A 1958 time capsule where cameras worshipped faith and Montreal was young.
St. Joseph's Oratory, a picturesque shrine silhouetted against Mount Royal, draws pilgrims by the thousands every year. They come from California by Greyhound bus, from Vancouver by plane, and on foot from many parishes surrounding Montréal. What is the fame of this shrine, that it attracts the devout and the curious alike? The story is told by Brother Placide Vermandère of the Order of the Holy Cross, who was personally acquainted with Brother André, after whom the shrine's famous temple is named. Cameras follow a procession of the League of the Sacred Heart through the streets of the city to the famous sanctuary and show many of the religious observances conducted in the church, including Mass attended by invalids who come in the hope of being healed of various afflictions.
Cinematography
Stunning vérité shots of 1950s Montreal streets, unposed and alive.
Direction
Macartney-Filgate lets believers speak through silence, not interviews.
Director
Terence Macartney-Filgate
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of the Candid Eye series, this helped invent Canadian direct cinema—no narration, just presence.
Brother André was canonized in 2010; this film captures him still unofficial, still debated, still drawing buses from California.
CA
