Hounds Of Notre Dame, The
- Release Information
- October 10, 1980
- Regina (Coronet)
- Library and Archives Canada - Canadian Feature Film Database (LAC)
- Funding Sources
- Budget
- Budget: $1,200,000
- Distributors
- Pan-Canadian Film Distributors
- Pan-Canadian Film Distributors
Production Details
- Executive Producer
- Fil Fraser
- Fil Fraser
- Producer
- Fil Fraser
- Fil Fraser
- Director of Photography
- Ron Orieux
- Ron Orieux
- Ron Orieux
- Ron Orieux
- Ron Orieux
- Ron Orieux
- Ron Orieux
- Ron Orieux
- Ron Orieux
- Ron Orieux
- Ron Orieux
- Ron Orieux
- Ron Orieux
- Director of Sound
- Zale R. Dalen
- Zale R. Dalen
- Zale R. Dalen
- Larry Sutton
- Larry Sutton
- Larry Sutton
- Larry Sutton
- Larry Sutton
- Larry Sutton
- Larry Sutton
- Larry Sutton
- Writer
- Larry Reese
- Zale R. Dalen
- Ken Mitchell
- Editor
- Zale R. Dalen
- Barry Freeman
- Cast
- Paul Bougie
- Rob MacLean
- Bill Sorensen
- William C. Morton
- Dale Heibein
- Jim Brock
- Carol Frost
- Doug Brown
- Frank Germann
- Audrey Charge
- J. Vernon Buller
- J. Vernon Buller
- Herb Lahann
- John Sexsmith
- Bill Ashley
- Ed MacIag
- Mike Bova
- Matt Keegan
- Phil Ridley
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- Lenore Zann
- David Ferry
- David Ferry
- David Ferry
- David Ferry
- David Ferry
- David Ferry
- David Ferry
- David Ferry
- David Ferry
- David Ferry
- David Ferry
- David Ferry
- David Ferry
- David Ferry
- Barry Morse
- Barry Morse
- Barry Morse
- Barry Morse
- Barry Morse
- Barry Morse
- Barry Morse
- Barry Morse
- Barry Morse
- Barry Morse
- Barry Morse
- Barry Morse
- Barry Morse
- Barry Morse
- Frances Hyland
- Frances Hyland
- Frances Hyland
- Frances Hyland
- Frances Hyland
- Frances Hyland
- Frances Hyland
- Frances Hyland
- Frances Hyland
- Thomas Peacocke
- Thomas Peacocke
- Thomas Peacocke
- Thomas Peacocke
- Thomas Peacocke
- Thomas Peacocke
- Larry Reese
- Larry Reese
- Ginny Bast
- Bob Scheibel
- Greg Heibein
- John Weishaar
- Chris Kambeitz
Athabasca University students can view the film by clicking this link.
Père Athol Murray’s teaching philosophy was to blend a classical education with the character-building effects of sport, after the tradition of the English public schools. But Murray was uninterested in the pretensions of class. His goal was to provide an excellent education to any child who wanted it, even if they were poor or troubled. During the Depression of the 1930s, Notre Dame developed a reputation as just such a school.
Murray called each boy, “Kid”; and they all had to do chores. He got results. He was a hard-drinking, chain-smoking, foul-mouthed, single-minded man. But he was also a brilliant and principled teacher and a devoted priest. Notre Dame’s debating teams regularly defeated teams sent out from eastern Canada. By 1933, Père Murray had achieved an affiliation for Notre Dame with the University of Ottawa. What is more, the school’s hockey team, the “Hounds,” was unbeatable, sending over 100 players to the NHL over the years of Murray’s coaching.
There are several fine performances in Hounds of Notre Dame. Aside from Tom Peacocke’s breathtaking transformation into Athol Murray, the child actors are wonderful. Of the older boys, David Ferry gives an over-the-top performance as the spoiled rich boy dumped off at the school by a despairing father. And Phil Ridley is extraordinary as Cormack, the quiet, decent, principled head boy.
Financed largely by alumni of Notre Dame, the movie is one of four feature films based on western Canadian stories produced by Fil Fraser in the 1970s and early 80s. Hounds was actor Tom Peacocke’s first role in a movie, and Director Zale Dalen’s second movie. As Fil Fraser has remarked many times of that era in Alberta – the film business in the West was so young that everyone was learning together.
Hounds of Notre Dame won producer, Fil Fraser, the “Horst Award” in 1981 for best Alberta-made film, and it was nominated for 9 Genie awards in 1981, including best performance for an actor in a leading role (which Tom Peacocke won), the first time that a western Canadian movie had garnered this award. It was also nominated for best direction, best achievement in editing, best sound, best sound editing, best motion picture, best performance by a supporting actor, best performance by a supporting actress, and best original screenplay.
Evelyn Ellerman
Commentaries
- Hounds of Notre Dame Commentary
It is no easy feat to write a movie about a legendary teacher; nor is it any easier to direct, or star in one. The temptation to indulge in eulogy and cliché can be overwhelming. In telling the story of Père Athol Murray, warts and all, Hounds of...
