C. S. Lewis’ series, The Chronicles of Narnia, has been adapted into numerous other forms of media since their publication in the nineteen fifties. In 2005, Lewis’ first book to be published in the series, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was adapted into a feature-length film by Walt Disney Studios and Walden Media. This film takes an interesting interpretation of the plot in Lewis’ book and, like many others, makes some alterations from the original work. These changes either help to provide context to the plot or to add more action to the film.
First, some new scenes have been added or altered from the story when The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was adapted into its 2005 film version. In the opening scene of the film, the audience sees an air-raid over the city of London, England (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). The main characters, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are shown to be running to a shelter in the back garden with their mother (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). After this scene, the audience sees the children being taken by train to the house of the Professor (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). These scenes are different from what is seen the beginning of the book. Lewis only dedicates a few lines in explaining the children’s circumstances, stating that the children “were sent away from London during the air-raids” (3) and that “[t]hey were sent to live with an old Professor who lived in the heart of the country” (3). In adding scenes to the film that add more detail to Lewis’ description, the adaption creates a better understanding of why the four children had to leave London. A child reading Lewis’ book in 2013 would not be able to understand the effect of the Blitz on London like a child reading it in 1953, who would be growing up in the aftermath of the Second World War and the London Bombings. Thus, in providing context to the opening of the film, the audience is able to better understand the circumstances that the protagonists are in at the beginning of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Cover of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe circa 1950.
Also, the scenes with the professor differ in some ways between the film and the book. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the Professor is able to speak Peter and Susan on an even level when they come to see him about Lucy, though telling them to consider that their sister could be telling the truth (Lewis, 47-48). In the film adaption, the Professor comes across as more of a concerned guardian, but quickly becomes more welcoming when he learns that Lucy had discovered a way to Narnia through the wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). This is just one of the few references to the other Narnia book The Magician’s Nephew, which tells of how the Professor traveled to Narnia when he was a boy. The best example of this is seen at the end of the film when Lucy tries to go back to Narnia, only to see the Professor in the room, disappointed that the wardrobe no longer works (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). These suggestions of the Professor having been to Narnia before are not mentioned in the book because the The Magician’s Nephew was not published until several years after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
In addition, the scene where Aslan is sacrificed on the Stone Table is slightly different from the book. In this situation, it is the book that has more detail than the film. Though the film does have some elements from the book such as Aslan being tied down, having his mane cut off, and being dragged up to the Stone Table (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). Despite the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe sharing these parts, Lewis goes into more detail and is more humiliating in his description. After Aslan is muzzled and bound, the White Witch’s minions surround the lion and begin “kicking him, hitting him, spitting on him, jeering at him” (Lewis 154). The reason Lewis puts Aslan through all this suffering and humiliation before being killed by the White Witch is because Aslan is a representation of Jesus Christ from the Bible, who, before being crucified, was put through much suffering and humiliation. Disney probably did not play down this scene in the movie for religious reason though. This scene in the film is frightening already and thus only adapted enough parts from the book as necessary.
Film poster for Disney’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 2005 .
Finally, there is a difference in how both the film and the book portray the battle scene and journey to the White Witch’s home to free those who had been statues. In the book, Lewis concentrates on the rescue, giving a detailed account of how Aslan freed the Witch’s captives from being stone statues. Lewis only gives a brief account of the battle, mentioning how Peter and his forces were outnumbered by the White Witch’s forces and how Aslan defeated the Witch (Lewis 175-177). The movie concentrates more on the battle than the rescue. In this instance, the audience sees that from the beginning of the battle, the White Witch’s forces out number Peter (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). Much like in the book, Peter is victorious over the White Witch when Aslan, Susan, and Lucy arrive with an army of the Witch’s former prisoners (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). The best argument to why Disney chose to concentrate on the fight would most likely be because the most action can be placed into the scene. Little action happens in the rescue at the White Witch’s house, except for Aslan freeing the captives; this could easily be given less focus as the battle serves more of climax.
In conclusion, the additions and alterations from book to film in the case of C. S. Lewis’ The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe are done to either provide context or to create more action in the film. Some of these scenes, such as the opening, allow for the audience to better understand the circumstances that the children have come into. This said, some sections, like Aslan’s sacrifice at the stone table lack some detail that the book provides. Through looking at an adaption of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, one can see a unique approach to Lewis’ work that has both strong and weak points to how the book was adapted.
Works Cited
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Dir. Andrew Adamson. Perf. William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes. Buena Vista Pictures, 2006. DVD.
“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe“. Wikipedia.
Adulthood is a voyage fraught with highs that make you believe that you could touch the sun and lows that drag you lower than you ever thought possible. The very challenges become very much like trying to herd cats, somehow finding a way to become nearly impossible to overcome. To tackle this conundrum, Sarah Andersen returns with an all new collection of comics titled Herding Cats, continuing with her theme of adjusting to the world with the ever anxious and ever loved character Sarah. Readers continue to laugh, cry, cry while laughing, and relate to Andersen’s entertaining comics in this latest anthology.
Herding Cats is the continuation of Andersen’s character, Sarah. In this new volume we see Sarah face life with the same level of excitement and anxiety as she counts the days to Hallowe’en, meeting deadlines, and that delayed pain that hits after stubbing your baby toe. Along with these entertaining comics, Andersen shares with her readers how she was able to accomplish her success via the world of the internet and how to navigate this brave new world where everyone has a megaphone and will proclaim their opinions and discern from the constructive and delusional.
One of the things that works in Andersen’s advantage is this continued theme of adjusting. Her first anthology Adulthood is a Myth looks at adjusting to the new work of adulthood and the idea of what defines adulthood; A Big Mushy Happy Lump can be seen as adjusting to limitations life puts on you and coming to acceptance with those limits. Herding Cats continues this trend with the theme of adjusting and accepting the uncontrollable situations and problems life throws your way. One example of this can be seen in her comic “Taking Care Of…”; here we see in the first three panels showing Sarah being loving to her pets, friends, and boyfriend but when we see Sarah taking care of herself, we see Sarah throwing a copy of herself in to a trash can (5). This is an easy thing we all do, we put people before ourselves and end up leaving our personal needs to the side or being harder on ourselves when things go wrong. Because we are busy putting others first, we end up leaving our own needs behind.
In addition, Andersen’s comics continue their relatability between the reader and Sarah. In the comic “Me + Me: A Great Time!”, we see Sarah finding enjoyment in talking to herself, having a fashion show with herself, and dancing with herself (78). The relatability is seen in how the comic shows the joy one can get with solitude or alone time. Being around does have its benefits and I’m sure there are benefits to social interaction and there are probably stacks of articles by leading scientists and psychologists that back those… But let’s be honest sometimes it’s better have alone time and play on the phone (shut up about how the very fabric of society is being ripped apart by people being on their phones!) and not everyone actually benefits from being about people, like introverts where the opposite can be true in some cases.
