The Fate of America

- Jacques Godbout,
- 1997,
- 81 min 27 s

- 3,691 views
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Synopsis
Education

Two well-known Quebec artists (filmmaker Jacques Godbout and playwright René-Daniel Dubois) look at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Whose version of this historic event should prevail? Is history best served by documentary or fiction? We also meet Baron Georges Savarin de Marestan and Andrew Wolfe-Burroughs, direct descendants of Montcalm and Wolfe, both of whom died in the battle that would give birth to Canada and to the province of Quebec. In French with English subtitles.

Grade 10 - 12

Media Education / Film and Video Production

History / Early Colonization/Settlement

History and Citizenship Education / European Expansion (1500s-1700s)

Educational purpose:

Pre-viewing: Teach The Seven Years’ War as a background to the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Identify the reasons for the struggle between France and Great Britain for dominance in North America. Comment on the different fighting styles and backgrounds of the leaders (Wolfe and Montcalm) as they are depicted in the film. Discuss: The balance of power was tipped in Britain’s favour, and the course of Canadian history was profoundly altered. As such, this war is the central event in Quebec history. Which format (documentary or fiction) would best serve the history of this battle? Have students comment on the narrator’s statement: “History has the meaning we give it.” Do heroes exist in the real world?