still too contentious, so I would rather not get into them. There is a lot here to brood about afterwards, and chances are good that you'll seek out a copy of the novel -- it's not very long, and a lot easier to read than James Fenimore Cooper. If you're American or Canadian, this is an important part of our shared past.

"Black Robe" is one of the very best Canadian feature films, with a solid cast led by Lothaire Bluteau with August Schellenberg and Tantoo Cardinal in support. The presence of an Australian director, Bruce Beresford, perhaps kept the film from turning into a well-meaning but dry Canadian history lesson.

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.