Another example is in the comic “Comfort Zone”, here Andersen opens with the line “life begins at the end of your comfort zone” and shows Sarah, wrapped in a blanket, stepping out of a small circle with the word “progress” appearing overhead after the first step (80). Life has always been a we are born with nothing and life promises us nothing, so we therefore have to reach out and work for what we want. Because of life’s difficulty, we tend to stick with what’s comfortable or good enough and easy and forget what we want. Stepping out of out of our comfort zone is never the easy choice but is necessary. Sometimes what is acceptable isn’t healthy like an unhealthy relationship, poor health choices, living somewhere that isn’t safe. Because of that the comfort zone isn’t necessarily the best place. That isn’t to say you should always be running out of the comfort zone, sometimes little steps make better progress and are more realistic some instances.
In conclusion, Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen is a book worth reading. The book’s themes and comics are still as relatable as it’s predecessors and are just as enjoyable as ever. Therefore, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Herding Cats at your nearest book store.
The Last Spike hammered in by Sir Donald Smith in Craigellachie, B. C., 1885.
“A prairie farmer arrives home to discover his crops flattened by hail, his barn on fire, and his wife running away with the hired hand. He looks up to Heaven, and shouts; ‘Goddamn the CPR!’”[1] This anecdote demonstrates the relevance of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) to the Canadian West. A connection goes back to the time of the National Policy from the 1878 Conservative government under Sir John A. Macdonald. The railway was able to overcome obstacles in establishing the line in British Columbia, such as discontent landowners in Port Moody. The Canadian Pacific even helped to improve the economy of the west in places such as the city of Winnipeg and Winnipeg beach. The Canadian Pacific Railway played a significant role in the assertion of Canada’s sovereignty in the western provinces through the National Policy, developing its line in British Columbia and providing improvements to the western economy.
A Matter of Policy
Sir John A. Macdonald
The Canadian Pacific was a major part within the National Policy of the conservative government of Sir John A. Macdonald. At the time of the policy’s creation, Canada was in political and economic distress. Populations were decreasing as people traveled to the newly opened west of the United States and weak economic conditions due to a mix of government debt from infrastructure projects and a weakening connection with the British market.[2] Additionally, Canada was also facing an “expansionist American government [that] threatened to absorb the entire western half of the continent.”[3]
In the election of 1878, Sir John A. Macdonald argued that the only cure for these issues would be his Conservative Party’s new National Policy;[4] a policy that contained the use of higher tariffs to protect Canada’s manufacturing industries from any possible competition from the United States and to insure funds for the Canadian government’s expansion projects.[5] These tariffs also served to encourage the movement of agricultural goods to the central Canadian markets.[6]
Alexander Mackenzie
The policy also mentioned the installation of a rail line to the west, allowing for what was considered “a convenient and rapid transportation system” for the time.[7] The rail line would also ensure trade across the country for the sake of both economic and political benefits by encouraging growth in the Canadian manufacturing industry.[8] Construction of the Pacific Railway had been going on before the 1878 election but without proper funds, construction moved slowly as money trickled in from the 17.5 per cent tariff rates put in place by the Liberal government under Alexander Mackenzie.[9] The lack of further funds meant that the line could not be completed and Canada risked losing British Columbia,[10] a serious issue because Macdonald had promised a railway to connect the British colony with the rest of Canada when it joined the Confederation, despite the colony only asking for a wagon road.[11]
On September 17, 1878, the Conservative Party, led by Macdonald, won the election and were able implement the National Policy.[12] Leonard Tilley, the appointed finance minister, took on the responsibility of implementing the new tariffs.[13] In the first budget, he replaced the former Liberal tariff structure with new duties ranging from twenty to forty per cent and wide-ranging fees on imports from the United States.[14] With the new tariffs in place the construction of the railway could continue.
The Moody Problem with Coal Bay
Map of Rupert’s Land, granted to the Canadian government from the Hudson’s Bay Company.
On February 15 1881, the contract between the Canadian government and the Canadian Pacific Railway was given royal assent.[15] The territory of Rupert’s Land acquired from the Hudson’s Bay Company –through political pressure and dealing from behind the scenes – would be granted to anyone wanting to invest in western development and railways.[16] On August 4, 1883, William Van Horne, the general manager of the Canadian Pacific, arrived in British Columbia to inspect the site of the new terminus at Port Moody.[17] Port Moody was a little village located on a narrow bank at the head of Burrard Inlet.[18] Pierre Berton describes Port Moody at the time of Van Horne’s arrival to be “basking in the glow of optimism brought on by the unquenchable belief that it was to become the greatest metropolis on the Pacific coast.”[19]
William Van Horne
Upon inspecting the Burrard Inlet, Van Horne found that the site would not be appropriate, as there was not enough room for a city in the area.[20] The rail line would require “four hundred acres of level ground”,[21] which did was not available unless they reclaimed it from the tidal flats, which would cost approximately between two and four million dollars.[22] Despite this hiccup, Van Horn found a solution to this issue when he travelled out by boat to the mouth of the inlet; he realized that there was more space in the area of Coal Harbour and English Bay.[23] Van Horne would only need to persuade the provincial government to subsidize the continuation of the line and build the terminus at Coal Harbour.[24]
As an agreement between the Canadian Pacific and the British Columbian government for six thousand two hundred seventy-five acres was being formed, Van Horne appointed Montague William Tyrwhitt-Drake to serve as the company’s local operative as he was considered reliable in his profession but also for his political connections.[25] With Drake at the helm in British Columbia, Van Horne intended to shield the Canadian Pacific from any opposition in the provincial government.[26] Despite the preparation, Van Horne was unable to protect the company from the harshest threat to railway construction, the angered property owners of Port Moody.
