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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-11-11, Page 51C mrnunit • Entertainment • Feature *Religion 0F miiy w M ore GODERICH ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1987 SECTION WILLIAM THOMAS "Train of Dreams" right on, track NFB movie tells the e�,..., of young ..sro�.�o, in accurate and enliehtenine manner story offender and enlightening manner BY LOU -ANN DE BRUYN In the past year alone, film crews have been in Goderich at least three times. First for the filming of Train of Dreams, secondly for Blue City Slammers and most recently for the shooting of new pro- vincial General Motors commercials. Goderich's first dalliance with the film industry occured in September of 1986 when the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) travelled to the Bluewater Centre for Young Offenders to film John N. Smith's critically acclaimed film, Train of Dreams, the fictional story of a young offender. Although the actual filming of scenes took place that September, work on the film and use of the Centre began well before that month. "It was a unique situation in that agen- cies of the federal government and pro- vincial government, along with this in- stitution (Bluewater Centre), Goderich and Huron County worked together," Carl DeGrandis, superintendent of Bluewater Centre, said. While many institutions, similiar to Bluewater Centre and located throughout Ontario, had been approached by the Na- tional Film Board to be used as the in- stitution in the film, none wanted to ac- cept the challenge of having their institu- tion portrayed in a movie without some editing rights. None, that is, except Bluewater Centre. ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE "Our ministry (the Ministry of Correc- tional Services) never has had any reluc- tance to show the public what it does," DeGrandis said. "We like to show things we do well but we're not afraid to show the things we would -like to do better. Part of our goal, both at Bluewater and the ministry, is to show the public what we . do and how we do it." DeGrandis accepted the challenge of having the National Film Board use the Goderich institution for their film. A challenge which, he admits, could might not have worked. "We took a chance that could have backfired and that takes courage. "If people (meaning all forms of the media) play the game straight, I don't think the ministry and local institution have anything to fear. The accurate response of a situation should not be feared," DeGrandis said. Prior to the actual filming of scenes at Bluewater Centre, the three member NFB team for this project, consisting of Sally Bochner (writer, associate pro- ducer), John N. Smith (writer, director) and Sam Grana (writer, producer), spent some time at the institution doing research for scenes to be filmed there. Research at Bluewater Centre also led the team to create a character based on a real-life teacher at the local institution. "We researched the project in October of 1985," Bochner said. "When we came to Goderich and were at Bluewater Centre doing the research project, a whole pile of kids at the -institu- tion said 'You should talk to Mr. Scott' and hearing the way they talked about him and then meeting him made sense that one person could make a difference. Following 'Wednesday evening's presen- tation of the National Film Board's "Train of Dreams", a reception was held at Bruno's.for Bluewater Centre staff, in- vited guests and the film's writers. Here, Bluewater Centre Assistant Superinten- dent Saari Kraler, Centre Superintendent Carl DeGrandis, writer -associate pro- ducer Sally Boehter, writer -director John N. Smith and writer -producer Sam Grana renew friendships which began with the filming of the movie at the eor-;, rectional institution. At left, money received during the two presentations of the film .last week was donated by Bluewater Centre to Survival Through Friendship House. Here, a Bluewater Centre resident presents a cheque for - $450 to June Taylor, executive director of the house, as Sari Kraler, assistant superintendent at Bluewater Centre, looks o11. (photos by'Lou-Ann .DeBruyn) He had that non-judgemental approach. He was the inspiration for the central tur- ning point in the film (the point where the teacher's and Tony's relationship develops)," Smith noted.. The team also noted the everyday items at the institution which helped in making the film. "We saw the electricity among the boys in the rooms, the daily routines, the frustrations, the activiy and the innuen- dos," Grana said. "The central thing that came out was how the boys immersed themselves in their anger. Somewhere there was a great deal of anger with these kids, whether