Black Robe

1991 "In the winter of 1634, an extraordinary man began a perilous journey into the North American wilderness."
7.1| 1h41m| R| en| More Info
Released: 04 October 1991 Released
Producted By: Alliance Films
Country: Canada
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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Missionary Father LaForgue travels to the New World in hopes of converting Algonquin Indians to Catholicism. Accepted, though warily, by the Indians, LaForgue travels with the Indians using his strict Catholic rules and ideals to try and impose his religion.

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Director

Bruce Beresford

Production Companies

Alliance Films

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Black Robe Audience Reviews

Cebalord Very best movie i ever watch
Jeanskynebu the audience applauded
PodBill Just what I expected
Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
AMar_rom 'The English and the Dutch have colonists, we have priests' we hear a French militia man saying in the beginning of the film set sometime in 1630s at a French outpost somewhere in Quebec, Canada. The priest who is seen walking past the militiamen and construction workers is father Laforgue (played by Lothaire Bluteau; a great performance). Laforgue is a young Jesuit sent from France to the New World to convert the Hurons and other indigenous tribes that lived once in large areas of Canada and the northern states of the US.To aid Laforgue in his mission the local French authorities ask a group of Hurons (allies of the French at the time) to accompany him until he reaches a Jesuit-controlled mission much deeper in Quebec. During the trip of the group we see past moments of the life that Laforgue left behind in France (through a number of flashbacks) before deciding to commit himself to such a task in the New World. The trip is dangerous. We learn that except the actual hardships of the trip the Hurons will try to avoid the Iroquois (at least other tribes of the Iroquois nation, since the Hurons were part of the great Iroquois nation) and the English who have started to become more powerful than the French in the region.Soon, however, friction begins. For the Hurons (a traditional pagan society with Shamans acting as the intermediaries with the spirits) the Christian message of Laforgue 'love your neighbor' will mean certain death to the hands of the Iroquois. Therefore, they view father Laforgue with suspicion, even hatred after a while believing that he is a demon (especially after he demonstrates to them the reading of a book, a fact that unsettles them) and they start to wonder if it is worthwhile to risk too much for a person who promises them a paradise in an afterlife after death.'Black Robe' is a very interesting film but I think it is not for everyone. To start with it is not entertaining, it is not epic. There is no 'payback' for this mission that Laforgue undertakes. Despite the idyllic scenery of the New World the trip is very hard and demanding and the eventual conflict with the Iroquois is very harsh. Laforgue, nonetheless is a brave man and perseveres. His conviction to introduce Christianity to the Hurons and convert them is too strong and gives him the courage to go on. The question is if it was worthwhile. The movie cleverly avoids taking sides on this matter. I believe this is the big question that the movie asks and there is no easy answer. A 9/10 from me.
PWNYCNY Black Robe is a credible attempt to dramatize the clash of cultures in the early seventeenth century in what is today the region comprising northern New York State and Quebec, Canada. In this movie the principal characters: a Native chief, his wife and daughter, a French priest (the "Black Robe") and his companion, a young French man, are people caught up in a chain of events that highlight the similarities and differences, as well as the best and the worst features, of two cultural groups, one French and Catholic, the other Native American and non-Christian, as they take the first tentative steps in establishing contact. Remarkably, the two groups have much in common. Both have chiefs, both utilize similar rituals to strengthen group solidarity, both have warriors, both have priests, both have strong religious beliefs, both understood firearms, and both are inquisitive as to the nature of the other, including sexual, and are capable of interacting with each other on an intimate, including sexual level. Yet these similarities are far outweighed by their differences, such as in race, technological development, literacy, language and military power. For instance, in one scene, the French priest demonstrates writing to the Natives which the Natives find perplexing and disturbing. In another scene, the Natives are amused by a clock, which, though obviously important to the whites, to the Natives is little more than a silly noise-making contraption. Some aspects of the story are contrived, such as the affair between the priest's traveling companion (who, of course, is young, tall, sensitive and handsome) and the chief's daughter (who, of course, is young, lithe, passionate and beautiful, with a lovely countenance and a slight streak of rebelliousness, enhancing her charm), the gratuitous depictions of acts of copulation and close-up shots of horrible combat wounds, and the inclusion of "bad," that is, unruly and sadistic Natives, complete with scowling faces and menacing, mocking laughs, all clearly added for dramatic effect. These additions are pure Hollywood. Nevertheless, this movie succeeds as a work of art because of the presence of the main character, the "Black Robe." He is the bulwark of the story, the hub around which the movie revolves. This character is strong because he has moral integrity, that is, he is not a phony. He really cares about the Natives, as people and not just as targets for spiritual exploitation, and he knows that they are dying and wants to save them the only way he knows how; by bringing them salvation, unconditionally, through Christian