Black Donnellys

This movie is too ambitious, it tries to tell the story in 45 minutes and fails; the result is a choppy rather confusing series of disconnected short scenes. It presented the Donnellys in a favourable light, as victims of prejudice rather than as the violent instigators of trouble that I had understood from my (rather poor) prior knowledge; this view has been born out by my research on line this evening. I am therefore glad I went to see it and am inspired to read further.

I was very surprised at the great turn out at the Port Elgin cinema; two full houses on a Saturday afternoon is very unusual and highlights the grip this Ontario story has on us, seeming more like a story from the Wild West of America than nice gentle Canada!!! If you are intrigued by the Donnelly story go and see it, the scenery, costumes, and settings struck me as authentic, and the sympathetic view of the family was a revelation for me.