Introduction; Wieland's Far Shore and Shipman's God's Country; The Fatal Leap; "It Takes Monsters to Do Things Like That"; Denys Arcand; David Cronenberg; Atom Egoyan; Activism and Aesthetics; Norman Jewison; Double Take; Straight Outta' Hogtown; Living In/Between; Women with a Movie Camera; Mina Shum; A Problem with Rules; Coward, Bully and Clown; Hanging in Plain Sight; Zach Kunuk and Inuit Filmmaking; Don McKellar; Lynne Stopkewich; Index.
George Melnyk is a cultural historian who has published some twenty books in a distinguished career, including works of philosophy, history, politics, and poetry. He teaches in the Faculty of Communication and Culture at the University of Calgary, where he specializes in Canadian cinema.
"One Saturday in the winter of 1965 I talked my father into driving
me to Toronto from our home in Oshawa, Ontario, to see a particular
movie that I knew I would never see at the local cinema. I was 14
years old. What I saw that cold night made a profound and lasting
impression on me. I grew up watching Hollywood westerns and
commercial television shows and, like most people of my generation,
I thoughtlessly consumed those products for escape and
entertainment. Never before had I seen a film that encouraged me to
think about myself, my own life and the province that was my home.
The movie was called Nobody Waved Goodbye. It was produced at the
National Film Board of Canada and directed by a Torontonian named
Don Owen. Thus began my 40-year love affair with Canadian cinema.
By becoming a passionate fan of Canadian cinema in the 1960s, I
joined a relatively small group of people who go to see Canadian
films because it nurtures our souls and provides us with powerful
food for thought from a familiar point of view. [F]or the intrepid
voluntary viewers out there, this book will be an invaluable
resource-a map to navigate their courageous journey through the
wonderfully contradictory worlds of our brave film artists and the
almost invisible yet burning hearts of those who live on the frosty
masthead of the North American continent." Clarke Mackey, Literary
Review of Canada, October 2007
"One of Melnyk's goals is to introduce the work of these directors
to a wider audience. 'We make films that very few people see.
Probably 80 percent of my students had never seen a Canadian film.
These directors make superb films.' But, in the end, it is a very
personal thing. 'I want to see Canadian films because they do
something for my soul.'" Polly Washburn, Prairie books NOW,
Fall/Winter 2007
"Canadians too often overlook the existence of film directors who
have made a major contribution in defining our culture. With Great
Canadian Film Directors, George Melnyk has skillfully put together
essays on 20 directors by a number of scholars and critics,
focusing on their diversity, complexity, imagination and talent.
Why directors and not stars? Because our star system is practically
non-existent....[T]he list is impressive and worth our scrutiny.
Some names may be familiar, other decidedly not. Surprisingly,
genders are well represented." Nicholas Spillios, Edmonton Journal,
November 25, 2007
"...We should be grateful that Melnyk has been the facilitator for
some excellent essays. The most original pieces include those of
Jerry White on Zach Kunuk's career and artistic perspective;
Jacqueline Levitin on Mina Shum's difficult but fruitful creative
negotiation of her Chinese Canadian status; Patricia Gruben's
thoughtful analysis of Gary Burns' work' and Bart Testa's valiant
and exceedingly well informed attempt to cut through the
misconceptions about Norman Jewison and his films. Students
grappling with Canadian cinema for the first time will be grateful
for Bill Beard's views on Atom Egoyan; Kay Armatage's feminist take
on Nell Shipman and Joyce Wieland's curtailed careers; Pierre
Veronneau's masterly overview of Denys Arcand's themes' Brenda
Austin-Smith's astute treatment of Patricia Rozema's cinema; and
Peter Dickinson's critique of Robert Lepage's oeuvre. Is is also
good to see attention given to Lea Pool. ... The sins of omission
are endless in any anthology, and I'm sure Melnyk would be the
first to admit that another book could be published on a slew of
other directors. ... As it stands, the collection contains some
original work, many solid introductions, and only a few missed
opportunities." Brian McIlroy, Canadian Literature, Summer 2008
"George Melnyk's aim for his scholarly yet readable Great Canadian
Film Directors is to present "a clear understanding of why Canadian
directors are so crucial to the development of a distinct cinematic
identity, both thematically and aesthetically." To accomplish his
purpose, Melnyk, an associate professor of Canadian Studies and
Canadian Film Studies at the University of Calgary, and a prolific
author, focuses on the films of 20 Canadian directors in 19 essays
by respected scholars, some, like the filmmakers themselves, better
known than others. The diversity of the presentations is held
together by broad categories of identities such as English, French,
and Inuit, male and female, and in time frames of "Late Greats,"
"Contemporary Greats," and "Future Greats" to establish that "the
breadth and depth of Canadian cinema is outstanding." In developing
his thesis for the diversity and excellence of Canadian film
achieved by directors such as Claude Jutra, Norman Jewison, David
Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, Patricia Rozema, immigrant Lea Pool, and
Inuit artist and filmmaker Zack Kunuk, Melnyk develops the
rationale for his choices and his omissions, and his preference for
the adjective "great." His colleagues, in turn, scrutinize the
themes and aesthetics of the directors. Kay Armatage, for example,
compares the works of Nell Shipman and Joyce Weiland. Christopher
Gittings profiles director John Greyson and his "queer aesthetic .
[that] broadens our perspective on Canadian cinema." Aaron Taylor
analyzes the work of Bruce McDonald, "the 'bad boy' of Canadian
Cinema," while Jacqueline Levitin's discourse features
Chinese-Canadian Mina Shum's films, and Kalli Paakspuu discusses
the necrophilia in Lynne Stopkewich's work. The groundbreaking,
award-winning film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, by Inuit director
Kunuk, is the subject of Jerry White's erudite essay. Although
admittedly not the last word on why or who of Canada's film
directors have attained or will achieve greatness, Melnyk
definitely establishes the diversity and excellence of the "Greats"
included in the insightful and interesting essays in his book.
Academics, film students, and teachers will find it a rewarding
read." - M. Wayne Cunningham
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