Riel

I was hired to play a Metis warrior. I already had longish hair, and, at the costume fitting, I was asked not to shave. A lot of First Nations people were hired; the first day (and the first ten minutes!) on the set, I struck up a conversation with a young Native man, and he made an anti-Semitic remark about "the Jews" he believed were the bosses of the production. A more pleasant observation: I overheard a young Native man, in an attempt to get acquainted with one of the buckskin-clad young women, ask, "You Ojibway?" It was very sweet; they were teenagers. Production had to be halted when one of the lead actors, it was rumored, took LSD and disappeared into the nearby woods . . . I spent some of the shoot in a trench with a rifle, positioned next Cloutier (Riel) and the real great-grandson of Louis Riel, who came in from Saskatchewan and was also hired on as an actor. After some time cheek by jowl, he said: "You don't talk much for a white man." In the same trench with us was legendary performer Don Francks, with his genuine braids and affable hipster warmth and sense of humor. I still run into him occasionally when I'm in Toronto. He is often barefoot. There were some mishaps with actors who claimed they could ride but, in reality did not have the skills or experience to handle a charging horse. There was an accident where some outdoor lighting equipment fell on a young Native woman. At lunch, we were all given a bottle of beer. Not being much of a beer-drinker, I was able to trade those beers for other treats. It was interesting to observe the Native guys ragging on each other. They would "dis" one another over their perceived (real or not) "whiteness." Once, on the bus back to Toronto after a day on the set, one of the guys called me "White Man," with some hostility. He was not perceptively any more dark- skinned than myself, so I shot back: "Who you calling "white?" His own insecurities regarding his own bloodlines must have kicked in because he backed off rather sheepishly. My first name and prominent cheekbones must have helped. The Native guys had names like Peter and Robert; some had reddish hair. Go figure. Good times. Peace and Love, Wolf Krakowski, Kame'a Media: www.kamea.com

Some good cinematographic sequences, but the numerous historical inaccuracies and weak character representation greatly mar this film/miniseries. Not only that, but the drama is compromised as well. The role of Riel is sadly miscast and (not to fuss about it) the actor does not resemble him at all, which makes for a bad premise from the start. The roles and portrayals of Gabriel Dumont and John A. MacDonald (Christopher Plummer), have a bit more credibility to them. Sadly, it's a deformed look to what could have been a more serious or thoughtful outlook and consideration of Riel, his life, his struggle (and that of the Metis), as well as his unjustified end.

As Canadian fare goes, this is very good. The original historical story is already very dramatic, so little was added for the screenplay. Also, the fictional parts were usually plausible enough. The film's strongest feature was Plummer's performance as John A.

My biggest complaint was the makeup on Raymond Cloutier (Riel). He should have had a moustache, and perhaps a beard at some times. The physical appearance of the historical Riel is very familiar, and I found it annoying that the film did not respect it.

It is unfortunate that there isn't the money to make a really top-notch production based on the Riel story. I found myself thinking of the excellent visual images in films like Dances with Wolves and Last of the Mohicans. Perhaps this story will find its way into the cinema again in the future.

When I saw this adaptation, I thought it had too many flaws for it come across as anything serious. Christopher Plummer was good as John A. MacDonald, but the corny concepts and atrocious historical inaccuracies make for hard viewing.

Poorly written by the same hack who wrote the deeply misogynistic slasher film, Black Christmas. The characters are shallow, the dialogue is artificial, and the acting is campy. Historical inaccuracies abound. The fact that the producers were able to draw some of the biggest Canadian-born talent in the industry to perform in this miniseries makes it all the more ridiculous. The mentality that everyone working on the production must be essentially Canadian is precisely the opposite of the multicultural ethos that permeates this pretentious nonsense. Thankfully, this trifle has been lost in the sands of time.