Robin Spry
Encyclopedia
Robin Spry was a Canadian
filmmaker and television producer best known for his documentary film Action: The October Crisis of 1970 about Quebec
's October Crisis
.
, Ontario
to Canadian broadcast pioneer Graham Spry
and economic historian Irene Spry
.
After studies at Oxford University and the London School of Economics
, Spry began his filmmaking career in 1964 at the National Film Board in Montreal, earning a place on its payroll in 1965 and remaining there until stepping down in 1978. While at the NFB Spry built a reputation as a documentarist engaged with the issues of the day, with films on abortion, youth rebellion, and contemporary politics. His Prologue documented the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
in Chicago
, weaving narrative with archival footage to become, in 1969, the first Canadian film to appear at the Venice Film Festival
. His Canadian Film Award
-winning documentary Action: The October Crisis of 1970 (1973) used a similar approach to tell the story of the kidnapping of British diplomat James Richard Cross and the murder of Pierre Laporte
. Spry also tried his hand at other aspects of the film trade, acting as a producer
, filmmaker, screenwriter
, actor
, cinematographer
and film editor, and appearing in several colleagues' films, including Denys Arcand
's Québec, Duplessis et après" (1972), reading out sections of the 1837 Durham Report. Spry starred in the 1981 hostage film Kings and Desperate Men
.
In the mid-1970s Spry left the NFB to focus on production work, founding Telescene and then, upon its bankruptcy in 2000, continuing to work with other production firms in Montreal. Among the films he produced were Léa Pool
's À corps perdu (1988), André Forcier
's Une histoire inventée (1990), and John Hamilton's The Myth of the Male Orgasm (1993); he was also responsible for a number of television series, such as The Lost World
. Other notable works included the 1995 mini-series, Hiroshima, about the events leading up to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
, which won a Canadian Gemini Award
and was nominated for an American Emmy
, as well as earlier films One Man (1977), presented at the Cannes Film Festival
; Drying Up the Streets (1978); and Suzanne (1980). Spry died in an early-morning road accident on March 28, 2005 in Montreal
, Quebec
, leaving behind a son, Jeremy, and a daughter, Zoé, whom he had fathered by journalist Caramel Dumas (from whom he was divorced at the time of his death).
The first season of Charlie Jade
was dedicated to his memory, as mentioned in the credits of the final episode, so was Air Crash Investigation's episode "Mistaken Identity".
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...
filmmaker and television producer best known for his documentary film Action: The October Crisis of 1970 about Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
's October Crisis
October Crisis
The October Crisis was a series of events triggered by two kidnappings of government officials by members of the Front de libération du Québec during October 1970 in the province of Quebec, mainly in the Montreal metropolitan area.The circumstances ultimately culminated in the only peacetime use...
.
Profile
Robin Spry was born in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
to Canadian broadcast pioneer Graham Spry
Graham Spry
- Further reading :*Babe, Robert. "Graham Spry" in Canadian Communications Thought: Ten Foundational Writers. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-7949-0.*McChesney, Robert W. , Canadian Journal of Communication 24....
and economic historian Irene Spry
Irene Spry
Irene Mary Spry, OC was an economic historian and social democrat awarded two honorary doctorates and named to the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian intellectual and public life.-Early years:The daughter of Evan Ebenezer Biss, Inspector of Schools in the Colonial and Indian Service,...
.
After studies at Oxford University and the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, Spry began his filmmaking career in 1964 at the National Film Board in Montreal, earning a place on its payroll in 1965 and remaining there until stepping down in 1978. While at the NFB Spry built a reputation as a documentarist engaged with the issues of the day, with films on abortion, youth rebellion, and contemporary politics. His Prologue documented the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
1968 Democratic National Convention
The 1968 Democratic National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, from August 26 to August 29, 1968. Because Democratic President Lyndon Johnson had announced he would not seek a second term, the purpose of the convention was to...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, weaving narrative with archival footage to become, in 1969, the first Canadian film to appear at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
. His Canadian Film Award
Canadian Film Award
The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually except in 1974 when Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation that year....
-winning documentary Action: The October Crisis of 1970 (1973) used a similar approach to tell the story of the kidnapping of British diplomat James Richard Cross and the murder of Pierre Laporte
Pierre Laporte
Pierre Laporte was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician who was the Deputy Premier and Minister of Labour of the province of Quebec before being kidnapped and killed by members of the group Front de libération du Québec during the October Crisis. Mr...