These property owners sent petitions to the dominion government warning that seven hundred inhabitants and investors would be “utterly ruined” if the terminus was placed in Coal Harbour.[27] Drake failed to alter a clause that stated that the extension would be part of the original portion of the Canadian Pacific.[28] The original charter of 1881, known as the Canadian Pacific Railway Act, only recognized the planned construction of the Port Moody terminus and did not follow the general railway statute, the Consolidated Railway Act of 1879, which proclaimed that no railway can have the right to extend its line beyond the terminus mentioned in its special act.[29] Rather than amending the Canadian Pacific Railway Act to allow the extension, Drake decided to defend the extension by claiming that it was a branch.[30]
In August, the opponents to the railway applied for an interlocutory injunction, an order only amended through further court proceedings.[31] In the trial of Edmonds et al. versus the Canadian Pacific Railway, the judge, Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie, ruled that the company did not have the right to purchase land or build any of its desired works.[32] Drake tried to get an appeal from the Divisional Courts, but found himself unsuccessful in being granted an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.[33]
J. J. C. Abbot
While the judicial proceedings were occurring, Van Horne searched for an alternative to the issue. Rather than negotiating with the landowners, Van Horne had plans develop a bypass to cross the waterfront, a distance of six kilometers.[34] He planned to have a series of wooden trestle bridges built along the inlet to reach the terminus.[35] In order to work around Begbie ruling that the Canadian Pacific had no power to “expropriate land for the extension”,[36] J. J. C. Abbot, the railway’s General Counsel planned to make an application to the Dominion Government “in the name of some individual asking for a lease”.[37] This strategy was nearly successful but failed due to two issues. Van Horne undermined the whole endeavor by hinting to newspapers that the plans had been sent to the Department of Railways. Additionally, the trestles would collapse as soon as the teredos (shipworms) ate away at the wooden piers that they were to rest on.[38]
Over the course of the legal battle that occurred during the summer and fall of 1886, Drake was steadfast to his argument of ignoring the extension stated in the British Columbian agreement.[39] Drake claimed that the extension was only a branch line, which the Canadian Pacific was allowed to lay.[40] He only acknowledged that Port Moody was mentioned in the Canadian Pacific Railway Act, but argued that it was “not formally designed”.[41] Drake’s opponents argued that “Section 17 of the [Canadian Pacific Railway] Act required the application of the [Consolidated] Railway Act, including its restriction on extension from the terminus”.[42] To ensure that the company could get an appeal, Abbot arranged to have Charles Major, a landowner who supported the Canadian Pacific, file a suit against the company.[43] The judge ruled, like in the previous trials, that the railway had violated the Consolidated Railway Act of 1879.[44] With this result the Canadian Pacific was able to appeal the matter to the Supreme Court in Ottawa.[45]
In Ottawa, Abbot appointed Christopher Robinson to act as senior council of the case. Robinson argued Drake’s construction of the acts while Senator Thomas R. McInnes, a supporter of the Port Moody terminus, argued that the Canadian Pacific was ignoring the decision of the British Columbian courts by making their appeal.[46] The court ruled in favour of the Canadian Pacific, and in a vote of five to one overturned the decisions of the British Columbia courts.[47] To avoid being taken to the Judicial Court of the Privy Council in Britain, the railway secured an act from the dominion (federal) government that gave them “explicit legislative authority for the extension”.[48]
This land is my land, resold a double the price
Winnipeg, Manitoba, circa 1880
The Canadian Pacific Railway provided economic improvements to the west. During the time of the railway’s construction in the west, the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba experienced an economic boom, the principal cause of which being speculation. Van Horne had sent an advertisement to Winnipeg newspapers, warning the public against “buying lots at prospective station along the line until he had officially announced their locations”.[49] This was over shadowed by advertisements from the papers, promoting real-estate near the unofficial sites.
In June of 1881, the boom began with an opening sale in Brandon, Manitoba, with the value of its lots had tripling by January 1882.[50] Soon Winnipeg was hit with the excitement of the boom. Winnipeg had only a population of sixteen thousand people and only three hundred real-estate dealers, within a year its population doubled and its assessment tripled.[51]
The use of buying on margin gave individuals the ability to purchase large lots of land with limited amounts of money, The Hudson’s Bay Company for example, required only a fifth of the total cost as down payment.[52] As these properties changed hands, the down payment began to increase in price and soon those wanting to buy property had to turn to less valuable land, thus causing the surge of buying on margin to begin again in another part of Winnipeg.
Newcomers were astonished by how people would buy the lots at auction one day and sell the land the following day at an increase of ten per cent.[53] An increase in population from people from outside the city to buy land led to a “floating population” during the winter of 1881 and 1882,[54] which resulted in new hotels being opened on a daily basis. However, by early summer of 1882, the real-estate boom collapsed,[55] leaving a total value of the buildings being 1,710,850 dollars and the population of Winnipeg around twenty-five thousand.[56]
Canadian Pacific Railway travel poster
By the turn of the century, the railway had taken an interest in the tourist trade and had opened such markets in Banff, Victoria and Quebec City for both North American and European travellers.[57] The use of local railway development opened opportunities to create regional excursion points that would be accessible to “middle-class patrons”.[58] A motivation for this project was the drive to beat out the Canadian Pacific’s rival the Canadian Northern, which had partially completed its line to Delta Beach on the southern shore of Lake Manitoba.[59] Since 1899, the Canadian Pacific had had interests in the southern shore of Lake Winnipeg and had found success in sending excursionists to the beach through the use of its Selkirk branch line and the City of Selkirk steamer.[60]
In 1901, the Canadian Pacific Railway announced their plans to build a line connecting Winnipeg city with Winnipeg Beach.[61] The Canadian Pacific had intended the resort to be aimed at upper and middle class residents of Winnipeg.[62] The railway expected to run only one train daily with eventually adding excursion and picnic trains in addition to building cottages, a dance pavilion and a hotel.[63] The railway’s chance to add a hotel came in 1908, when Edward Windebank was developing a hotel for the beach known as the Empress Hotel.[64] Windebank had fallen short on funds during the hotels construction and offered to mortgage the hotel to the railway if they advanced the money to him so he could complete the project.[65] The railway’s plan for only one train per day and dancing on weekends were greatly changed to regular evening excursions and by 1906, thirteen trains a day on busy holiday weekends.[66] In 1920, up to fifteen thousand people traveled by train to Winnipeg Beach for the July first weekend with nightly dances held in the pavilion.[67]
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Canadian Pacific was significant in the development of Canada establishing itself in the west. The need for a railway in MacDonald’s National Policy led to the development of a market between the west and central Canada. The Canadian Pacific had to overcome discontent from landowners in Port Moody and the difficulty of the courts in British Columbia, who ruled against the railway in its plan to build its terminus in Coal Harbour. The railway was able to stimulate economic growth in the city of Winnipeg and through tourism at Winnipeg Beach. Therefore, the Canadian Pacific was able to assist Canada’s journey in establishing its sovereignty in the west.
Bibliography
Argyle, Ray. Turning Points: The Campaigns that Changed Canada 2004 and Before. Toronto: White Knight Publications. 2004.
Barbour, Dale. “Winnipeg Beach by Moonlight.” Manitoba History no. 63 (Spring2010 2010): 2-13. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 27, 2012).
Bell, Charles N. “The Great Winnipeg Boom.” Manitoba History no. 53 (October 2006): 32-37. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 27, 2012).
Berton, Pierre. The Last Spike: The Great Railway, 1881-1885. Toronto: Anchor Canada. 1971.
Leonard, Frank. “‘Diplomatic forces of the new railroad’: Transcontinental terminus entry at Vancouver and Seattle.” Journal Of Transport History 28, no. 1 (March 2007): 21-58. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 29, 2012).
—. “So Much Bumph” CPR Terminus Travails at Vancouver, 1884-89.” BC Studies no. 166 (Summer2010 2010): 7-38.Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 29, 2012).
Lotz, Jim. Canadian Pacific. London: Bison Books Limited. 1985.
