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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-11-11, Page 52PAGE 2A—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1987 DEMME FLOWER SHOP . Community Nevus WILL BE OPEN FRIDAY NIGHTS UNTIL 9:OO PM 1014 THE MONTHS OF NOVEMBER & DECEMBER ..am 524-8132 D 1P OR NIGHT Diabetics, Families & Friends, The Lioness Club of Goderich is sponsoring a DROP IN CENTRE Monday, November 16, 1987 7:00 p.m. -9:30 p.m. *SURPRISE GUEST SPEAKER* at McKAY HALL Drop by for... ...Refreshments ...Chat ...Browse HOT WATER... CLEANING POWER • The Karcher Power Washer mak, s its own hot water for just pennies, and clea ;s 100% faster. Cold and Hot Water Models to Choose from FREE DEMONSTRATION Pick out one of your toughest cleaning problems and we will come out and give you a FREE cleaning demonstration Don't buy unless you give a Karcher a try! IIJIHURON BLYTH, ONTARIO 523-4244 For a free demonstration contact: Kevin Buchanan reams" hits close to hom for luewater Centre resiants BY LOU -ANN DE BRUYN For many residents of the Bluewater Centre for Young Offenders, John N. Smith's Train of Dreams is a story that hits close to home. Sure, there were cheers, applause (at the site of the fence surrounding Bluewater Centre) and laughter (when familiar faces flashed on the screen) at the Park Theatre Wednesday evening from residents of the Centre when the film began, but as the movie progressed the room became quieter. A sure sign that the boys believed the story of one teenager who was caught in a situation similiar to their own. For the most part, the movie 'was ac- cepted by the boys behind the big fence, almost 7Q of whom were bused into Goderich to view the film with invited guests at the first showing. The remain- ing residents watched a video tape of the film at Bluewater Centre. "I thought it was good," 18 -year-old Jeff (not his real name) said. Nineteen- year=old Grant (not his real name) con- curred, adding some scenes were "stret- ched" at little bit for effect. For exam- ple, he noted the boys are not allowed to swear and are punished if overheard by staff members (punishment occurs in the form of points for good behaviour Iost). Being carried down the hall and thrown , into a quiet cell as was Tony in the movie also does not occur at the Centre. In spite of these differences, both boys felt the movie portrayed lifeas a young offender in an institution realistically. Jeff noted that he felt like the movie's central character Tony (played by Jason St. Amour) when he entered Bluewater Centre. "When you come in here, you think you're special but then you realize you're FEATURE REPORT just like everyone else," he said. "If you're going to survive, you have to do your own time". Jeff went on to say that the movie "showed what the guys here really do feel like. You don't really have friends and you can't really trust anyone. In- stead, you sit there and think about the things you've done to end up in here. You spend a lot of time thinking, about everything." For Jeff, the movie only made him realize more how much he does not want to return to Bluewater or another institu- tion again. He is due for release this week and credits the guidance and help he received at Bluewater Centre for his new outlook on life. "I guess I could say, in a way I'm glad I carne in (Bluewater) because when I get out I know what I want to do." His plans include attending college next year. INSTITUTION HELPS Grant also believes being in an institu- tion has helped him in a number of ways similiar to Tony in the movie. Like Tony, Grant always sees the big fence when he leaves or returns to Bluewater. It is that fence that keeps him thinking about the future. "It's hard not to think of the fence because you see it every day. You see the fence and all you think about is your freedom." Although Grant's freedom won't come for some time, he isn't giving up on leading a, fulfilling and crime -free life. Allowed out on occassional weekend passes to visit his family, Grant credits the programs and staff at the Centre for helping him and his family become closer knit. "You can find people like the teacher (the black teacher in the movie) in here who want to help us," Grant said, adding accepting their help is up to each resi- dent. "Some guys who get help will straighten out and some won't. The ones that won't will always be in institutions." Grant also has plans for the future. "Bluewater Centre has lots of influence on where you get on the outside. It's go- ing to be hard to go back on the outside because I'm going to find myself up against a brick wall and I'll have to make myself fight for what I want and not give up as most people would. I'll have a better chance when I get out because I came here and got the help I needed and know I have courage," Grant said. He hopes to enter the Armed Forces for mechanical engineering and if that doesn't work out then working with the handicapped is another goal he has set for himself. Although both young men don't know if they would see the film of their own ac- cord again, they did acknowledge that viewing it would help in one way: "See- ing the film again when we're on the out- side will bring back a lot of memories that we don't want to remember but we will remember,and those memories and the film will keep us out of it (a life of crime)." As with Tony in Train of Dreams, the ending of Grant and Jeff's stay at Bluewater Centre and the beginning of their lives on the' outside looks just as optimistic. Goderich and area talent used in film By LOU -ANN DE BRUYN. Acting talent abounds in Goderich and surrounding area as was evidenced at Wednesday's viewing of the National Film Board's Train of Dreams. NI -lumber of guests invited to attend last week's special showing were not there just to see the story of a young of- fender. They were there to see themselves on the big screen. For dozens of Huron County high school students, Train of Dreams was their first appearance