The Bay Boy
Encyclopedia
The Bay Boy is a 1984 Canadian film. It is a semi-autobiographical film based on director Daniel Petrie
's experiences of growing up in Glace Bay, a mining town on Cape Breton Island
, during the Great Depression
. It features the screen debut of Kiefer Sutherland
as the film's central character.
in a dark and uncertain time for both his community and life. His mother (Liv Ullman) wants him to continue his education after high school and become a priest, but Donald is more interested in girls than prayerbooks. After an unsuccessful attempt by a visiting priest to molest him, followed by his first sexual experience with a local girl, Donald politely informs his mother (without revealing why) that he is not going to be a priest.
Meanwhile, when he is not in school, Donald spends his time helping his father (Peter Donat
) dig a Bootleg Pit; helps care for his older brother, Joe, who was the brightest boy in his grade until he got sick and was left disabled; and pursues Saxon Coldwell (Leah Pinsent
), one of police Sergeant Coldwell's two daughters. Sergeant Coldwell's wife died a few months earlier.
Donald lives a hard-working but fairly happy life, until the night he witnesses Sergeant Coldwell shoot and kill the Jewish couple who are his landlord and landlady. The chief of police is a relative, so Donald feels comfortable admitting he saw the killing but he says he did not see who did it, because he is afraid of Sergeant Coldwell - especially after Sergeant Coldwell lets Donald know that he is aware that Donald did see who committed the murder (because he could not have seen the shooting without also seeing who did it). When the Sergeant comes home and finds Donald (innocently) visiting with his daughter Dianna, he snaps mentally and tries to kill the boy - with the result his secret is revealed and he is arrested.
The film also depicts the daily lives of the eccentric locals and tight-knit families.
Daniel Petrie
Daniel Mannix Petrie was a Canadian television and movie director.Petrie was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada, the son of Mary Anne and William Mark Petrie, a soft-drink manufacturer. He moved to the United States in 1945...
's experiences of growing up in Glace Bay, a mining town on Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
, during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. It features the screen debut of Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
as the film's central character.
Plot
Donald Campbell (Kiefer Sutherland) is a sensitive teenage boy coming of ageComing of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual, as practiced by many societies...
in a dark and uncertain time for both his community and life. His mother (Liv Ullman) wants him to continue his education after high school and become a priest, but Donald is more interested in girls than prayerbooks. After an unsuccessful attempt by a visiting priest to molest him, followed by his first sexual experience with a local girl, Donald politely informs his mother (without revealing why) that he is not going to be a priest.
Meanwhile, when he is not in school, Donald spends his time helping his father (Peter Donat
Peter Donat
Peter Donat is a Canadian-American actor known for his roles in American television.-Early life:Donat was born Pierre Collingwood Donat in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada, the son of Marie and Philip Ernst Donat, a landscape gardener. His uncle was British actor Robert Donat...
) dig a Bootleg Pit; helps care for his older brother, Joe, who was the brightest boy in his grade until he got sick and was left disabled; and pursues Saxon Coldwell (Leah Pinsent
Leah Pinsent
Leah Pinsent is a Canadian television and film actress.She was born in Toronto, Ontario, the daughter of Canadian actors Gordon Pinsent and Charmion King....
), one of police Sergeant Coldwell's two daughters. Sergeant Coldwell's wife died a few months earlier.
Donald lives a hard-working but fairly happy life, until the night he witnesses Sergeant Coldwell shoot and kill the Jewish couple who are his landlord and landlady. The chief of police is a relative, so Donald feels comfortable admitting he saw the killing but he says he did not see who did it, because he is afraid of Sergeant Coldwell - especially after Sergeant Coldwell lets Donald know that he is aware that Donald did see who committed the murder (because he could not have seen the shooting without also seeing who did it). When the Sergeant comes home and finds Donald (innocently) visiting with his daughter Dianna, he snaps mentally and tries to kill the boy - with the result his secret is revealed and he is arrested.
The film also depicts the daily lives of the eccentric locals and tight-knit families.
