Wolfe and Montcalm

On September 13, 1759, in the space of only 20 minutes, the fate of America was set. It was the Battle of the Plains of Abraham--the defining moment in the history of Canada and of New France. And the defining myth, examined endlessly from different angles, of all future Canadian history. After the Battle of the Plains, the French returned to France, leaving French Canadians to wonder whether they had been defeated, conquered or abandoned. The English would go on to rule North America and to ensure their language became dominant around the globe. In The Fate of America, master filmmaker Jacques Godbout joins playwright René-Daniel Dubois on the treacherous terrain of history for an ironic, humorous--and moving--personal view of the past. He also brings together Baron Georges Savarin de Marestan and Andrew Wolfe-Burroughs, direct descendants of Montcalm and Wolfe, both of whom died in the battle that would give birth to Canada and to the province of Quebec. In French with English subtitles.

His heart was with the rebels, but his principles bound him to the cause of constitutional reform. Here, in a stirring reconstruction of the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, you see Robert Baldwin, the reform leader who, in the midst of armed revolt, withdrew to fight a lonely battle with himself.

In 1975, as a Bicentennial special, one thousand American history buffs put on period uniforms and re-enacted the 1775 march of General Benedict Arnold's troops into Québec. This short film takes a page of our history which has, perhaps, not yet been completely written.