There is something ironically appropriate that a lavish Canadian-produced series about the creation of our country is now available for public viewing only on an American-controlled streaming service, that is currently airing bootleg versions of 1974’s “The National Dream.”
At the time, the hit series represented an effort to counterbalance a flood of U.S. shows aired on local channels.
Re-watching the eight-episode series, I had the same reaction I did viewing it the first time, as a kid growing up in northern Alberta, although without the sense of wonder at witnessing colour television for the first time.
There are magnificent performances by great actors, with cuts from painstaking recreations of Canada in the 1800s to the late Pierre Berton, author of the original books the series was based on, speaking directly to the camera to provide context and background.
It was hugely enjoyable to once again see John Colicos, the great Canadian actor later known for his villains on U.S. science fiction series, playing charismatic railway boss William Cornelius Van Horne.
One memorable scene has Van Horne pausing a dinner with Father Albert Lacombe to explain his focus on building a railway through the Rockies.
“It’s out there, father,” Van Horne growls. “Those mountains. They’re in my way.”
When it aired on CBC television 52 years ago, the series signalled a seismic shift in existing Canadian attitudes toward our own history, from dull and dry to something dramatic and deserving attention.
Some of that was shepherded by Berton in two bestsellers, “The National Dream” and “The Last Spike.”
Now, the series based on those books, which set ratings records at the time, appears to only exist in a low-resolution online version.
However, a Wikipedia entry notes that while there has never been a home video release, it is available to educational institutions on DVD on special order from the CBC.
It isn’t the only example of a neglected Canadian production.
Perhaps the worst instance is the 1972 film “The Rowdyman,” a low-budget work of sheer genius by Canadian icon Gordon Pinsent.
Pinsent portrayed Will Cole, a charming yet tragic ne’er-do-well in Newfoundland, in a movie where Will Geer – better known as Grandpa Walton – demonstrated his range by playing Cole’s mentor Stan with a convincing Newfoundland accent.
While the budget limits show in the lighting and cinematography, Pinsent is charismatic and the writing (by him) and acting makes you want to laugh and cry, sometimes simultaneously.
It is truly a shame that the only place it can be found is a cruddy dub from an old TV broadcast, posted online.
An online search discloses that commercial DVD releases for “The Rowdyman” are virtually non-existent due to “tangled copyright ownership.”