Iron Road (film)
Encyclopedia
Iron Road is a 2009 Canada
/China
television miniseries
written by Barry Pearson and Raymond Storey and directed by David Wu. Starring Peter O’Toole, Sam Neill
, Luke Macfarlane
, Charlotte Sullivan
and Sun Li
, Iron Road chronicles the untold story of Chinese workers who helped to build the Canadian Pacific Railway
in the 1880s. The mini-series was filmed in the Kamloops, B.C. area with many local actors.
Iron Road is only the second joint venture to be created under a Canada/China co-production treaty established in the 1960s. The first was 1989's Bethune: The Making of a Hero.
- she and her countrymen come to Canada by the thousands to do the back-breaking work of blasting through the mountains to lay track. She soon learns that railroads only bring fortune to the few and that every mile of track is purchased with fear and death. As treachery and prejudice threaten her, Little Tiger must use her wits and courage to fulfill her quest and honour her friends who died in this foreign land.
Little Tiger keeps the truth about her being a female from the main contractor's son, James Nichol. She has a crush on him and is sexually attracted to him. James Nichol thinks of Little Tiger as just "one of the guys" and treats her as a buddy. Nichol strips naked and jumps into a river for a swim and asked Little Tiger to join him. Little Tiger declines profusely, but secretly glances at his naked form when he isn't looking. She later reveals to Nichol that she is a woman and that she really likes him. The two start an affair and the sexual relationship lasts until Little Tiger's father dies trying to save her. The long lost father turns out to be the Chinese railroad construction foreman. The rope holding her when she was working on a cliff placing dynamite, had been deliberately severed. She honours her father's wish to bring his ashes back to China and leaves the railway construction camp. James wants to leave Canada with Little Tiger and spend his life with her, but she declines as they are both from two different worlds which could have "social implications". Interracial
or inter ethnic relationships
were generally discouraged at that time.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
/China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
television miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
written by Barry Pearson and Raymond Storey and directed by David Wu. Starring Peter O’Toole, Sam Neill
Sam Neill
Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
, Luke Macfarlane
Luke MacFarlane
Thomas Luke Macfarlane , better known as Luke Macfarlane, is a Canadian actor and musician.-Early life:Macfarlane was born in London, Ontario, Canada. His father, Thomas , was the Director of Student Health Services at the University of Western Ontario, and his mother, Penny, is a mental health...
, Charlotte Sullivan
Charlotte Sullivan
Charlotte Sullivan is a Canadian actress. Her first on-screen role was an extra in a Liza Minelli music video. She has had a starring role in The New Ghostwriter Mysteries and Harriet the Spy as well as smaller parts in How to Deal and Fever Pitch...
and Sun Li
Betty Sun
Betty Sun Li is a Chinese actress.She first entered show business by participating in 2001's Star Search, held by Singapore's Mediacorp...
, Iron Road chronicles the untold story of Chinese workers who helped to build the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
in the 1880s. The mini-series was filmed in the Kamloops, B.C. area with many local actors.
Iron Road is only the second joint venture to be created under a Canada/China co-production treaty established in the 1960s. The first was 1989's Bethune: The Making of a Hero.
Plot
Iron Road follows the journey of Little Tiger (Sun Li), a child whose quest for her long-lost father takes her from a fireworks factory in China to a remote construction camp in the Rockies. Lured by the myth of 'Gum San' - Gold MountainGold Mountain
Gold Mountain is the name given by the Chinese to western regions of North America, particularly California, USA and British Columbia, Canada. After gold was first discovered in the state of California in 1848, thousands of Chinese from Toisan in Guangdong , began to travel to California in search...
- she and her countrymen come to Canada by the thousands to do the back-breaking work of blasting through the mountains to lay track. She soon learns that railroads only bring fortune to the few and that every mile of track is purchased with fear and death. As treachery and prejudice threaten her, Little Tiger must use her wits and courage to fulfill her quest and honour her friends who died in this foreign land.
Little Tiger keeps the truth about her being a female from the main contractor's son, James Nichol. She has a crush on him and is sexually attracted to him. James Nichol thinks of Little Tiger as just "one of the guys" and treats her as a buddy. Nichol strips naked and jumps into a river for a swim and asked Little Tiger to join him. Little Tiger declines profusely, but secretly glances at his naked form when he isn't looking. She later reveals to Nichol that she is a woman and that she really likes him. The two start an affair and the sexual relationship lasts until Little Tiger's father dies trying to save her. The long lost father turns out to be the Chinese railroad construction foreman. The rope holding her when she was working on a cliff placing dynamite, had been deliberately severed. She honours her father's wish to bring his ashes back to China and leaves the railway construction camp. James wants to leave Canada with Little Tiger and spend his life with her, but she declines as they are both from two different worlds which could have "social implications". Interracial
Interracial marriage
Interracial marriage occurs when two people of differing racial groups marry. This is a form of exogamy and can be seen in the broader context of miscegenation .-Legality of interracial marriage:In the Western world certain jurisdictions have had regulations...
or inter ethnic relationships
Interpersonal relationship
An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on limerence, love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships are formed in the...
were generally discouraged at that time.
Cast
- Peter O’Toole as Lionel Relic
- Sam NeillSam NeillNigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
as Alfred Nichol - Luke MacfarlaneLuke MacFarlaneThomas Luke Macfarlane , better known as Luke Macfarlane, is a Canadian actor and musician.-Early life:Macfarlane was born in London, Ontario, Canada. His father, Thomas , was the Director of Student Health Services at the University of Western Ontario, and his mother, Penny, is a mental health...
as James Nichol - Serge HoudeSerge HoudeSerge Houde is a Canadian film & television character actor. He is best known for his starring role in Jon Cassar's Emmy nominated miniseries The Kennedys playing the notorious Chicago mafia boss Sam Giancana opposite Tom Wilkinson and Barry Pepper.Houde began acting at age 35 and has made a...
as George Grant - Charlotte SullivanCharlotte SullivanCharlotte Sullivan is a Canadian actress. Her first on-screen role was an extra in a Liza Minelli music video. She has had a starring role in The New Ghostwriter Mysteries and Harriet the Spy as well as smaller parts in How to Deal and Fever Pitch...
as Melanie Grant - Sun LiBetty SunBetty Sun Li is a Chinese actress.She first entered show business by participating in 2001's Star Search, held by Singapore's Mediacorp...
as Little Tiger - Tony Leung Ka Fai as Book Man
- Kenneth Mitchell as Edgar
Awards
- Leo Award (win) Best Cinematography in a Feature Length Drama for Attila Szalay
- Leo Award (win) Best Production Design in a Features Length Drama for Linda Del Rosario
- Leo Award (win) Best Costume Design in a Feature Length Drama for Maya Mani
- Leo Award (win) Best Make-Up in a Feature Length Drama for Joanne Kinchella
- Dominican Film Festival, Audience Favourite Award at the Dominican Film Festival
- Roma FictionFest, Best Actress, miniseries for Sun Li