| Producer | Marilyn A. Belec Steve Clark-Hall Claudio Luca Mike Mahoney Mort Ransen Christopher Zimmer |
|---|---|
| Director | Mort Ransen |
| Screenplay | Gerald Wexler Mort Ransen |
| Starring | |
| Music | Milan Kymlicka |
| Cinematography | Vic Sarin |
| Editing | Rita Roy |
| Production companies | National Film Board of Canada British Screen Productions Ciné Télé Action Glace Bay Pictures Malofilm |
| Distributor | Astra Cinema |
| Released | 13 September 1995 |
| Runtime | 118 minutes[1] |
| Country | Canada United Kingdom |
| Language | English Scottish Gaelic |
Margaret's Museum is a 1995 Canadian-British drama film directed by Mort Ransen and based on Sheldon Currie's novel The Glace Bay Miners' Museum. It stars Helena Bonham Carter, Clive Russell, and Kate Nelligan. The film won six Genie Awards, including acting awards for Bonham Carter and Nelligan.
Plot
Set in the 1940s in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, the film tells the story of a young girl living in a coal mining town where the death of men from accidents in "the pit" (the mines) has become almost routine. Margaret MacNeil has already lost her father and an older brother and for her, life alone would be preferable to marrying a mine worker—that is until the charming Neil Currie shows up. Against the wishes of her hard-bitten mother they marry, but, before long, financial woes lead to his doing what every other uneducated young man does in the town: take a job underground. His death in the mine, along with her younger brother, drives Margaret to a mental breakdown and, in her surreal world, she decides to create a "special" museum to the memories of all those who have died as a result of the horrific mining conditions.
Cast
- Helena Bonham Carter as Margaret MacNeil
- Clive Russell as Neil Currie
- Craig Olejnik as Jimmy MacNeil
- Kate Nelligan as Catherine MacNeil
- Kenneth Welsh as Angus MacNeil
- Andrea Morris as Marilyn
Production notes
Part of Margaret's Museum was filmed in the UK. It carried significance in the local area of Newtongrange, Scotland as the screen debut of local TV celebrity David MacBeath, who appeared as an extra in the film.
Critical reception
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 ½ stars out 4.[2] He praised the cast and wrote Margaret's Museum "is one of those small, nearly perfect movies that you know, seeing it, is absolutely one of a kind."[2]
Awards and nominations
In 2001, an industry poll conducted by Playback named Margaret's Museum the 14th best Canadian film of the preceding 15 years.[6]
References
- ^ "Margaret's Museum". Canadian Film Encyclopedia. TIFF. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (February 21, 1997). "Margaret's Museum". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ "Margaret's Museum - Awards & Festivals". Mubi. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ Vale, Allison (November 20, 1995). "Special Report: The Genies: Margaret looking at the big picture". Playback. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ "Film shows Canada at its best". Quesnel Cariboo Observer. April 14, 1996. p. 16. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ Posner, Michael (November 25, 2001). "Egoyan tops film poll". The Globe and Mail
External links
- Margaret's Museum at IMDb