Rollings-Magnusson, Sandra. “Necessary for Survival: Woman and Children’s Labour on Prairie Homesteads, 1871-1911”. In Nation and Society: Readings in Post-Confederation Canadian History, 2nd ed., edited by Margret Conrad and Alvin Finke, 114-130. Toronto: Pearson Canada Inc. 2004.
[1] Jim Lotz, Canadian Pacific, (London: Bison Books Limited, 1985). 6
[25] Frank Leonard, “‘Diplomatic forces of the new railroad’: Transcontinental terminus entry at Vancouver and Seattle”, Journal Of Transport History 28, no. 1 (March 2007): 21-58, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 29, 2012), 25
[52] Charles N Bell, “The Great Winnipeg Boom”, Manitoba History no. 53 (October 2006): 32-37, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 27, 2012), 33
Books are an important part of a society’s culture as they capture the contemporary views of those living there. Much like the rest of the world, Canada offers a literary tradition of its own. For those of you who have never seen one of my blog posts (surprise, surprise) I am a major bibliophile. This post is going to present a list of books that I feel are worth checking out from the annals of Canada’s library.
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town – Stephen Leacock (1912)
Stephen Leacock 1869-1944
To start off, I give you Canada’s answer to Mark Twain: Stephen Leacock. This professor of Political Science at McGillUniversity developed a reputation for his humorous stories like “My Financial Career” and anthologies like Literary Lapses and Nonsense Novels. One book that has held a special place in Canadian hearts is Leacock’s book Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, a collection of stories based off of Leacock’s observations of the prominent people in the Canadian town of Orillia. In fact, it is said that there are people in Orillia who hate Leacock for making fun of their ancestors and equally families who are livid that he didn’t make fun of theirs!
Sunshine Sketches follows the lives of the prominent townspeople in the fictional North Ontario town of Mariposa. These tales vary from love between a young bank teller and the town judge’s daughter, the eventful sinking of a riverboat, and the whirlwind that was the election of 1911. The major protagonist in this book is Josh Smith, a hotel and bar owner who rises from struggling to stay in business after locking the judge out of the bar to become a candidate in the town election. These entire stories orbit around a central theme of the innocent past, this is heavily supported by the use of an unreliable narrator and the closing line of the last story, “L’Envoi. The Train to Mariposa: “…as we listen, the cry grows fainter and fainter in our ears and we are sitting here again in the leather chairs of the Mausoleum Club, talking of the little Town in the Sunshine we once knew” (Leacock, 336).
Home From the Vinyl Café – Stuart McLean (1998)
Stuart McLean 1948-2017 (Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail)
Where Leacock is the Canadian answer to Mark Twain, Stuart McLean is Canada’s contemporary of Leacock. McLean, who sadly passed in 2017 from skin cancer, had made a career out of casual story telling, the kind of storytelling that feels more like a conversation with a close friend (including the odd tangent now-and-then) rather than a long, drawn out story. Many older CBC Radio listeners would remember McLean from his appearances on Peter Gzowski’s program Morningside, providing stories of real discoveries from flower auctions and crane climbing to trailer parks for former barbershop singers. While being able to reveal beauty in the everyday, McLean was also renowned for his reporting of serious events, most notably the Jonestown Massacre. It is very hard to narrow down one book by Stuart McLean as each one is special for their own reasons, but the book that I am going to put on the list as a place holder would be his second volume in his Vinyl Café books Home From the Vinyl Café.
Home from the Vinyl Café is an anthology about the life of a roadie turned record store owner named Dave, his wife Morley, and their two children Stephanie and Sam. These stories, much like the rest of the series, orbit around the normal and abnormal, with such escapades like when Dave decides to stick his tongue to a pole on the roof of his house or the time Dave and Morley went to Holland to skate, back when they were just married. The main reason I chose this book especially is it opens with what is considered to be the most famous story by McLean, “Dave Cooks the Turkey”. If you have not read it yet, I highly recommend picking up the book or finding an audio file of McLean reading the story (an easy find on Spotify and iTunes).
“The Hockey Sweater” – Roch Carrier (1979)
For anyone who grew up in Canada, the story “The Hockey Sweater” is more than a children’s story, but a Canadian institution. Carrier’s story is a tale of childhood innocence and the love of Canada’s greatest pastime, hockey. When a young boy’s Montreal Canadiens sweater is worn out from use, his mother writes to Eaton’s for a new one only to receive a sweater of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The end result is adorably humorous and the story’s timelessness has made it a tale that is even used in reading comprehension classes in school.
Another Carrier work but morbidly different from “The Hockey Sweater”. Where “The Hockey Sweater” portrays rural life as innocent and build around a strong sense of Christian virtue, Le Guerre? shows a world of bluntness and ignorance, where a funeral is seen as a party, father’s beat their children for sharing the same level of twisted blasphemy, and a man will chop his own hand off just to get out of being conscripted (the novel actually opens with this!). The entire book is a commentary on the culture of Quebec during what is call Le Grand Noircire, a time when the Quebec government under the leadership of Maurice Duplessi emphasized the importance of the farm and placed social programs in the hands of the Roman Catholic Church.
The novel Le Guarre? Yes, Sir! is the story of a single night when the body of a local man is brought back from the horrors of the Second World War, cultures clash between the villagers and the English soldiers who bring the body home. At the same time, readers see the utter hypocrisy and chaos in the course of on night in the Quebec village. As Carrier’s novel unfolds, we witness a clash of cultures as the French farmers despise the English for their cold, unfeeling appearance during the funeral; while the English despise the French for their rural life and what they think of as cowardice for not fighting in the war.
Pierre Berton 1920-2004
The National Dream – Pierre Berton (1970)
Pierre Berton was and is an accompished Canadian writer. Through out his writing carreer, Berton has chronicled Canada’s history from the War of 1812 while covering events like the exploration of the Klondike, the Battle of Vimy Ridge and others. For those who’ve never read Berton’s work, his historical works celebrate the Canadian Spirit and the country’s progress from colonial holding to statehood (something that if not done properly could border on Whiggish).
In Canadian history, the iron horse and two lines of steel rails was the major force in Canada’s early years. Canadian writer Pierre Berton’s book, The National Dream, paints an eloquent picture of early Canada, where only five provinces made up the dominion and the fear of American expansion into the new North West Territory and a promise made to British Columbia made the goal of building a transcontinental railway ever more urgent. Here Sir John A. Macdonald plays the role of a political phoenix, falling from grace with the Pacific Scandal and eventually rising from the ashes to lead Canada on in establishing the transcontinental line that would become known as the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Anne of Green Gables – L. M. Montgomery (1908)
L. M. Montgomery 1874-1942
L. M. Montgomery, a provincial and national treasure for Canada and Prince Edward Island. Writer of works like Emily of New Moon and (most of all) her books about an imaginative young girl named Anne and her life on Green Gables Farm. Her works are so popular and influential that in Japan, young girls are taught English with an East Coast accent so they can mimic that of Montgomery’s greatest character Anne Shirley.
