Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks
| Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Donald Brittain |
| Produced by |
Donald Brittain Adam Symansky |
| Written by |
Donald Brittain Richard Nielsen |
| Starring |
Peter Boretski Donald Brittain Maury Chaykin Jason Dean |
| Music by | Eldon Rathburn |
| Cinematography | Andreas Poulsson |
| Edited by |
Rita Roy Richard Todd |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks is a Canadian docudrama, written and produced by Donald Brittain. It aired in 1985 on CBC Television.
The film was about Hal C. Banks, a controversial American labour union leader who came to Canada in 1949 to lead a sectarian fight between rival shipping unions. Banks left Canada in 1962 after being brought up on criminal charges.
Banks appeared before the Norris Commission, which was set up to investigate his strongarm tactics and links to beatings of opposition unions, and non signed shipping companies. In particular was the ULS and the Maritime Union run by his former lieutenant Michael Sheehan, who had testified before the Norris Commission against Banks, and led the push to loosen the SIU grip on the Great Lakes.
Maury Chaykin played the role of Banks in dramatic reenactments.
Awards
Winner of five awards, including Gemini Awards for best screenplay and best direction.
External links
- NFB Web page
- Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks at the Internet Movie Database
- Canadian Film Encyclopedia [A publication of The Film Reference Library/a division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group]