Passchendaele, a passion project by Paul Gross: two to three weeks into shooting, short on production money, and thoughts of combining mortgages and travelling across the country to get donations to bring the movie to fruition...now a Labour of Love!!!
Canadian star-writer-director, Gross opens up the 33rd Toronto International Film Festival with his magnificent Canadian landmark movie. And Canadian it definitely is! From the all Canadian history and characters from base up—a real movie for people about Canada.
Although the movie depicts World War 1 from the Bloody Battle of 1917, Ypres Belgium, it is a tell-tale story from the memory of Gross’ late grandfather Sgt. Michael Dunne. It’s not only a war epic but a love story. (Not as steamy as the Titanic though. Boohoo!)
So it's all Canadian, powerful, gripping, beautiful to look at and exciting, will this be the Master work that history judges? Will he be making back the $20 million used to create the movie and more for their pockets?
So far, it’s not listed as one of the must see films for TIFF 2008, but you be the judge!