Anne of Green Gables is the first novel in Montgomery’s series. Anne arrives from an orphanage into the home of the Marila and Matthew Cuthbert, two siblings wanting a boy to help with the work of running Green Gables Farm. While Mathew and Marila were expecting a boy, Anne proves to be more than what they needed and equally a handful with escapades like breaking a slate over Gilbert Blythe’s head for calling her carrots or nearly drowning in an old boat while recreating a scene from a Tennyson poem with her friends. Reader’s of Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables fall in love with Anne’s innocence and feisty attitude, traits that have made Anne and the many books that chronicle her adventures long lasting works of Canadian literature.
Growing up in Canada was a unique experience. As a kid I can remember being bombarded with US programmes like Friends,Saved By the Bell, and anything from Disney and shows from Britain like Noddy,Thomas the Tank Engine, Are You Being Served?, Yes, Minister, and Keeping Up Appearances. While these classic programs will continue to have a place in my heart, there is something to be said for the wonderful programming from Canada. Today, I want to talk about the variety of Canadian shows that have graced Canadian TV.
The Friendly Giant (1958-1985)
Look up. Look wa—-ay up! For 30 years, Canadian children were welcome into the castle of the Friendly Giant on CBC. It was the show that started the weekday block of children’s programming later known as CBCKids. Each episode opened with the draw bridge of the castle opening and the Friendly Giant (played by Robert Homme) placing little model chairs for his guests. “One little chair for one of you, and a bigger chair for two more to curl up in, and for someone who likes to rock, a rocking chair in the middle.” The Giant would then be greeted by Rusty the Rooster and Jerome the Giraffe (puppeteer by Rod Coneybeare). The three would talk for a little bit before the Giant would tell a story. The episode would end with the Friendly Giant playing on his recorder and puting the model chairs while saying goodbye. “It’s late. This little chair will be waiting for one of you, and a rocking chair for another who likes to rock, and a big armchair for two more to curl up in when you come again to our castle. I’ll close the big front doors and pull up the drawbridge after you’re gone. Goodbye. Goodbye.”
The Littlest Hobo (1963-1985)
Canada’s answer to Lassie, The Littlest Hobo followed the adventures of a stray German Shepherd as it travels from town to town befriending and helping people, often played by well known actors in a guest appearance. These guests included John Ireland, Abe Vigoda, Vic Morrow, and Leslie Nielsen; even a young Mike Myers made an appearance in one of his first acting roles! All the dogs featured in both the original 1963-1965 and revived 1979-1985 run were trained by Charles (Chuck) P. Eisenmann who became famous for his unique training regime for his dogs, who were credited under the moniker “London”.
Misterogers (1963-1966)
Before I start talking about Mr. Dressup, I have to talk about Mr. Rogers- uh, I mean Misterogers. When Fred Rogers (yes, that Fred Rogers) began what would become his 40-plus-year career in children’s programming, he moved to Toronto, Ontario, in 1961 to produce Misterogers, a early version of what would become Mr. Rogers’ Neighbourhood. It had a very similar set up to Mr. Rogers’ Neighbourhood; there was a trolley that would take viewers to the Neighbourhood of Make Believe where viewers would be met by characters like X the Owl, King Friday XIII, and Daniel Tiger, while Rogers would sing songs and send off with Tomorrow, a song that appeared in the earlier seasons of Mr. Rogers Neighbourhood before eventually being replaced by It’s such a Good Feeling in 1972. Interesting enough, the first episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood featured the recorded segments of the Neighbourhood of Make-Believe from the CBC’s Misterogers!
Mr. Dressup (1967-1996)
When Fred Rogers arrived to Canada, he brought with him, Ernie Coombes, a friend and colleague who had worked with Rogers on NBC’s The Children’s Corner as an assistant puppeteer. Coombes remained in Canada after Rogers returned to the United States and began to appear on the CBC children’s show Butternut Square as the character he would become most famous for, Mr. Dressup. When Butternut Square was cancelled in 1964 Coombes and Daniel McCarthy (producer of Butternut Square) developed Mr. Dressup as a replacement.
Mr. Dressup featured Coombes as the titular Mr. Dressup with his puppet friends Casey and Finnegan (puppeteered by Judith Lawrence) making drawings, making crafts, or telling a story before putting on costumes from the Tickle Trunk, a red trunk with flowers painted on it that would provide any costume needed the the episode. Later in the series, new characters were introduced after Judith Lawrence retired. While Casy and Finnegan were said to have gone off to Kindergarten, Mr. Dressup was visited by Chester the Crow (Karen Valleau), Truffles (Nina Keogh), Granny (Jani Lauzon), Annie (Ruth Danziger), Alex (Jim Parker), and Lorenzo the Raccoon (Bob Dermer).
Royal Canadian Air Farce (1970-Present)
There are two important factors in any proper functioning society: (1) leaders must be elected by the public and (2) be held in continual contempt by the public. Founded in 1970 in Montreal, Quebec, by John Morgan, Martin Bronstein, Patrick Conlon, Gay Claitman, and Roger Abbott, the group began under the name The Jest Society, a play on then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s goal of making Canada a “Just Society”. By the time the troupe made their first appearance on CBC Radio, several changes had been made. First, the line up at the time had changed, while Morgan, Abbott, and Bronstien remained, Claitman and Conlon were replaced with Don Ferguson, Luba Goy, and Dave Broadfoot.
While Royal Canadian Air Farce found success on radio, it also made appearances on television throughout the 1980s before eventually receiving its own TV series on the CBC. Over the course Air Farce‘s time on radio and tv in the 1980s, the show went though further changes when Bronstein left the series in 1974 to return to journalism and Broadfoot retired in 1989 but continued to make guest appearances until his death in 2016. While the show no longer appears regularly on TV, Royal Canadian Air Farce continues yearly on the CBC for New Years. The current troup line up includes Don Ferguson, Luba Goy, Jessica Holmes, Creig Lauzon, Darryl Hinds, Aisha Alfa, Emma Hunter, Isabel Kanaan, Chris Wilson, and Lisa Gilroy.
The Polka Dot Door (1971-1993)
An adaption by TVO of the BBC children’s show Play School, The Polka Dot Door was geared to educate and foster creativity with the television audience. Two hosts would explore a different motif for each day. Some of the activities on each included the stuffed toys Humpy (a modified version of the BBC stuffed toy in Play School), Dumpty, Bear, Marigold. What made the show unique from its British counterpart was Polkaroo, a polka-dotted kangaroo who would appear played by the male host and perform activities with the female host.
SCTV (1976-1984)
The show that launched the careers of Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Joe Flarity, Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, Martin Short, and the late John Candy. Each episode viewers watched the antics of a low budget TV station in the fictional town of Melonville. What made the show so memorable was the different characters like Johnny Larue, Guy Caballero, Ed Grimley, Edith Prickley, and Dave and Doug Mackenzie. While the original run ended in 1984, show has continued to be an institution, with reruns of the show still being featured on TV.
