Everyone keeps talking about Adaptation. I suppose I should check it out.
Passchendaele is a Canadian war film set during WWI. We follow the character of Michael Dunne as he kills some Germans, gets wounded, goes a little crazy, runs away, comes home to Calgary, falls in love with a nurse, gets wound up in a love story, fakes his way back onto the battlefield, does an awesome good deed for a fellow soldier and
dies in the process. Being an avid fan of war movies, I figured that it couldn't hurt to check this movie out. After all, I'd never seen a Canadian war film and I was anxious to test out my recently-acquired knowledge of Canadian history. I have to admit, even for its more ridiculously sappy parts (The one rule: Don't die) this movie pulled me in and, for the first time in a long time, I cried over a movie. It was well cast, the soundtrack was fun and the visuals were beautifully presented. Seriously, for a moment there I thought I was in a German trench.
This movie was written and directed by Paul Gross, who also happened to star as the lead character. When I saw the DVD cover of the film I recognized the face, but I couldn't place it. It took some internet digging, but I discovered that Paul Gross, who managed to bring this beautifully serious gem to the big screen, was also the Mountie in
Due South. Talk about a dynamic range. Oh yeah, and he helped write one of the songs on the soundtrack of the movie.
I highly recommend this movie to anyone. Not just war film fans or Canadians; I think everyone will get something out of this movie.