The Company of Strangers
Encyclopedia
The Company of Strangers (US release title: Strangers in Good Company; French title: Le Fabuleux gang des sept) is a Canadian film, released in 1990. It was directed by Cynthia Scott
, and written by Scott, Sally Bochner, David Wilson and Gloria Demers. The film depicts eight women on a bus tour, who are stranded at an isolated cottage when the bus breaks down.
Created in a genre defined as semi-documentary/semi-fiction, the film is not tightly scripted; the writers wrote a basic story outline but allowed the eight women to improvise their dialogue. Each of the women, all but one of whom were senior citizen
s, told stories from her own life. A major theme of the film is how the elderly women each face aging and mortality in their own way, and find the courage together to persevere.
At various points throughout the film, a montage of photos from each woman's life is shown.
The women are:
Meigs published a book about her experiences making the film, In the Company of Strangers, in 1991.
and the Grand Prize and Interfilm awards at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival
in 1990.
At the 12th Genie Awards
in 1991, Diabo and Meddings were nominated for Best Actress, Holden and Roche were nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and the film was nominated for Best Picture. The film won the Genie Award for Best Film Editing.
Cynthia Scott
Cynthia Scott, RCA, is a film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. She won the 1983 Academy Award for her short documentary Flamenco at 5:15, produced by the National Film Board of Canada....
, and written by Scott, Sally Bochner, David Wilson and Gloria Demers. The film depicts eight women on a bus tour, who are stranded at an isolated cottage when the bus breaks down.
Created in a genre defined as semi-documentary/semi-fiction, the film is not tightly scripted; the writers wrote a basic story outline but allowed the eight women to improvise their dialogue. Each of the women, all but one of whom were senior citizen
Senior citizen
Senior citizen is a common polite designation for an elderly person in both UK and US English, and it implies or means that the person is retired. This in turn implies or in fact means that the person is over the retirement age, which varies according to country. Synonyms include pensioner in UK...
s, told stories from her own life. A major theme of the film is how the elderly women each face aging and mortality in their own way, and find the courage together to persevere.
At various points throughout the film, a montage of photos from each woman's life is shown.
The women are:
- Alice Diabo, 74, a MohawkMohawk nationMohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
elder from Kahnawake, Quebec, - Constance Garneau, 88, born in the United States and brought to Quebec by her family as a child,
- Winifred Holden, 76, an Englishwoman who moved to Montreal after World War II,
- Cissy Meddings, 76, who was born in England and moved to Canada in 1981,
- Mary MeigsMary MeigsMary Meigs was an American-born painter and writer.-Early life:Meigs was born in Philadelphia and raised in Washington, DC. She studied at Bryn Mawr College, and subsequently taught English literature and creative writing at that school...
, 74, a noted feminist writer and painter, - Catherine Roche, 68, a Roman Catholic nun,
- Michelle SweeneyMichelle SweeneyMichelle Sweeney is a Canadian actor and jazz singer.Her film credits include The Company of Strangers, Eye of the Beholder, The Art of War, Stardom and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind....
, 27, a jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer, - Beth Webber, 80, who was born in England and moved to Montreal in 1930.
Meigs published a book about her experiences making the film, In the Company of Strangers, in 1991.
Awards
The film won the Best Canadian film award at the Vancouver International Film FestivalVancouver International Film Festival
The Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
and the Grand Prize and Interfilm awards at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival
International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg
Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival is an annual film festival held jointly by the cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg. The festival was established in 1952. In Mannheim there are six cinema centres and 19 single cinemas.The festival presents arthouse films of...
in 1990.
At the 12th Genie Awards
12th Genie Awards
The 12th annual Genie Awards were held on November 26, 1991, and honoured Canadian films released in 1990. The awards were moved from their previous March date after the disastrous ratings of the previous awards. The format was also changed and the eligible voters reduced to 130. The ceremony was...
in 1991, Diabo and Meddings were nominated for Best Actress, Holden and Roche were nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and the film was nominated for Best Picture. The film won the Genie Award for Best Film Editing.