. Spry also tried his hand at other aspects of the film trade, acting as a producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, filmmaker, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
and film editor, and appearing in several colleagues' films, including Denys Arcand
Denys Arcand
Georges-Henri Denys Arcand, is a Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. He has won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2004 for The Barbarian Invasions...
's Québec, Duplessis et après" (1972), reading out sections of the 1837 Durham Report. Spry starred in the 1981 hostage film Kings and Desperate Men
Kings and Desperate Men
Kings and Desperate Men is a 1981 Canadian hostage drama film directed, co-written and produced by Alexis Kanner. The film stars Patrick McGoohan as radio talk show host John Kingsley, Margaret Trudeau as his wife Elizabeth, and Alexis Kanner with Andrea Marcovicci as terrorists. The story is set...
.
In the mid-1970s Spry left the NFB to focus on production work, founding Telescene and then, upon its bankruptcy in 2000, continuing to work with other production firms in Montreal. Among the films he produced were Léa Pool
Léa Pool
Léa Pool is a Swiss-Canadian filmmaker who has also taught film at UQAM. She is openly lesbian. Her 1986 film Anne Trister was entered into the 36th Berlin International Film Festival. Her 1999 film Emporte-moi was entered into the 49th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Special...
's À corps perdu (1988), André Forcier
André Forcier
André Forcier is a Quebec film director and screenwriter. His work has been linked to Latin American magic realism by its use of fantasy but is firmly rooted in Quebec's reality....
's Une histoire inventée (1990), and John Hamilton's The Myth of the Male Orgasm (1993); he was also responsible for a number of television series, such as The Lost World
The Lost World (TV series)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World is a syndicated television series loosely based on the 1912 novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World...
. Other notable works included the 1995 mini-series, Hiroshima, about the events leading up to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
, which won a Canadian Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
and was nominated for an American Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
, as well as earlier films One Man (1977), presented at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
; Drying Up the Streets (1978); and Suzanne (1980). Spry died in an early-morning road accident on March 28, 2005 in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, leaving behind a son, Jeremy, and a daughter, Zoé, whom he had fathered by journalist Caramel Dumas (from whom he was divorced at the time of his death).
The first season of Charlie Jade
Charlie Jade
Charlie Jade is a science fiction television program filmed mainly in Cape Town, South Africa. It stars Jeffrey Pierce in the title role, as a detective from a parallel universe who finds himself trapped in our universe. This is a Canadian and South African co-production filmed in conjunction with...
was dedicated to his memory, as mentioned in the credits of the final episode, so was Air Crash Investigation's episode "Mistaken Identity".
Fiction
- Illegal Abortion (Short film, 1966)
- Prologue (1969)
- Downhill (Short film, 1973)
- One Man (1977)
- Drying Up the Streets (TV movie, 1978)
- Don't Forget (TV movie aka Je me souviens, 1979) (Created for TV series For the Record)
- Suzanne (1980)
- Winnie (Short film, 1981)
- Keeping Track (1986)
- Hitting HomeObsessed (1987 film)Hitting Home is a 1987 Canadian drama film. The story is based on a book by Tom Alderman.- Plot :A Canadian mother and businesswoman Dinah Middleton's is devastated when her teenage son, Alex , is killed by a hit-and-run driver. When the police fail to turn up any suspects, she turns private...
(aka Obsessed, 1987) - A Cry in the Night (TV movie, 1992)
- Urban AngelUrban AngelUrban Angel was a Canadian television drama series, which aired on CBC Television from 1991 to 1993. Based on the memoirs of real-life Canadian journalist Victor Malarek, the show starred Louis Ferreira as Victor Torres, a crusading journalist for the Montreal Tribune.The show's cast also included...
(TV series, 1991-1992)
Documentaries
- Miner (Short film, 1965)
- Change in the Maritimes (Short film, 1966)
- Level 4350 (Short film, 1966)
- Ride for Your Life (Short film, 1966)
- Flowers on a One-Way Street (Short film, 1967)
- Action: The October Crisis of 1970 (1973)
- Reaction: A Portrait of a Society in Crisis (Short film, 1973)
- Face (Short film, 1975)
- To Serve the Coming Age (1983)
- Stress and Emotion (TV documentary, 1984) (Created for TV series The Brain)