CIFF Reviews: A Legend of Whitey
by Ainsley Barteluk
A Legend of Whitey screened at the Calgary International Film Festival on Sept 26 and will encore on Saturday October 1 (4:15pm @ the Plaza Theatre)
The imperative in historical films is usually to portray the characters as dignified and always serious. This is not the case in David Lawrence and Paul J. Spence’s campy, western-style comedy: A Legend of Whitey. Best known as the creators of Fubar (2002), it’s not surprising that these filmmakers provide us with a different take on what Albertans were like in the 19th Century. From the outset, the film is preoccupied with inappropriate humor (is there any other kind?). It makes us laugh while displaying Alberta’s beautiful countryside, and at the same time issuing a facetious commentary on the province’s bigoted origins.
Ainsley and the guys from Fubar.
The setting is a remote ranch in 1885 where two half-brothers (David Lawrence and Paul J. Spence) reunite. Trouble begins as the half-native brother Luther (Spence) shows up at the outpost dressed as an “Injun”; it’s not long before they have to skip town with the local authority hot on their tails. While on the run, the brothers come across a white buffalo that Luther explains is a spirit animal named Whitey. Legend has it that Whitey is actually a beautiful woman who has been transformed into a buffalo and will only turn back once she has found her true love. Luther must convince his brother of the authenticity of the legend so he can help him on his quest to return her to her people and also find true love.
As the director explained in the Q&A following the film’s premiere at the Plaza theatre in Kensington, the original idea was to make a buddy film where the two guys would be the run together. What eventually took shape was an improvised western, and that turned into a western comedy with a wide range of interesting characters. It was a collaboration of friends, resources, and support that helped Lawrence pull off this film. Indeed, most of the cast was at the premiere along with many other loyal fans—including Mayor Naheed Nenshi—to show support for Calgary’s most famous filmmakers. Perseverance was also necessary for it to have been pulled off, as the cast and crew endured some of Alberta’s harsh weather during production and almost had their entire set destroyed in a Tornado.
It’s clear they had a good time making this film, and everyone in the theatre sounded like they enjoyed themselves with its hilarious pokes at not only Red-Neck Albertans, but also at the mentality of that era concerning things such as female modesty and “civilized behaviour”. Another interesting device was the use of the Dutch characters to create a documentary-like feel to the film as throughout the film the Dutch interview the other characters, and take pictures in their quest to document Alberta for their king in Holland. In addition to that, the cinematography was simply beautiful. However, one might find the film is lacking something, especially when it comes to the acting. In particular, the characters’ accents are a problem. Perhaps the mismatched hick accents worked better in the modern setting of Fubar than they do in a historical piece. For that reason the film may not resonate with authenticity. In all honesty, it’s a film made for cult-classic cinema followers and those who do not “get” these types of films will perhaps leave the theatre feeling less than stoked. But for fans of these types of films this is definitely a must see.
