In the Company of Strangers

Description

180 pages
Contains Photos
$12.95
ISBN 0-88922-294-0
DDC 791.43'72

Author

Publisher

Year

1991

Contributor

Reviewed by Dean Tudor

Dean Tudor is a journalism professor at the Ryerson Polytechnical
Institute and founding editor of the CBRA.

Review

The Company of Strangers was a marvelous 1989 docudrama from the
National Film Board. It described the activities of seven women, all
over 65, plus a young bus driver, who must survive a trip in the
semiwilderness of the Laurentians when their bus breaks down. One person
(played by Meigs) tries to fix the bus; when her efforts fail, she goes
off to look for help. The basic story is one of interactions between and
among these seven women and the driver. In real life, the women were
between 65 and 88; none were professional actresses.

The book is the story of making the film, and of old age. Meigs creates
excellent portraits of the cast members and the crew. Through her eyes
we can all see where they lived on the site and what they did, and even
learn about the men (who were in the crew). There are also plenty of
black-and-white photos. Here is clear, sensitive writing about a group
of women who have found old age together as a unit. If you liked the
movie (and I did), you’ll love the book.

Citation

Meigs, Mary., “In the Company of Strangers,” Canadian Book Review Annual Online, accessed December 21, 2024, https://cbra.library.utoronto.ca/items/show/11127.