Degrassi Franchise (1979-Present)
Degrassi is more than a show, it’s a Canadian institution! In almost 40 years of it being on TV, there have been 5 individual series with a total 621 episodes! Telling the story of the lives of teens living in the Riverside District of Toronto (the show’s name coming from De Grassi Street in the district), the series began as four short after-school specials on CBC titled The Kids of Degrassi Street many of the actors of these specials went on to appear in the Degrassi Junior High in 1987 and Degrassi High in 1989. In 2001 the franchise received a revival by Stephen Stohn with Degrassi: The Next Generation, airing on CTV, Family, MuchMusic and MTV. This series has been considered to be the most successful series with its own cult following by teens and adults alike as the show dealt with topics like suicide, censorship, self-harm, rape, drinking, and more. Currently the newest incarnation produced by Netflix and Epitome, titled Degrassi: Next Class, continues where Next Generation left off with new and familiar faces walking De Grassi Street and facing the challenges life will throw their way.
The Kids in the Hall (1988-1995)
An off the wall programme from the CBC and produced by SNL creator Lorne Micheals, Kids in the Hall was a sketch comedy show staring Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McMulloch, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson. Each episode featured wacky characters like the Chicken Lady, Buddy Cole, and the Scissor Sisters. While the initial series ended in 1995, the troupe never really broke up, producing a film called Brain Candy in 1996 and an eight part miniseries titled Death Comes to Town in 2010.
Anne of Green Gables (1985)
Based on the famous novel by L. M. Montgomery, this two-part series followed the life of a orange-haired orphan Anne (played by Megan Follows) with an explosive imagination as she comes to the quite town of Avonlea, Prince Edward Island, to live with the elderly siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert (played by Richard Farnsworth and Colleen Dewhurst respectively), who were expecting a boy from the orphange. Through the highs and lows of living in the small island town, including infamously breaking a slate over Gilbert Blythe’s (Jonathan Crombie) head, Anne quickly proves her worth for Matthew and Marilla at Green Gables Farm. The success of the miniseries spurned two sequels, Anne of Avonlea (based on the novel of the same name), Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story and Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning; the latter two being original stories with no connection to the novels by Montgomery.
Road to Avonlea (1990-1996)
After the success of Anne of Green Gables, the CBC produced a companion series titled Road to Avonlea, a show loosely based on a number of books by L. Montgomery, namely The Story Girl, The Golden Road – which featured characters Sarah Stanley, Felicity, Felix, and Cecily – and especially The Chronicles of Avonlea and Futher Chronicles of Avonlea. The series told the story of Sarah Stanley (Sarah Polley), who sent to Avonlea by her father to live with her two aunts, Hetty and Olivia King (played by Jackie Burroughs and Mag Ruffman respectively). Characters from the Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea reprised return for the series, namely Marilla Cuthbert (Colleen Dewhurst), Rachel Lynde (Patricia Hamilton), Davy Keith (Kyle Labine), and Dora Keith (Ashley Muscroft and Lindsay Murrell).
The Red Green Show (1991-2006)
A parody of home improvment and outdoors shows, The Red Green Show was a strange beast as it crossed sketch comedy with elements of sitcoms. Staring Steve Smith as the titled Red Green and Patrick McKenna as his bumbling nerdy nephew Harold, television audiences would learn each week of the antics of the members of Possum Lodge Red Green teach unique projects in “Handyman Corner” (usually involving the handyman secret weapon: Duct tape!). The series also included other segments like “Adventure with Bill”, featuring different slapstick sketches with Red Green and Bill (Rick Green). The series also included characters like Dalton Humphrey (Bob Bainborough) of Humphry’s Everything Store, career criminal Mike Hamar (Wayne Robson), entrepreneur of sewage sucking Winston Rothschild III (Jeff Lumby), tall tale teller and ferryman Hap Shaughnessy (Gordon Pinsent), eccentric forest ranger Ranger Gord (Peter Keleghan), and the deafened explosives expert Edgar K. B. Monstrose (Graham Greene). The success of the programme led to a movie titled Duct Tape Forever.
Theodore Tugboat (1993-2001)
Theodore is a tug boat. He has black haul, a yellow body and a tall funnel… wait… doesn’t this sound like Thomas and Friends? Well, it should. Surprisingly this show did have several producers from the British series including Robert Cardona, producer of Thomas and Friends and Tugs. Each episode of Theodore Tugboat opened with Denny Doherty of The Mamas & the Papas fame as the Harbourmaster, who would set the theme of each episode before narrating that episode. Characters that lived in the great Great Big Harbour (based off of Halifax) include Theodore, Hank, George, Emily, Forduck, and the Fat Controller-esc Dispatcher.
Redwall (1999-2002)
Based on the Redwall novels by Brian Jacques, this Canadian produced (see the connection?) series told the story of the mice of Redwall Abby as they defend their home from Cluny the Scourge and his Rat Army. The series mainly follows Matthias, a young mouse who dreams of becoming a heroic warrior like the abby’s founder Martin. Mathias set out on a quest to find the lost sward of Martin the Warrior and save Redwall Abby from the clutches of Clunny. The success of the series spurned two more seasons, the second following the events of the novel Mattimeo and the third based from the prequel novel Martin the Warrior.
Corner Gas (2004-2009)
Created and starting comedian Brent Butt, Corner Gas tells the antics of the people of Dog River, Saskatchewan. Plots often show cased the interactions between Brent LeRoy (Brent Butt) his business neighbour Lacey Burrows (Gabriell Miller) with the residents of Dog River, whether it be Bent snarky employee Wanda (Nancy Robinson), his curmudgeon father Oscar, his loving but no nonsense mother Emma (Janet Wright) or the local police officers – and entire plice force – Karen and Davis (Tara Spencer and Lorne Cardinal respectively). The series had a successful run with six seasons and a movie. Over the course of the series’ run, numerous Canadian guest stars have appeared including Kevin McDonald, Mike Wilmont, Colin Mochrie, Ben Mulroney, and then-prime minister Stephen Harper.
Murdoch Mysteries (2008-Present)
Inspired from the novels by Maureen Jennings, Murdoch Mysteries follows the escapades of Roman Catholic detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) – I only mention it as it does serve as a plot device throughout the series in Protestant Toronto – as he uses unconventional methods to solve cases in turn of the century Toronto. Set in Post-Confederation Canada (particularly the late 1890s), the series touches upon events in Canadian history like the Boar War and introduces well known people from the people from the period like Nikola Tesla, Jack London, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Henry Ford, a young and just as brash Sir Winston Churchill, and then-Canadian Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier. The show originally started on Citytv but now continues on the CBC.
