Elijah (film)

Last updated
Elijah
GenreDrama
Written byBlake Corbet
Directed by Paul Unwin
Starring Billy Merasty
Tina Louise Bomberry
Currie Graham
Glen Gould
Maury Chaykin
Theme music composerTerry Frewer
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersBlake Corbet
Gigi Boyd
Kevin Eastwood
Chris Leeson
Lisa Meeches
CinematographyMichael Marshall
EditorsFranco Pante
Lenka Svab
Running time90 minutes
Production companiesAnagram Pictures
Eagle Vision
Original release
Network CTV
ReleaseSeptember 30, 2007 (2007-09-30)

Elijah is a Canadian comedy-drama television film which was directed by Paul Unwin and broadcast by CTV in 2008. [1] An account of the life and career of Elijah Harper, the provincial MLA in Manitoba whose stand on First Nations rights brought down the Meech Lake Accord in 1990, the film blends animated and scripted segments to present Harper's political journey as a Swift-style satire reminiscent of Gulliver's Travels . [2]

Contents

The film stars Billy Merasty as Harper, Tina Louise Bomberry as his wife Elizabeth, Currie Graham as Gary Filmon, Glen Gould as Phil Fontaine, and Maury Chaykin as Howard Pawley, as well as Michael Peterson as Harper in childhood, Gregory Dominic Odjug as Harper in his teenage years, and Lorne Cardinal, Morris Birdyellowhead and Gary Farmer in supporting roles.

Production

The film went into production in summer 2006, [3] with some shooting in the real Legislative Assembly of Manitoba building. [4]

Distribution

The film premiered theatrically at the 2007 Calgary International Film Festival, [5] and was screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival [6] and the ImagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival, [7] prior to being broadcast by CTV on May 25, 2008. [1]

Critical response

John Doyle of The Globe and Mail wrote that "the movie's jaunty tone doesn't always click - it sags into sentimentality in the middle - but it's often gloriously funny and smart. The scenes in which Mulroney's posse tries to shift Harper's position are hilarious. Maury Chaykin is excellent as former Manitoba premier Howard Pawley and Glen Gould does a ferocious turn as native leader Phil Fontaine. Written by Blake Corbet and directed by Paul Unwin, Elijah is one wonderful attempt to make the Meech mess a scorching comedy, but anchored by one truly principled man." [1]

Awards

AwardDate of CeremonyCategoryNomineesResultReference
Leo Awards 2008Best Feature Length DramaBlake Corbet, Mary Anne Waterhouse, Gigi Boyd, Ki Wight, Kevin EastwoodWon [8]
Best Screenwriting in a Feature Length DramaBlake CorbetWon
Best Production Design in a Feature Length DramaTony DevenyiNominated [9]
Best Musical Score in a Feature Length DramaTerry FrewerWon
Best Picture Editing in a Feature Length DramaFranco Pante, Lenka SvabNominated [9]
Best Overall Sound in a Feature Length DramaGreg Stewart, Ian Emberton, Scott Aitken, Ken BiehlNominated
Best Sound Editing in a Feature Length DramaKen Biehl, Ian Emberton, Stephen Cheung, Don Harrison, Ian MackieNominated
Best Visual Effects in a Feature Length DramaJames Tichenor, Terry Hutcheson, Mark T. Reid, Michael Ranalletta, Andria Spring, Dave McGhieNominated
Gemini Awards 2009 Best Television Movie Blake Corbet, Gigi Boyd, Kevin Eastwood, Chris Leeson, Lisa Meeches, Mary Anne WaterhouseWon [10]
Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-SeriesBlake CorbetWon
Best Sound in a Dramatic ProgramKen Biehl, Scott Aitken, Stephen Cheung, Ian Emberton, Don Harrison, Ian Mackie, Greg StewartNominated [11]
Best Original Music for a Dramatic Program, Mini-Series or TV MovieTerry FrewerNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Doer</span> Premier of Manitoba from 1999 to 2009 and Canadian diplomat

Gary Albert Doer is a former Canadian politician and diplomat from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He served as Canada's ambassador to the United States from 19 October 2009, to 3 March 2016. Doer previously served as the 20th premier of Manitoba from 1999 to 2009, leading a New Democratic Party government.

<i>Made in Canada</i> (TV series) Television series

Made in Canada is a Canadian television comedy which aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2003. Rick Mercer starred as Richard Strong, an ambitious and amoral television producer working for a company which makes bad television shows. A dark satire about the Canadian television industry, the programme shifted into an episodic situation comedy format after its first season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elijah Harper</span> Canadian politician

Elijah Harper was a Canadian Oji-Cree politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (MLA) from 1981 to 1992 and a member of Parliament (MP) from 1993 to 1997. Harper was elected chief of the Red Sucker Lake Indian Band in 1978, serving for four years and worked as a policy analyst prior to entering politics. He was a key factor in the rejection of the Meech Lake Accord, a proposed amendment of the Canadian constitution.

