Al Purdy Was Here

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Al Purdy Was Here

2015

1h 30m

Biography

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100%

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7 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Canadian musicians and artists come together to tell the life story of Al Purdy.

Brad Wheeler

Globe and Mail

12/04/2015

3.5/4

If we didn't know who Al Purdy was before, we do now.

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Martin Knelman

Toronto Star

12/03/2015

3.5/4

Brian D. Johnson makes a strong transformation from Maclean's film critic to documentary director with this engaging account of the late Al Purdy, the colourful rebel poet who became a CanLit star.

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Angelo Muredda

Cinema Scope

11/13/2017

The mostly assured trafficking between a chronicle of Purdy's career and an assessment of his literary and familial legacy is the film's main strength, but also something of a liability.

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Adrian Mack

Georgia Straight

02/22/2016

Canada's greatest poet receives a warm and eminently watchable tribute from critic turned filmmaker Brian D. Johnson.

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Michael D. Reid

Victoria Times Colonist (B.C., Canada)

02/12/2016

3/5

An affectionate documentry that is captivating enough to make you want to learn more ab out this droll, beer-loving wordsmith.

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Alison Gillmor

Winnipeg Free Press

12/03/2015

3.5/5

Al Purdy Was Here is not a definitive portrait, and probably isn't meant to be. Instead, the film uses an image here, an anecdote there, to build up a dynamic sense of an elusive and complex personality.

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10/05/2015

Don't watch this shite.

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Brian D. Johnson

Director

Brian D. Johnson

Screenwriter

Marni Jackson

Screenwriter

Brian D. Johnson

Producer

Nick de Pencier

Cinematographer

Nick Taylor

Film Editing

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Synopsis

Canadian musicians and artists come together to tell the life story of Al Purdy.

Director: Brian D. Johnson
Producer: Brian D. Johnson
Screenwriter: Brian D. Johnson, Marni Jackson
Production Co: CBC documentary channel, Purdy Pictures, Rogers Documentary Fund
Genre: Biography
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 30m