The King Chronicle

Last updated
The King Chronicle
GenreDrama
Written by Donald Brittain
Directed byDonald Brittain
Starring Sean McCann
Gary Reineke
Sandy Webster
Theme music composer Milan Kymlicka
Eldon Rathburn
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes3
Production
ProducersAdam Symansky
Darce Fardy
Peter Katadotis
CinematographySavas Kalogeras
EditorsRobert Benson
Roger Hart
Rita Roy
Running time120 minutes
Release
Original network CBC Television
Original releaseMarch 27 (1988-03-27) –
March 29, 1988 (1988-03-29)

The King Chronicle is a Canadian docudrama television miniseries, directed by Donald Brittain and broadcast by CBC Television in 1988. [1] Blending both documentary and dramatic elements, the six-hour series was a portrait of former Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King, with Sean McCann in the leading role. [2]

Contents

The first episode centred primarily on King's pre-political family background, the second focused on his early political career including the King–Byng affair of 1926, and the third focused on his late political career including the Conscription Crisis of 1944. [3]

The cast also included Gary Reineke as King's economic advisor Oscar D. Skelton, Albert Millaire as prime minister Wilfrid Laurier, Sandy Webster as cabinet minister James Ralston, R. H. Thomson as military commander and diplomat Andrew McNaughton, George Merner as Winston Churchill, Richard Farrell as Governor-General Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, Patricia Collins as Evelyn Byng, Viscountess Byng of Vimy, Doris Petrie as King's mother Isabel, and Tom Harvey as Franklin Delano Roosevelt. [3]

The series was broadcast by CBC Television over three nights, from March 27 to March 29, 1988. [2]

Critical response

The series received mixed reviews from television critics. Tony Atherton of the Ottawa Citizen wrote that it functioned better as a documentary than as a drama, but ultimately concluded that "despite its length, and occasional tedium, The King Chronicle provides Canadians with fascinating portrait of a colorful historic figure, and a better understanding of themselves." [4] while Jim Bawden of the Toronto Star praised McCann's performance but opined that "Brittain, a superb moviemaker, should not have written the script. He gets bogged down in the petty politicking of the day and doesn't pay attention to King's emotional battles within himself, reported in the diaries. Brittain's frustration at not being able to pin down the real King grows even as the mini-series dawdles to its end." [3]

Mike Boone of the Montreal Gazette was more positive, writing that "The King Chronicle brings this fascinating man out of the mists of our neglected history, casting harsh, revelatory light on the King character. Viewers will be treated to a thoroughly entertaining and informative account of three tumultuous decades in Canada's history, when events were quietly and slyly manipulated by a political genius. I wish Donald Brittain had been making TV series while I was wasting my youth watching Davy Crockett. I might have begged my parents for a Mackenzie King hat. Brittain is a bona fide genius. The King Chronicle joins Canada's Sweetheart, the brilliant Champions documentary trilogy and the On Guard for Thee series of Cold War analyses as precious TV records of complex events that have shaped modern Canada." [2]

The Toronto Star also asked three Canadian historians for their views of the series. Jack Granatstein called it awful and riddled with errors, Bruce Hutchison was charitable about the need to condense a 55-year political career into a six-hour film but was critical of McCann's performance as not really capturing how King actually conducted himself, while Bernard Ostry praised the series for demystifying King but lamented the inability to provide deeper context for some of his actions. [5]

Awards

AwardDate of CeremonyCategoryNomineesResultReference
Gemini Awards 1988 Best Dramatic Miniseries Adam SymanskyNominated [6]
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Program or Series Gary Reineke Nominated
Sandy WebsterNominated
Best Sound in a Dramatic Program or SeriesJean-Pierre Joutel, Louis Hone, Julian Olson, Adrian Croll, Hans OomesNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Lyon Mackenzie King</span> 10th prime minister of Canada (1921–1926; 1926–1930; 1935–1948)

William Lyon Mackenzie King was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal, he was the dominant politician in Canada from the early 1920s to the late 1940s. King is best known for his leadership of Canada throughout the Great Depression and the Second World War. He played a major role in laying the foundations of the Canadian welfare state and established Canada's international reputation as a middle power fully committed to world order. With a total of 21 years and 154 days in office, he remains the longest-serving prime minister in Canadian history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy</span> British Army officer and the 12th Governor General of Canada

Field Marshal Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, was a British Army officer who served as Governor General of Canada, the 12th since the Canadian Confederation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1926 in Canada</span> Canada-related events during the year of 1926

Events from the year 1926 in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1925 Canadian federal election</span> 15th Canadian federal election

The 1925 Canadian federal election was held on October 29, 1925 to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 15th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative party took the most seats in the House of Commons, although not a majority. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's Liberal Party was invited to form a minority government. Unlike the Conservative party, King's Liberals had the conditional support of the many Farmer/Progressive MPs.