Production
The movie was filmed entirely on location in Cape Breton, and primarily in Glace Bay. Many of the extras are performed by local residents.Cast
- Liv UllmannLiv UllmannLiv Johanne Ullmann is a Norwegian actress and film director, as well as one of the "muses" of the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman...
as Mrs. Campbell - Kiefer SutherlandKiefer SutherlandKiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
as Donald Campbell - Peter DonatPeter DonatPeter Donat is a Canadian-American actor known for his roles in American television.-Early life:Donat was born Pierre Collingwood Donat in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada, the son of Marie and Philip Ernst Donat, a landscape gardener. His uncle was British actor Robert Donat...
as Mr. Campbell - Alan ScarfeAlan ScarfeAlan John Scarfe is a British-born Genie Award winning Canadian actor. He is a former Associate Director of the Stratford Festival and the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool...
... Sergeant Tom Coldwell - Mathieu CarrièreMathieu CarrièreMathieu Carrière is a German actor.Carrière grew up in Berlin and Lübeck; he attended the Jesuit boarding school Lycée Saint-François-Xavier in Vannes, France, a school which had previously been attended by the director of Carrière's first major film, Volker Schlöndorff. In 1969 Carrière moved to...
... Father Chaisson - Chris WigginsChris WigginsChris Wiggins is an English actor.He started out as a banker in his home country before he began his acting career in Canada, where he moved in 1952....
... Chief Charlie McInnes - Thomas PeacockeThomas PeacockeThomas Peacocke is a Canadian actor. He won the Genie Award for Best Actor in 1981 for his role in The Hounds of Notre Dame.Peacocke studied acting at the University of Alberta and directing at Carnegie Mellon University, and began teaching drama at the University of Alberta in 1961.His other roles...
... Father McKinnon - Isabelle Mejias ... Mary McNeil
- Jane McKinnon ... Dianna Coldwell
- Leah PinsentLeah PinsentLeah Pinsent is a Canadian television and film actress.She was born in Toronto, Ontario, the daughter of Canadian actors Gordon Pinsent and Charmion King....
... Saxon Coldwell - Peter Spence ... Joe Campbell
- Joe Warbis ... Terry the Transvestite
- Josephine ChaplinJosephine ChaplinJosephine Hannah Chaplin is an actress and the daughter of actor/comedian/director Charlie Chaplin and his last wife, Oona O'Neill. Her siblings include Geraldine Chaplin, Christopher Chaplin and Michael Chaplin. She was also half-sister to Sydney Chaplin, Charles Chaplin, Jr...
... Marie Chaisson - Pauline LafontPauline LafontPauline Lafont was a French actress. She was the daughter of film star Bernadette Lafont and Diourka Medveczky, an Hungarian sculptor....
... Janine Chaisson - Roy McMullin ... Paul Ratchford
- Kathy McGuire ... Sister Roberta
- Robbie Gallivan ... Frank Carrey
- Bob Rose ... Danny McIsaac
- Robert Taylor ... Paddy O'Neil
- Darren Arsenault ... Malcolm Broderick
- David FerryDavid FerryDavid Ferry may refer to:* David Ferry , Canadian-born actor* David Ferry , American poet and translatorSee also*David Ferrie, pilot...
... Walt Roach - Bette MacDonaldBette MacDonaldBette MacDonald, a Canadian comedian, is well-known for her comedic series Rideau Hall. Bette is married to teacher, actor, writer and director Maynard Morrison...
... Nurse - Fannie Shore ... Mrs. Silver
- Sander Zilbert ... Mr. Silver
- Tom RackTom RackTom Rack is an American actor, who has starred in over 50 different films and television programs during his career.He has also supplied voices for animation including Animal Crackers, The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures, Billy and Buddy, Sea Dogs, Lucky Luke, Daft Planet, Princess...
... Sol Silver - Joe MacPherson ... Rory McInnes
- Kevin McKenzieKevin McKenzieKevin Alexander McKenzie is a South African first-class cricketer whose career with Transvaal lasted from his first season in 1966/67 to the final one in 1986/87....
... Mr. Rankin - Iris Currie ... Mrs. Carrey
- Francis MacNeil ... Terry O'Shea
- Michael Egyes ... Basil Broderick
- Mary McKinnon ... Aunt Coldwell
- Stéphane AudranStéphane AudranStéphane Audran is a French film and television actress, known for her performances in Oscar winning movies such as Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie and Babette's Feast and in critically acclaimed films like The Big Red One and Violette Nozière .She married...
... Blanche - Rowena Oliver ... Sissy
External links
- Canadian Film Encyclopedia [A publication of The Film Reference Library/a division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group]
- The AV Trust's newsletter PreserVision. Issue 7 (Spring 2006) features an article on The Bay Boy and "losing" films.