in a film of any kind. September 1986 and November 4, 1987 will not likely be forgotten by many students. Last September saw the students audi- tioning for, winning places and filming the movie, filling in for the young of- fenders at Bluewater Centre who, accor- ding to the Young Offenders Act, cannot be identified in any way., November 4 will be remembered as the first day they saw themselves on a theatre screen. HOPING FOR CAREER For Marty Pelss, a former Clinton high school student now living in,London, Train of Dreams was the first of what he hopes will be many acting assignments. "I hope to go on in acting. I'd definite- ly like to," he said after the screening. Pelss noted filming the movie was "a good experience" for students interested in an acting career. He also said the final product after a lot of filming is often surprising. "The movie on the screen was a lot more emotional. I thought it would be centred more in the detention setting with more rough and tough scenes," he said. Ron Govier, a grade 12 student at GDCI, and Todd Nurse, a former GDCI student, also received parts in the play as young offenders Stan and Neil respectively. Both young men found out about the filming from GDCI drama teacher Phil MacMillan. Although both admitted to liking the final film version, Gooier noted the film did not really reflect life at Bluewater Centre as he saw it during the month he spent filming at the institution. "The movie showed the plot 'behind the person (how he got to the institution and what made him follow a life of crime) but a lot of it was phoney concerning the way the residents act out there (at Bluewater Centre). They were totally different than we portrayed them," Gooier noted, adding, for example, the.. fact that the actors were allowed to use foul language in the movie while the real young offenders were punished if they were overheard by staff members. Clinton high school student Chris Ed- wards realized by watching the film that not every scene shot was used in the final production. "It was okay. I thought it would be better. They cut a lot, of scenes including the one where we were standing around in the shower." For former GDCI student Kevin deJeu, now living in London, last September's filming wasn't the first time he had set foot in the Bluewater Centre. During the summer months, deJeu worked at the Centre. Because he was associated with the institution more than the other students, the film perhaps meant more to him. It let him see how differently the producers portrayed life in an institution compared to what he had seen on a daily basis. "Even though it's fiction, it's so close to the truth," deJeu said. "It represents this institution (Bluewater Centre) fairly accurately with only a few differences. "I didn't think the movie would be anything like the final version. It was as far from what I thought it might be like as it could get." deJeu explained that many scenes ap- peared different than the way he remembered them being filmed. However, he still liked the film. He noted the students were supplied with the required blue shirt by the film company although they had to supply their own blue jeans and shoes. "They told some guys to get their hair cut," he said, adding that he was one who had to have his hair cut extremely short. In spite of the fact that, at times, sit- ting around waiting to be used in a scene was boring, deJeu said he, along with most of the students, "had fun" filming the movie. NOT JUST STUDENTS Aside from local and area high school students, staff members at Bluewater Centre were also called upon to act in the film. Bluewater Centre Superintendent Carl DeGrandis, filling the role of the institu- tion's superintendent, played the part as he normally does when meeting any new resident. Needless to say, he already knew what to say thereby presenting a flawless performance. Other staff members were equally as good. But, acting wasn't the only aspect of the film with which local persons were involved. Goderich resident Angela Carter, a Drama in Education graduate from the University of Windsor, helped in the pro- duction aspect of the filming. Also work- ing on the production end of the movie were three Bluewater Centre residents, one of whom went on to Montreal to help with production there. Carter worked in production from the end of August 1986 to the first week of Oc- tober 1986. "Basically, I was a gopher. I did everything. I looked after Fred Ward (the actor who played the teacher) , delivered films, got the kids involved, and spoke at the Clinton and Goderich highschools about the film." While Carter liked the film ("It was good fora National Film Board movie."), she did admit it wasn't exactly what she thought it was going to be like when she saw it at the theatre. "It was different than I thought it would be. I saw a lot of film being made and they didn't use a lot. They seemed to use about one in 50 shots.," she said. In spite of the fact that the Bluewater Centre is never identified in the movie, nor the fact that the names of local "ac- tors" don't appear in the list of credits, Goderich and area can certainly be proud of the people who participated in the filming. OURFA[ASPS ARE A3CIfblsAppEARI' .L. J $100 OFF* $200 OFF* $300 OFF* \ (.t l\\ 1 \11(INAI. SATI 'RAI. GAS F1 R\A(:F. A MID OX 111611 -EFFICIENCY A NAP RAI. (GAS Fl'RN ACE ( CF\TRAI AIR C(ol)ITI(NM; NATI'RAI.GAS Fi'RNACE AM) CENTRA I.AIR (t)NDIT1ON1NGPACKAGE 1 � L Tinge is almost up on our Fall Bonus Specials. Come December 4, they'll he gone. And with them go your chances to save on modern natural gas furnaces, central air conditioning, and worry - free natural gas rental water heaters. Whether you're on gas or moving up to gas from an oil or electric sys tem, don't let our Fall Bonus Specials disappear before your eyes. With home comfort equipment from Clare, Du(matic Olsen, Grimsby r WHEN SWITCHING TO A NATURAL GAS FI RNACE FROM 011. 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