they showed in internally or ex- ternally," Smith added. All of these visions would later be tied into the film. After completing their research pro- ject, they returned to Montreal to write the storyline. "I began to write the story with John (Smith) in the spring of 1986. Sam joined us in writin in the summer of 1986 and we filmed in the fall of 1986 in Montreal and Goderich," Bochner said, adding the movie took a total of about eight weeks to film. - LOCAL TALENT USED When Bochner, Smith and Grana arriv- ed in Goderich last fall, they brought with them the movie's "stars" Jason St. Amour (Tony) and Fred Ward (the black teacher). Except for a few other actors hired in, Montreal to film scenes in that city (including Marcella Santa Maria as TTurn toga a .3 • i `m 34 ill IIII Il iNA=,rsrr III.tram a Of CANADA 110 11jf1 ,-. 1;1NFMA.P1 `Train of Dreams" lets viewers step young into offender's world For Goderich arid area residents, view- ing the Canadian National Film Board's (NFB) Train of Dreams Wednesday even- ing at the Park Theatre was an opportuni- ty to step into the world of young offenders. The fifth and most recent product from the Alternative.Drama Program of the NFB, Train of Dreams is the story of an angry young man that, while fictional, has the.feel of a documentary. Filmed in Montreal and at the Bluewater Centre for Young Offenders, located near Goderich, the story revolves around young Montreal teenager Tony Abruzzi (Jason St. Amour), his crimes and time spent in a correctional institution. Tony, a teenager who has quit school, refuses to work, sleeps all day and hangs around with his street gang friends at night, lives at home with his mother and 10 -year-old brother, his father having left the home years before. While on parole for numerous robberies, Tony has an argu- ment with his mother and ends up beating her. This is the final step for a mother who obviously cannot cope with her out -of - control son --she presses charges. As a result of this and his criminal history (breach of probation, armed rob- bery and break and enters), Tony is sentenced to two years in an Ontario cor- rectional institution for young offenders. Upon his arrival at the institution, , Tony's attitude is that of noncooperation. His words to the institution's superinten- dent, played by Bluewater Centre superintendent Carl DeGrandis, only back up his apparent attitude: "(I'm here to) pay my dues and get the hell out of here ... I won't ge caught. That's how I'll stay out of a place like this." This leads the au- dience to believe he will end up leading a life of crime and be in and out of prisons for the rest of his life. However, there is one thing Tony didn't expect to find in the institution — someone who cares about him and his future. The teacher, effectively played by Fred Ward, gets through to Tony via the use of music in teaching. In his early classroom appearances, Tony makes no effort to learn. However, later, he is the only one to understand the plaintive cries of Bille Holiday's "Don't Worry About Me." It is this central scene that shows the audience Tony is learning about and understanding himself. As his relationship with the teacher pro- gresses, the audience can see the character of Tony changing into a more caring person. On a weekend pass home, Tony shows his growing maturity by straightening out his younger brother who seems to be heading down the same path of crime and drugs as was Tony. Although the ending of the film does not show Tony leaving the institution or how his stay has affected his life, the audience is left with an optimistic feeling about Tony. The music, performed by Montreal gre 1p Three O'Clock Train, always ap- pears in scenes where there is no dialogue and in this scene the lytics suggest that Tony will be all right. Written by the team of Sally Bochner (associate director), John N. Smith (direc- tor) and Sam Grana (producer), the film has received rave reviews concerning the mostly non-professional actors who bring reality to a story told through an improvis- ed script.. The actors, students from local and area high schools and Bluewater Cen- tre staff, show their ability to put themselves into a situation and ad lib the necessary lines. The film has been shown, and won rave reviews, at film festivals in Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, Milan and Rio de Janeiro. It will be shown soon in Berlin, Germany. Train of Dreams will be distributed by Cinema Plus in January -February 1988 for Canadian theatrical release and world- wide movie and television presentation. Currently, the Bluewater Centre has a video copy of the film. A world on "tilt" I had read about the stock market catastrophe in the morning paper but it really didn't