Kim’s Convenience (2016-Present)
Based on the Toronto Theature Critics award winning play of the same name by Ins Choi, Kim’s Convenience tells the story of the Kims, a Korean family who run a convenience store in Toronto’s Moss Park neighbourhood. The series focuses on the relationship between the Janet (Andrea Bang), Appa (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), Umma (Jean Yoon), and their estranged son Jung (Simu Liu) as they show the highs and lows of family and life in Toronto.
The Thomas the Tank Engine Man By Brian Sibley (2015 Edition)
Of all the things that were a part of my childhood, Thomas the Tank Engine stands out as having a major part. I’m sure there are many who would say the same. I was in grade four when I learned about the Rev. W. Awdry, the Anglican priest who crafted these stories about the little blue tank engine all those years ago. In 1995, Brian Sibley compiled and wrote The Thomas the Tank Engine Man, a book that informed those who had grown up with the Railway Series about the Rev. W. Awdry and how he created the books that brought us Thomas the Tank Engine. Twenty years later in 2015, just in time for the 70th anniversary of the Railway Series, Lion Hudson Ltd. came published an updated edition of The Thomas the Tank Engine Man. My question is, does the updated book hold up with the original publication? Well, just keep reading this blog and find out!
The Thomas the Tank Engine Man By Brian Sibley (1995 Edition)
Brian Sibley’s The Thomas the Tank Engine Man tells us about the life of the Rev. Wilbert Vere Awdry. From exploring the family history of the Awdrys to the origins of some of the greatest moments in the Railway Series and the beginning of the television series Thomas the Tank Engine. Sibley follows a simple timeline of the Rev. Awdry’s life while providing moments that highlight the kind hearted, ecclesiastical vicar while also providing quotes from the reverend himself who was interviewed for the book over twenty years ago. All this is tied together by a thesis presented as a question by Brian Sibley’s colleague, John Forrest: “Do you know anything about the Thomas the Tank Engine man” (Sibley, 11, 2015; Sibley, 5, 1995)? This simple question fits well with the book and still holds up today. Everyone is so familiar with the character Thomas the tank engine, his coaches Annie and Clarabelle, Percy, Gordon, Henry, Toby, Edward and others but few know about the kindly clergyman who told these stories to his son seventy-one years ago.
The overall writing of this book was well done. It’s difficult to compare the updated edition from the original publication when both editions have the exact text. The only differing part is the 2015 edition features an epilogue that updates the reader on what has occurred since the original publication in 1995. This add on, though necessary, feels a bit rushed. This section is covering almost twenty years of information, this including the passing of the Rev. W. Awdry and the continuation of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. It felt much more like a laundry list of events, a very different way from the flowing narrative that is seen in the preceding part of the book. It would have made better sense to up date the previous chapter to 1997 and the have the epilogue cover the years after, that way the finale isn’t squished with concluding the life of the Rev. Awdry, the final books of the Railway Series and the continued momentum of the television series. Despite this short coming, the epilogue is definitely informative and still well written.
My major issue with The Thomas the tank Engine Man was the aesthetics of the book. This can be quite apparent from the covers of the book (as seen above). On the whole, both editions follow the same set up: a collage of different aspects of the Reverend Awdry and Thomas the Tank Engine, both doing this in differing ways. While the adage don’t judge a book by its cover is true in many instances, the book cover still has to convey some level of connection to the content inside. The cover of the 1995 edition concentrates on the “man”, providing images of Awdry, various images from his life, the original drawings from when the stories were originally written for his son Christopher, and the original model of Thomas the tank Engine (spoilers: he looks nothing like the one you grew up with!). The 2015 edition concentrates on the “Thomas the tank Engine” part, showing mainly images from books in the Railway Series and Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.
Personally, I prefer the 1995 cover more. The book is looking at the figure behind the tank engine. By 1995, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends was already over shadowing the Railway Series, not enough that the books were no longer out of print (the books ending in 1996 with two follow ups in 2007 and 2011) but it was definitely taking over as what children pictured the Reverend’s famous engines.
In conclusion, Brian Sibley’s book The Thomas the Tank Engine Man is a great read for anyone who grew up with Thomas the Tank Engine. It is well written and provides insight into the creation of Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends. Though the epilogue is a little flawed and the cover art is not to my personal taste, The Thomas the Tank Engine Man is a book worth picking up.
The hit children’s program Thomas and Friends has developed a close association with the Autism community in a positive manner. This has gotten me to wonder about mental health within the over all series. I’m not saying it was the Rev. W. Awdry’s intention or that this is a fact, unlike some people from the Guardian, I’m just proposing that this maybe something to consider when watching some of these episodes. First and foremost, this is a children’s show and, unless making it obvious, it doesn’t need to be subtle or have some underlining meaning. After re-watching the stories “Coal” and “Flying Kipper”, part of me began to wonder if Henry may be relatable to those dealing with anxiety and depression. I personally deal with such issues and have found myself relating to the green tender engine.
Henry in his old shape
For those who don’t know, since this story arc occurred years ago, Henry appeared more like Gordon for the first few books in the Railway Series – even being painted blue for three books! By the time of the third book in the Railway Series, Tank Engine Thomas Again, Henry’s troubles become apparent and the green (well, blue at this point in the books) engine mentions his situation to Thomas, who passes it off as the former just being lazy (Awdry, Tank Engine Thomas Again, 8).
Still from the TV adaption of “Coal”.
By the time of book six, Henry the Green Engine, Henry’s prolonged condition is described as sometimes having the strength to work but at other times he felt too weak to do so (Awdry, Henry the Green Engine, 4). It’s clear that the other engines have no patience for Henry’s problem, James even accusing Henry at the beginning of “Coal” of not working hard enough (Awdry, Henry the Green Engine, 4). At the same time, the Fat Controller, who has done all he can for Henry, is losing patience: “You are too expensive, Henry. You have had lots of new parts and new paint, but they’ve done you no good. If we can’t make you better, we must get another engine…” (Awdry, Henry the Green Engine, 4). It is quickly discovered that the reason for Henry’s troubles is the quality of coal being used. Henry’s fireman argues that because he doesn’t have a big firebox like the other engines, Henry isn’t able to function as well using the same coal and suggests Henry be prescribed Welsh Coal as a solution (Awdry, Henry the Green Engine, 8)
Henry gets his Welsh Coal
Still from the TV adaption of “Flying Kipper”
The success of the Welsh coal makes Henry feel great. He is able to work so well that the Fat Controller gives him the job of pulling The Flying Kipper. Unfortunately, on his first night of pulling the train, Henry collides into another train due to ice and snow jamming the points and signal (Awdry, Henry the Green Engine, 22). Upon arriving to survey the accident, the Fat Controller informs Henry that he will sent to Crewe, “a fine place for sick engines. They’ll give you a new shape and a larger firebox. Then you’ll feel a different engine, and you won’t need special coal any more” (Awdry, Henry the Green Engine, 28). Henry returns from Crewe a new engine with a new shape and went on to have many more escapades such as sneezing at some naughty boys and later moving two failed diesels all on his own.
