| The Wars | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Robin Phillips |
| Written by | Timothy Findley |
| Based on | The Wars by Timothy Findley |
| Produced by | Richard Nielsen |
| Starring | Brent Carver William Hutt Martha Henry |
| Cinematography | John Coquillon |
| Edited by | Tony Lower |
| Music by | Glenn Gould |
Production companies | Nielsen-Ferns International National Film Board of Canada |
| Distributed by | International Spectrafilm |
Release date |
|
Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
The Wars is a Canadian historical drama, directed by Robin Phillips and released in 1983.[1] An adaptation of the Governor General's Award-winning novel The Wars by Timothy Findley, the film centres on Robert Ross (Brent Carver), the immature and closeted gay son of an upper class Rosedale family who enlists to serve in the Canadian Army during World War I.[2] The film's original musical score was composed by Glenn Gould prior to his passing.
As with the novel, the film blends a number of scenes set at war with depictions of the formative experiences from childhood that have led Robert to enlist, including his relationships with his disabled sister Rowena (Ann-Marie MacDonald) and their parents (William Hutt and Martha Henry). The cast was drawn predominantly from the ensemble of actors Phillips had worked with at the Stratford Festival.