The Rocket (film)

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The Rocket: The Maurice Richard Story (Maurice Richard in French) is the English-subtitled version of a feature film, starring Roy Dupuis in the title role and directed by Charles Binamé. Filmed in Québec for a budget of $8,000,000 Canadian by Alliance Atlantis and Odeon and first released in French throughout the province of Québec in November 2005, it was released in movie theaters with English subtitles in April 2006. It was nominated for a Jutra Award in 14 categories, including Best Actor for Roy Dupuis; but it did not receive the award. The distribution rights were marketed at the Cannes Film Festival by Telefilm Canada, whose news release of 30 May 2006 reports that "Cinémaginaire producer Denise Robert inked deals for The Rocket (Maurice Richard) with five Scandinavian countries: Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Denmark."

1 About the movie
2 What the movie does not cover
3 Important Note
4 References
- 4.1 External links

[edit] About the movie

This is a biographical movie (or biopic) which can be considered as the corner stone of NHL's History as well as of Hockey's History. It also exposes the life of the Rocket beginning with his years as a teenager. The film presents historical facts: the depression just before WW2, the social divisions (as those cages that surrounded an area reserved for francophones in the Forum). Most of the dialogue in the hockey scenes is in English, as is the dialogue in scenes involving the team, coaches, and so on, which is "by respect of historical facts" in the original french version. Stephen McHattie is superb in coach Dick Irvin, one of the most credible coaches of sports movies. The movie also heightens some historical dramatic events, like the year when Richard broke Malone's record, a record that most considered as impossible to surpass, and which brought some sense of victory to people in Canada, as it occurred just a month before D-Day in Normandy (Feb. 1945).

The dialogue and hockey scenes are also true to reality; they were reviewed by Richard himself before he died and also by his wife, his children, and Irvin son's written and recorded testimonies and memories about his father (He was the first Mr. "Hockey Night in Canada" on CBC), reporters, and so on. The events presented as facts and the dialogue can be recalled and related by real people who lived during the time period covered by the film and thus verified by multiple bibliographical and living sources, perhaps including thousands: family, their friends, the public, and the media recording those events, various journalists reporting on the events of that time, Richard's barber, previous teams in the juvenile league (he actually played for 5 different teams in different leagues). What you'll see in this movie, is what made such a man a true Canadian hero, as it really was and took place during those days. It is also a true love story.

[edit] What the movie does not cover

After the first half of his career, the Rocket was invited to European countries and was received as a hero and acclaimed wherever he traveled. He was recognized by the queen of England with a title{fact} and acclaimed in Russia and Czechoslovakia. This part of his life is not in the movie, perhaps because room had to be made for actual hockey clips.

The movie stops the year before Richard brought Montreal to an unrivalled record of five Stanley Cup Championships in a row.

[edit] Important Note

This is a serious biographical feature film. Some scenes based on actual events may be disturbing or offensive to some political sensibilities, but they are based on well-documented facts. Consequently, this movie demands that its viewers strive for objectivity perhaps after seeing it and becoming involved in the affective experience of the film. The film presents an interpretation of important events in Canadian History such as the "Great Darkness" and the kind of social status Francophones experienced during these years, which is part of what made the Rocket who he was, as a Francophone who struggled since teenagehood to forge his own identity as a Canadien as he became such a significant force as a Montréal Canadien.