Great Canadian Film Directors.

M. Wayne Cunningham is a past executive director of the Saskatchewan
Arts Board and the former director of Academic and Career Programs at
East Kootenay Community College.

George Melnyk’s aim for his scholarly yet readable Great Canadian Film Directors is to present “a clear understanding of why Canadian directors are so crucial to the development of a distinct cinematic identity, both thematically and aesthetically.” To accomplish his purpose, Melnyk, an associate professor of Canadian Studies and Canadian Film Studies at the University of Calgary, and a prolific author, focuses on the films of 20 Canadian directors in 19 essays by respected scholars, some, like the filmmakers themselves, better known than others. The diversity of the presentations is held together by broad categories of identities such as English, French, and Inuit, male and female, and in time frames of “Late Greats,” “Contemporary Greats,” and “Future Greats” to establish that “the breadth and depth of Canadian cinema is outstanding.”

In developing his thesis for the diversity and excellence of Canadian film achieved by directors such as Claude Jutra, Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, Patricia Rozema, immigrant Lea Pool, and Inuit artist and filmmaker Zack Kunuk, Melnyk develops the rationale for his choices and his omissions, and his preference for the adjective “great.” His colleagues, in turn, scrutinize the themes and aesthetics of the directors. Kay Armatage, for example, compares the works of Nell Shipman and Joyce Weiland. Christopher Gittings profiles director John Greyson and his “queer aesthetic … [that] broadens our perspective on Canadian cinema.” Aaron Taylor analyzes the work of Bruce McDonald, “the ‘bad boy’ of Canadian Cinema,” while Jacqueline Levitin’s discourse features Chinese-Canadian Mina Shum’s films, and Kalli Paakspuu discusses the necrophilia in Lynne Stopkewich’s work. The groundbreaking, award-winning film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, by Inuit director Kunuk, is the subject of Jerry White’s erudite essay.

Although admittedly not the last word on why or who of Canada’s film directors have attained or will achieve greatness, Melnyk definitely establishes the diversity and excellence of the “Greats” included in the insightful and interesting essays in his book. Academics, film students, and teachers will find it a rewarding read.