Peter James Maloway is a Canadian politician, who has served as a member of both the House of Commons of Canada and the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

George Hickes is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He has served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1990 until 2011, and was the Speaker of the Assembly from November 1999 to October 2011. He is a member of the New Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Manitoba general election</span>

The 1990 Manitoba general election was held on September 11, 1990 to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, which took 30 out of 57 seats. The New Democratic Party finished second with 20, while the Liberal Party fell from 21 to 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 Manitoba general election</span>

The 1988 Manitoba general election was held on April 26, 1988 to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a minority government. The Progressive Conservative Party won 25 seats, against 20 for the Liberal Party and 12 for the New Democratic Party.

Leonard Salusbury Evans was a Canadian politician in Manitoba. He was a member of the Manitoba legislature from 1969 to 1999 and was a Cabinet Minister in the governments of New Democratic Premiers Edward Schreyer and Howard Pawley.

<i>Cold Squad</i> Canadian television series

Cold Squad is a Canadian police procedural television series that premiered on CTV on January 23, 1998, at 10 p.m., and ran for seven seasons. Led by Sergeant Ali McCormick, a team of homicide detectives from the Vancouver Police Department reopen long-unsolved, or "cold" cases, using present-day forensic technology and psychological profiling to help crack them. Cold Squad premiered simultaneously in French Canada on Séries+ as Brigade spéciale.

The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television and radio industries. Organized and presented by the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, which represented performers, writers and broadcast journalists, the Nellie statuettes were presented annually until 1986. They were the primary national television award in Canada until 1986, when they were taken over by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to create the new Gemini Awards, although ACTRA continued to present Nellies in radio categories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maury Chaykin</span> American-Canadian actor (1949–2010)

Maury Alan Chaykin was an American–Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of Rex Stout's fictional detective Nero Wolfe in the A&E series A Nero Wolfe Mystery, as well as for his work as a character actor in many films and television programs.

Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks is a Canadian docudrama film directed, written and produced by Donald Brittain.

Julie Anne Stewart is a Canadian stage, film, television and voice actress, and director. She is most commonly known for her role as Sgt. Ali McCormick from the CTV television series Cold Squad.

<i>Less Than Kind</i> Canadian television comedy-drama series

Less Than Kind is a 2008–2013 Canadian television comedy-drama series that stars Jesse Camacho as Sheldon Blecher, a teenager growing up in a loving but dysfunctional Jewish family in Winnipeg. The show's cast also includes Maury Chaykin and Wendel Meldrum as Sheldon's parents, Benjamin Arthur as his older brother Josh, and Nancy Sorel as his aunt Clara. The Blechers struggle to operate a driving school out of their home in Winnipeg's fading North End. Less Than Kind made its debut October 13, 2008, on Citytv, and moved to HBO Canada in February 2010.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents an annual award for Best Dramatic Series. Formerly presented as part of the Gemini Awards program, since 2013 the award has been presented as part of the expanded Canadian Screen Awards.

The members of the 34th Manitoba Legislature were elected in the Manitoba general election held in April 1988. The legislature sat from July 21, 1988, to August 7, 1990.

The Donald Brittain Award is a Canadian television award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to honour the year's best television documentary on a social or political topic. Formerly presented as part of the Gemini Awards, since 2013 it has been presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards. The award may be presented to either a standalone broadcast of a documentary film, or to an individual full-length episode of a news or documentary series; documentary films which originally premiered theatrically, but were not already submitted for consideration in a CSA film category before being broadcast on television, are also considered television films for the purposes of the award.

Tribal is a Canadian television crime drama series, which premiered February 20, 2020 on APTN. The series stars Jessica Matten as Sam Woodburn, the newly appointed chief of an indigenous police force in the Nêhiyawak First Nation in Alberta, and Brian Markinson as Chuck “Buke” Bukansky, a racist and sexist white cop from Calgary whom she is paired with to solve crimes.

Bernard Behrens was a British-Canadian actor. He was most noted as a two-time Gemini Award winner, winning Best Actor in a Television Film or Miniseries at the 6th Gemini Awards in 1992 for his performance in the dramatic anthology series Saying Goodbye, and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Program or Series at the 9th Gemini Awards in 1995 for the television film Coming of Age.

References

  1. 1 2 3 John Doyle, "In politics, truth is stranger than fiction". The Globe and Mail , May 23, 2008.
  2. ↑ Glen Schaefer, "Native MLA brought gov't down". The Province , May 23, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Elijah in Elijah". Hamilton Spectator , August 30, 2006.
  4. ↑ Brad Oswald, "'No' way, 'no' how". Winnipeg Free Press , May 25, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Going Out. Sept 21-27". Calgary Herald , September 21, 2007.
  6. ↑ Katherine Monk, "Elijah -- man who nixed Meech -- more like movie of the week". Vancouver Sun , October 8, 2007.
  7. ↑ Rick Salutin, "When to use a feather". The Globe and Mail , October 19, 2007.
  8. ↑ Yvonne Zacharias, "Films about politician, car crash win Leos". Vancouver Sun , May 26, 2008.
  9. 1 2 Alison Cunningham, "Normal, Brightlight lead pack at 10th Leos". Playback , May 12, 2008.
  10. ↑ "Geminis come home". The Province , October 22, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Gemini Nominees: Craft Categores". Playback , October 12, 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.