Passchendaele: A Historical Review

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Recommended: Existence of racism in Canada

Paul Gross' 2008 film, Passchendaele blurs the line between fiction and reality in a social commentary on Canadian life during World War One. It is the intent of this review to assess the historical accuracy of the portrayal of anti-German sentiment within the Canadian government in the year of 1917 as well as the racial prejudice experienced by German-Canadians during this time. In particular, this review intends to evaluate the plausibility of the effects of this racial tension on the protagonist, military man Michael Dunne (Paul Gross), his love interest and military nurse, Sarah Mann (Caroline Dhavernas), and her brother, David (Joe Dinicol).

A majority of the film takes place on the home front in Calgary, Alberta and was filmed in the city and surrounding area. The main characters of the movie experience the inherent prejudice against Germans in Canada from different angles. Michael Dunne benefits from the anti-German prejudice as a soldier who fought against the Germans at Vimy Ridge and is decorated for committing an atrocious act against a young German soldier. This is characteristic of a Canadian government at the time (represented by Dunne's superiors and recruitment officers in the Canadian military) which encouraged anti-German sentiment through policy and propaganda (Centre for Constitutional Studies). In the film, Sarah and David both suffer greatly as a direct result of their German heritage and the attitudes of the government and other Canadians even though they are naturalized and do not appear to be of a visible minority. Although Passchendaele could benefit from the addition of certain elements of political context, Paul Gross still provides a great choice for a viewer interested in a historically accura...

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...iew of Canada." Dying in Hell. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. .

Munroe, Susan. "Canadian World War I Posters Gallery." About.com Canada. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. .

Palmer, Howard. Land of the Second Chance; a History of Ethnic Groups in Southern Alberta. Alberta: Lethbridge Herald, 1972. Print.

Palmer, Howard. Patterns of Prejudice: A History of Nativism in Alberta. Toronto, Ont.: McClelland and Stewart, 1982. Print.

Passchendaele. Dir. Paul Gross. Alliance Films, 2008. DVD.

Prokop, Manfred. A History of Alberta's German-speaking Communities. Vol. 1. Okotoks, AB: M. Prokop, 2007. Print.

Prokop, Manfred. The Settlement of Immigrants of German Origin in Southern Alberta between the 1880s and 1910s: A Fact Book. Okotoks, AB: M. Prokop, 2010. Print.

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