SILENCE OF THE NORTH

Canada, 1984, 94 minutes, Colour.
Ellen Burstyn, Tom Skerrit, Gordon Pinsent.
Directed by Allan King.

Silence of the North is an attractive Canadian film based an a true story of the heroine. Information given at the end of the film states that in 1980, Olive was still alive, surrounded by her family in north-nest Canada.

The film uses Canadian locations beautifully. Ellen Burstyn is a strong personality and carries the character of Olive with conviction. Tom Skerritt appears as her husband. Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent is her would-be suitor.

The film is quite restrained in its presentation of characters and their difficulties in the '20s and '30s, tie atmosphere of the Depression, the hazards of living in the wild North.

There is an attractive musical score and a theme song by Neil Young, 'Comes a Time'. The film had little theatrical release outside America.

1. An interesting and entertaining film? Human portrait? The times? People struggling with nature?

2. The location photography, the atmosphere of the Canadian wild north? The scenes of the towns, the frontier, the wilds add the forest? The editing and pace for action sequences? The musical score? The title song?

3. The title and Olive's speaking of the silence and what she remembered of the north? The focus on the North and its remoteness, majesty, primitiveness, daunting of human beings? Its majesty and silence?

4. The portrait of Olive: her autobiography, seeing her as a young girl in 1919, her hopes and ambitions, her life in the town, the fair and the selling of her basket and Walter's high bid against Arthur? Arthur and his devotion? Her marrying Walter and going north? Their journeys, hardships, their early home and the primitive life? Her enduring the hardships but yearning for something core settled? The trappers? The incident with the madman coming in with the gun and taking their provisions? Her pregnancy and the birth of her daughters? The hardships, the bears? her desperation? The house burning down? Going back into the town, asking Walter to settle down? The encounter with John Frederickson with her daughters and his keeping her alive? His having to bring the news of Walter's death? The irony of her being pregnant and the birth of her boy? Pith the children out in the wilds, starving, their not wanting to shoot the moose, her shooting the buck and its being needed for their food? The attack of the wolves? Her relationship with her children? The decision to move to Calgary? Getting work in the soup kitchen? Encountering John, Arthur and his coming back to offer his support? The dances with John, her jealousy of the schoolteacher? Her care for her children, the little boy and his spinal meningitis and her refusal to face his death? John's absence? Meeting him again? His going north with the air service? Her finally saying yes to him? The joy of going north with the children? The use of the voice-over commentary?

5. Walter and his being in the north, his love for Olive, bidding for her basket? Their marriage, going north, his work as a trapper? Absences from the home? Love for Olive? The children? The hardships, the burnt house? His going off as a trapper, the news of his death? His absence in Olive's life?

6. The children, the difficulties of their birth, growing up in the north? The little boy? shared experiences, their starving, not wanting to kill the moose? Going to Calgary? The boy's illness? The girls and theist support of their mother, love for John?

7. John Frederickson and his working in the North, minding Olive and the children, saving them? Encountering them on and off over the years? His having to bring the news of Walter's death? The chance encounter in the soup kitchen? The dance, his love for Olive, the schoolteacher, Olive saying yes and their going north with the air service?

S. The atmosphere of the Canadian towns, their spirit in the '20s? The fairs? The outposts and the mining towns? The remoteness of the forests and the lakes? The wild animals, bears and wolves? The terror for human beings? Fire? Isolation? The contrast with Calgary during the Depression?

9. The themes of men and woman facing the frontier, marriage and its difficulties, family, provision and survival, the strong mother with her children, protecting them?

10. A humane and warm film? Its insight into human nature?