Wednesday, September 17, 2014.
By MICHAEL WALSH
SHADOW OF THE WOLF — An international cast went on location to the Northwest Territories to film this 1992 feature, a tale of love and conflict among Inuit attempting to maintain a traditional way of life in the face of white "civilization." (Posted September 16)
PLATOON — Drawing upon his own experience of combat in Vietnam, writer/director Oliver Stone offered filmgoers a devastatingly authentic recollection of the war in his Oscar-winning 1986 feature. (Posted September 15)
IN PRAISE OF OLDER WOMEN — The scandal of the 1978 Festival of Festivals in Toronto, director George Kaczender's cheerless adaptation of Stephen Vizinczey's erotic memoir is today remembered as a milestone in the sexual maturation of English Canadian cinema. (Posted September 14)
SHEENA — The single attempt to bring the beloved comic-book jungle queen to the movie screen, this seriously silly 1984 feature failed to satisfy her old fans or create any new ones. (Posted September 13)
CRY FREEDOM — In his compelling 1987 historical drama, director Richard Attenborough recalled the 1977 death of Steve Biko, and his importance to the then-ongoing struggle to end apartheid in South Africa. (Posted September 12)
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE — Ten years after its cancellation, television's Star Trek had become a cult favourite, an entertainment property ready for its big-screen close-up. In 1979, director Robert Wise reunited the original cast for this feature adaptation. (Posted September 10)
BEING THERE — Director Hal Ashby's adaptation of Jerzy Kosinski's slight satirical novella was very much in keeping with the spirit of 1980s America. Peter Sellers's restrained performance earned him a 1980 Academy Award nomination. (Posted September 8)
LORDS and LOVERS — God save the Queen — that's Queen Elizabeth I — on the occasion of her birth in 1533. Our celebration features a quiz about Canadians who have played historical greats in the movies. (Posted September 7)
THE GREAT NORTHFIELD MINNESOTA RAID — The historical Jesse James was far from the heroic bandit made famous in song and story. The legend persists in the way he's portrayed in the movies, among them this 1972 feature. (Posted September 5)
Z — An historic moment is well served in Costa-Gavras's 1969 examination of justice following a political assassination in modern Greece, an Oscar winner in the best foreign language film category. (Posted September 3)