sink in until I went to lunch at. McDonald's. I was a little put off when they refused to honor my buy -one -get - one -free Big Mac coupon. But then the cashier explained their new offer - with the change left over from a $5 bill they'd sell me 8,000 shares of Northern Telecom. I don't know anything about stocks and bonds but Iwas pretty sure that the day would come when they'd regret using the word "bull" to describe the market. The stock market seemed to be making a miraculous recovery until U.S. Presi- dent Reagan went on television to tell the world that everything was alright and he had complete confidence in the system and then it really took a nose dive. The White House seems to forget that there's a slight credibility problem with what the president recites off the teleprompter. Nobody's believed a word he's said since he claimed that nuclear missiles, once launched, could always be recalled. His aides quickly explained that the jelly beans he was eating were creating sugar spasms in the brain causing him to occa- sionally say incredibly stupid things U�ke ketsup is an essential food staple, acid rain comes from trees, and nuceeaar missiles can be recalled. Nuclear weapons, in truth, once launched, usually leave holes in the ground the size of Luxembourg. Had the White House really wanted the stock market to rise they would have been better off to send President Reagan out in front of the cameras wearing boxer shorts and an army helmet screaming: "We're doomed! We're doomed!" I'm more than a little worried about a president who carries around a black box which contains a panel of buttons capable of unleashing the entire nuclear arsenal of the United States of America, the one they refer to as "the football". I worry that one day Reagan, in a little lapse of memory, will mistake it for a football. "Cut left at that tree, Caspar, and then go long - I'll hit you just past the rose garden." "But Ron..." "Oh just call me Dutch, Caspar... now get going and don't get your suit dirty..." Not only do I not understand the stock market, I'm not so sure I want to. Unrelated incidents that conspire to further a, common cause always make. me suspicious. The Russians blow a Korean airliner ,out of the sky and the next day the price of oranges shoots up on the commodities market. The U.S. military .changes the sheets on Moammar Khadafy's bed with shrapnel bombs and the next day gold hits a record high on Wall Street. The Toronto Maple Leafs finish dead last in the Norris Division and by the end of the season, Harold Ballard's chin and Maple Leaf Gardens stock have doubled. I think anybody who actually understands the relationship between these events and the resulting stock fluc- tuations should not be in the market. They should be in little rooms where all the rough edges are masktaped and the lever on the toilet is made of plastic. It's like going into the backyard and vigorously pumping the handle on the well and getting nothing until you come into the house and discover you're now receiving H.B.O. at no charge. I'm always suspicious when that hap- pens. I'm particularly suspicious when our leaders and experts emerge after global disasters to say that everything is just hunky-dory. I remember after the horrific accident at Chernobyl the experts were all wound up like little public relations dolls smiling and assuring us that it was no big deal, that there might be a little more radia- tion in the air but hey - everyday life is risky too. True enough, everyday life is a risk. But I'll tell you one thing - if I stumble out of the Belmont some night and get bumped off by a Port Colborne Poultry truck - they won't sent two nuclear scien- tists over to Norway to tell them to kill off all the caribou. I'm always a little suspicious. Hell I'm still trying to figure out what Michael Jackson was going to do with the corpse of John Merrick, the Elephant Man. The world has always rotated on its axis but I believe somewhere along the line, sometime between the invention of the cotton jenny and slam dancing, we took a direct hit from another planet. Although the world went on "tilt", the light did not come on. Nobody noticed. Now we're destined to barge ahead from disaster to disaster while the ex- perts and leaders whose job it is to avoid these calamities are becoming very good at aftermath speechmaking - everything's dandy, don't anybody panic, hey - everyday rife is a risk. It's a lot like being on the Titanic as the engines go quiet, the lights fade and the band stops playing. Then the captain's voice comes over the public address system assuring the passengers that everything is under control, that they've just stopped temporarily to take on ice, that everything is just capital "J" - Jim Dandy.