faith, something which he really believes. The Natives sense that he cares about them, that he is not scheming to hurt them or steal from them, and are even comfortable enough with him to playfully poke fun at him, a sign of acceptance, and something they would not dare to do, or care to do, with most other white people, who they detest. Because if the Natives had hated him, they would have let him die or have murdered him, without hesitation, but they did not. When he was lost, they found him; when he was left in the forest, they went back to fetch him. By the end of movie, his acceptance by the Natives is complete as they come to him for spiritual comfort to ease the pain of their suffering. For "Black Robe," his mission is fulfilled; for the Natives it marks the beginning of a process of assimilation into a new culture that will soon lead to their cultural and physical decline, and for many, their extinction.Also, mention must be made of another principal character in this movie, Chomina, who fully grasps the predicament of his people and the implications of the white man's presence in what was once Native land. His character is symbolic of the best features of the Natives: strong, resolute, courageous, fair, honorable, fundamentally peaceful, uncorrupted, and above all humane, and his death represents the end of an era, which becomes even more apparent when his daughter decides to stay with her white boyfriend and not return to her people. Perhaps this interpretation of Chomina may seem a bit expansive, yet there were Native Americans who were known to embody these traits, so the character cannot be discounted as a mere cinematic contrivance.That this movie contains interesting and noble characters is commendable, yet what makes this movie worth watching is the substantive nature of the story itself which candidly addresses themes relevant to today's post-9/11 world in which the clash of cultures, under the banner "war on terrorism," has taken on global proportions.One other point: The clash of cultures depicted in this movie is part of a larger process of cultural decline and regeneration that occurs continuously throughout history everywhere in the world as cultures rise and fall and are replaced by other cultures. Languages that once flourished are now extinct; empires that once stretched across continents are long since gone. Understanding this makes the process more comprehensible but provides little solace for those experiencing the process, especially if it is their culture that is disappearing. One cannot help but be moved by the plight of the Native Americans as they realize that their way of life will be gone and that there is nothing they can do to stop it.The movie tells a compelling story about people from two cultural groups struggling to get to know each other and form social bounds under difficult circumstances and for that reason alone this movie is worth watching.
sleepsinclassz Gorgeous movie. My only real problem is the screen at the end claiming that the Indians got wiped out after they converted. They did, ... but there was also this little thing called the French and Indian War.And in that war, these Indians happened to side with the French. The F&I War was pretty dang big, cost enough money to cause the American Revolution a few years later, and ended in a gargantuan battle where the British won because the kill ratio was 3 dead French/allies for every 2 British/allies.So yeah, the movie's a little disingenuous there.Also, what's with this stupid 10-line minimum?
bandw The two things that are most striking about this film are its unqualified realism and the beauty of its wilderness photography.The story takes place in the 17th century in what was to be Canada; it concerns a Jesuit priest (Father Laforgue) from an upper class family in France who comes to Quebec City and is tasked with traveling through the wilderness some 1,500 miles west to work at the Huron Mission there. Laforgue is accompanied on his journey by a party of Algonquin Indians as well as by Daniel, a young French interpreter who is primarily just up for the adventure.As the journey proceeds and the seasons move from fall into a harsh winter the mood of the film becomes ever more bleak. The continuing culture clashes between the Algonqins and Laforgue are sometimes humorous but are ultimately sad in their revealing insights into how difficult it is for one culture to understand another. One scene has Laforgue transcribing a brief story told by the Algonquin chief and then having Daniel take the transcription some distance and read it back to another tribesman. Laforgue is trying to show the Indians that he has much to teach them, but their interpretation of the incident is that he must be some sort of demon. When the party meets up with some members of another tribe and they see Laforgue dressed in his black robe and ask if he is intelligent, the Algonquin chief quickly answers, "No." On the other hand Laforgue views the Indians in their current unenlightened state as savages.Not all is love and harmony between the various Indian tribes. When the Lafourgue party encounters a band of Iroquois there are some scenes of violence and torture where the squeamish may want to avert their eyes.Daniel, speaking the Algonquin language and having taken up with the chief's daughter, begins to have some understanding of the Indians and their ways. One interesting exchange between Daniel and Lagorgue is:Daniel: They believe that in the forest at night the dead can see.Laforgue: It's childish Daniel.Daniel: Is it harder to believe than in men of paradise where we all sit on clouds and look at God?Laforgue's most singular personal characteristic is his unwavering faith. His reaction to sexual temptation is confession of sin and self flogging. He sincerely believes that Christianity can bring salvation to the Indians, but the Indians have their own gods and view Laforgue with incomprehension. The film's success in making us understand both of these positions gives the ultimate conclusion a dimension of tragedy.