This Hour Has Seven Days was a CBC Television news magazine that ran from 1964 to 1966, offering viewers in-depth analysis of the major social and political stories of the previous week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King–Byng affair</span> Canadian constitutional crisis that occurred in 1926

The King–Byng affair was a Canadian constitutional crisis that occurred in 1926, when the governor general of Canada, the Lord Byng of Vimy, refused a request by the prime minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King, to dissolve parliament and call a general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1926 Canadian federal election</span> 16th Canadian federal election

The 1926 Canadian federal election was held on September 14, 1926, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 16th Parliament of Canada. The election was called after an event known as the King–Byng affair.

<i>Night Heat</i> Canadian police crime television series

Night Heat is a Canadian police crime drama series that aired on both CTV in Canada and CBS in the United States. Original episodes were broadcast from 1985 to 1989. Night Heat was the first Canadian original drama series that was also aired on a United States television network during its original broadcast. It was also the first original, first-run drama series to be aired during a late night time slot on a television network in the United States.

The John Drainie Award was an award given to an individual who has made a significant contribution to broadcasting in Canada. Although meant to be presented annually there have been years where it was not presented.

Donald Code Brittain, was a film director and producer with the National Film Board of Canada.

Sean McCann was a Canadian actor and was in the business for over 55 years. He was best known for his roles as Lt. Jim Hogan in the 1985 CBS television drama series Night Heat (1985–1989), Frank Rittenhauer in the comedy film Tommy Boy (1995) and the Judge in Chicago (2002).

Paul Jay is a journalist, filmmaker, is the founder, editor-in-chief, and host of theAnalysis.news, a news analysis service. He was the founder, CEO and senior editor of The Real News Network (TRNN). Jay was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario and holds dual-citizenship with the United States. Jay is the nephew of screenwriter Ted Allan. A past chair of the Canadian Independent Film Caucus, the main organization of documentary filmmakers in Canada, Jay is the founding chair of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. He chaired the Hot Docs! board for its first five years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Meighen</span> Prime minister of Canada (1874–1960)

Arthur Meighen was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Canada from 1920 to 1921 and from June to September 1926. He led the Conservative Party from 1920 to 1926 and from 1941 to 1942.

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.

Race for the Bomb is a 1987 television 3-parts miniseries about the Manhattan Project, starting from the initial stages of scientific discovery that led to the creation of the atomic bomb, discovery of the Ulam-Teller thermonuclear weapons design and ending with the beginning of the arms race. The series was directed by Allan Eastman and Jean-François Delassus.

There have been numerous depictions of prime ministers of Canada in popular culture.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents an annual award for Best Comedy Series.

William Roger Graham, PhD, LLD, FRSC was a Canadian academic historian whose area of specialization was 20th-century Canadian political history.

The Holier It Gets is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Jennifer Baichwal and released in 2000. The film is a personal document of Baichwal and her family on a pilgrimage to India, honouring their father Krishna's wishes to have his ashes scattered at the source of the Ganges following his death.

References

  1. ↑ Ted Shaw, "Actor brings sympathy to King role". Windsor Star , March 25, 1988.
  2. 1 2 3 Mike Boone, "Engrossing tale of the prime minister who would be King". Montreal Gazette , March 27, 1988.
  3. 1 2 3 Jim Bawden, "Brittain's King Chronicles can't nail down evasive King". Toronto Star , March 26, 1988.
  4. ↑ Tony Atherton, "TV's King compelling portrait". Ottawa Citizen , March 26, 1988.
  5. ↑ Jack Cahill, "King's chroniclers rate The King Chronicle". Toronto Star , March 31, 1988.
  6. ↑ Henry Mietkiewicz, "Nominated for Canadian TV's best: The Gemini Awards". Toronto Star , October 13, 1988.
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.