Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Canadian Film

It is no secret that the national cinemas of perhaps every filmmaking nation are a keen insight into the psyche of the character of that nation. So, if the kinds of films produced around the world at any given time are indicative of the social climate of each specific nation, where does that place Canada? How does that reflect on the image Canadians have of themselves and our place in the world?

Thanks to the direct competition with the American production houses, English Canadians rarely get the chance to see themselves represented on screen. They have been trained to consider big budget, star and effects driven cinema as the bar to which all other films should be judged. Also, due to budgetary challenges, Canadian filmmakers are often left producing character driven dramas and quirky comedies, films that tend to skirt mass appeal.

Thanks to this, many Canadians assume that their national cinema is inherently dull, laughable or incomprehensible. They don’t realize, nor do they care, that their cinema is a reflection of themselves as reality, rather than who they wish to be, which is what drives the American plot line. Consistently and pervasively, this is a dire threat to our cultural sovereignty. English Canadian cinema has had its share of troubles, but it needs to do more to capture the imagination of Canadians.

Back in June, a Canadian blogger, “Relapsed Catholic” posed the question: “How can we tell "it's Canadian"?” What she refers to stems from my above paragraph. She suggests that we can tell a film or show is Canadian by a certain lack of quality embodied in a mystifying “je ne se quoi”, and predictably she compares that characteristic to an American blockbuster.

“I'm begging everyone out there with a working knowledge of the Canadian film & TV industry to tell me why we can't make a movie that looks one-tenth as pretty as, just off the top of my head, Wedding Crashers.”

The responses range from a lack of talented actors ands crew to poor scripts to paranoia towards commercial success. All interesting points, however, one major key point they miss is this: This is who we are. We are not Americans. We don’t make American film. The British don’t make American film, the French don’t make American films. Neither do Canadians. We make Canadian films. Our characters represent who we are culturally, and our culture however slightly, is different than American culture. It is no accident that she cannot figure out why it looks different. There are reasons, but they are subtle. They are almost subconscious. It can be likened to hearing one’s own voice on a tape recorder. “Do I really sound like that??” is a common response, followed by self criticism and a cringe. We are our own worst critics. The same goes for our cinema.

Those Canadian actors that do head south even reach the top of the American industry, they have most likely taken courses and received coaching on how to sound, look and be American. I kid you not. As viewers we in Canada have been so thoroughly trained to recognize ourselves in American media that we have begun to forget our true selves. When presented with a mirror, we shun it, opting for window instead.

Having our own distinct form of cinema gives Canadians an opportunity to have a unique view of the world. Just as Hollywood puts forth it’s own unique brand of hero – the individual who overcomes a (usually) corrupt status quo in order to reform a broken system, thus espousing it’s values, so does Britain which classically espouses heroism towards defeating a threat to the status quo. Canada too must find it’s own voice and it’s own heroes if it is to exert itself upon the world. It must start first right here at home.

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