The Rink

A spectacular 1964 film that dramatically depicts hockey - the national sport of French Canadians. Seen "from the inside," this seemingly simple game turns out to be not so simple: it is nothing short of a dream of mythic proportions that mirrors the aspirations of an entire people whose heroes are national figures! There is total symbiosis at the Montreal Forum between the crowd and the Habs. 1955: Idol Maurice Richard has just been suspended for striking a referee. The people take to the streets in unison and the riots begin...

Bestselling author Roch Carrier narrates a mortifying boyhood experience in this animated adaptation of his beloved story, "The Hockey Sweater." In the 1940s, in the rural village of Saint Justine, Quebec, listening to the hockey game on the radio was a Saturday night tradition... and so was rooting for the Montreal Canadiens. All the boys worshipped the star player, Maurice "Rocket" Richard, and proudly wore the number 9 emblazoned on their sweaters. The boy in the story outgrows his hockey sweater, so his mother writes to "Mr. Eaton" for a new one. But instead of the coveted red, white and blue of Les Canadiens, the company sends a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey! Imagine the young player's chagrin when he shows up at the neighbourhood rink in the blue and white colours of the arch-enemy! The Sweater has universal appeal for children and adults alike.

Reflecting our society, the world of junior hockey seems more and more obsessed with competition. Without making any judgments, Junior gives us a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at our national sport. Taking in one complete season with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, this film reveals the daily lives of managers and players on this Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team. This documentary marries the steady pace of fiction films with the sensitive eye of the ?direct cinema? tradition. It intentionally shows no scenes of hockey being played, yet proves that what happens off the ice is no less exciting. Admired and treated like professionals, junior hockey players are already stars whose lives have very little margin of error. They are also teenagers as young as 16, who are already gambling with their future. Trainers, shareholders, agents, scouts and parents: all eyes are fixed on these elite young players, even though only a tiny number of them will succeed in playing at the highest level. By intercutting evocative images and making effective symbolic links, Junior offers a real-life portrait of an environment that engenders deep emotions despite its rough exterior.