So you may be asking: “how does the story of a green engine getting a new shape become relatable for someone with mental illness?” Well, people who do deal with anxiety or depression may feel like something is wrong but they aren’t sure what it is. Those around that person may either try to pass it off as nothing like Thomas and James, while those who are trying to help the person, like the Fat Controller, may be frustrated because they’ve done all they can to help but nothing is working. Henry can be seen as someone suffering from mental illness in that same regard. At the same time, the Welsh coal can serve as some sort of anti-depressant that allows him to function properly. Despite being properly medicated, people with mental health problems still struggle and can have points where things go the extreme; Henry’s accident with the Flying Kipper can serve to represent that sort of situation. Finally, going to Crewe is like going to therapy and getting the proper help needed to adjust and be able to cope with the illness in the best way. Henry comes back from Crewe a different engine, feeling much better than before. However, unlike Henry, there are still people who do get help and are medicated but still have to battle with mental illness every day. So please be patient.
The 2010s have seen a rise in Christian films. Some people may feel that this is something new, but religion has had its proverbial hand in media as far back as time millennia. It has been able to gain more steam with the rise of technology. Aimee Semple MacPherson was able to reach out to the United States through the radio during the Inner-War Period (1919-1939) and I like to think that had she not died in 1949, she would have been part of televangelism movement after the Second World War. As a kid, I remember coming across Veggie Tales and other Christian programs on CTS. The point of this rambling is that Christian programing has been around for a while; we are only just starting to notice it more now after the success of films like War Room, Old Fashioned, and – the topic of this blog post – God’s Not Dead.
God’s Not Dead is the story of Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper), a first year college student who is pitted against his Atheist philosophy professor Jeffery Radisson (Kevin Sorbo) after refusing to write on a piece of paper saying “God is Dead”. For disobeying his professor, Josh has the task of presenting to his class the existence of God while facing the scorn of not only Radisson, but also those around him (Cronk 2014). Now this sounds like an interesting premise; it may come out as one sided in the end, but as long as the story, characters and other aspects are good the movie should be at least enjoyable, or so I thought. This post is going to examine the film God’s Not Dead and determine how well this movie holds up.
Story
Though mainly about a college student defending his faith, God’s Not Dead also features several storylines. For ease of use, I listed them in order of importance.
1. Josh having to debate with Radisson about God’s existence.
2. Radisson’s partner, named Mina, having issues with her relationship with Radisson vs. her faith in God.
3. Amy, a leftist blogger, having to deal with a sudden terminal cancer diagnosis and her faith.
4. Ayisha, a Muslim student who secretly converted to Christianity.
5. Martin, a student from China, who converts to Christianity at the end of the movie.
6. Mina’s brother – who is also Amy’s boyfriend – Mark, wanting to concentrate on his success rather than his relationship and his and Mina’s mother, who suffers from dementia.
7. Two pastors, the Reverends Dave and Jude, plan on taking a vacation to what sounds like Disney World, but their plans are prevented when they keep running into car trouble.
Though multiple story lines are doable in a film, it does not work out in God’s Not Dead. Part of this is on the part of editing but I will leave that for later; the other is that these plots don’t really meet, come to much of a resolution or not enough is shown for those plots to stand out. Mark’s storyline shows this lack of resolution. Mark is seen as an arrogant, self-obsessed, avarice individual who cuts off anything that isn’t in his best interest (Cronk 2014). Toward the end of the film, Mark visits his ailing mother and mocks her for her faith and his mother replies (in a moment of lucidness) that his financial success is only because the Devil wants to keep Mark from God (Cronk 2014). We don’t really see Mark after this scene except in the montage of people receiving the text message saying “God’s Not Dead”, which he casts his phone aside (Cronk 2014). It would have been better if there were more of a sign that Mark had either been shaken by his mother’s remark or had just shrugged it off and continued on his way.
Another thing that could be done was to cut out some plot lines. The best examples of this would be Martin, Ayisha, and the two reverends. It would be better to have them just as straight up supporting characters. Martin and Ayisha could become friends with Josh and help him in his research in facing off against Radisson while also starting to have feelings about Christianity. In the case of Reverend Dave and Reverend Jude, I would just scrap the whole Disney trip and just have them interact with what is going on.
Characters
Unlike my other reviews in the past, I am not going to look at each character individually. This is because I can easily sum up all the characters as one-dimensional. In the case of the main plot, Josh is the Christian hero while Radisson is the bitter Atheist; the same can be said for the side characters Martin and Ayisha, whose plots represent stereotypes. In Ayisha’s case, she is secretly a Christian in a very traditionally Muslim home and is disowned by her father for having an opposing faith (Cronk 2014). I would be more okay if it was apparent that there was confliction from her father for doing kicking her out or something to understand the situation. The writers thought it would be better to have Ayisha be hit by her father in a very uncomfortable to watch scene and just throw her out into the street. It just plays on stereotypes and just makes for something uncomfortable to watch.
Despite the poor design of the characters themselves, it is apparent that the actors did their best with what they were given. The best example is Kevin Sorbo, who the Herculaneum task of portraying Jeffry Radisson. I was most convinced my Sorbo’s performance of being a bitter professor who wanted his way of thinking to be the rule at the end of the day (something many of us can relate to having to deal with). I was convinced that I was watching Jeffery Radisson and not Kevin Sorbo playing some professor named Jeffery Radisson.
Editing
This was something that made the multiple plots in the film difficult to follow. The film kept jumping between the different plots midway through a scene so the audience would not have much of a chance to appreciate what is going on between Josh and Radisson because suddenly the Reverends Dave and Jude have more car trouble shenanigans to get into .
One of the most infamous examples of editing trouble is after Josh has given his first presentation and is quickly blown out of the water by Radisson and the whole class is laughing at Josh for his failure. In the immediate scene that follows, Radisson is bullying Josh and telling him that Radisson will not be made a fool in his own class (Cronk 2014). There are two problems with this: (1) Radisson can be reported for harassment and assault for grabbing Josh and (2) Radisson has clearly won that round. It would make sense for this scene to be used at the end of one of the later presentations.
Closing Remarks
Overall, I thought God’s Not Dead was not that great. The acting was good enough to keep me engaged but the poor editing and one-dimensional characters made the film hard confusing and hard to be considered good. Despite these shortcomings, the film earned $9,244,641 US on its opening weekend in 2014, grossing $60,753,735 by August 1 of that year (Internet Movie Database n.d.). It is enough for a sequel, which comes out April 1 and will be the topic for my next review.
Hey All! Welcome to the new home of Stuff By Joey! Here, you’ll see the same quality content as seen on the blogger version that you have come to expect starting April 1st (and that’s no April Fool). While I get to work on the new content and build up a fresh backlog some classic posts will be appearing for the first little while. The Faerielands serial will be back with first the appearance of Into the Faerielands starting November 9th. Thank you so much for your patience and I hope that you’re all as excited as I am!
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