Black Robe Dramatizes the First

Black Robe dramatizes the first encounters between the native peoples of Canada and Europeans. In the film, a Jesuit priest named Father Laforgue comes to live amongst the Huron, hoping to win their souls for Christ. However, this priest becomes a harbinger of doom, of the European colonial domination that will take over the area, and cause the eventual extrication of the Huron from their land. The Jesuits, as portrayed in the film are well-intentioned, but their actions, even when motivated by Christian faith, have unforeseen, negative consequences. The Jesuits believe fanatically in the power of Christianity, but they do not fully understand the inter-Indian conflicts riddling the land, or the dangers of dividing tribes into converted and unconverted Indians.

However, the film does not over-romanticize native peoples: the Iroquois are realistically portrayed as militant and the other native groups are constantly terrorized by them and fearful of their wrath. Some natives have respect for the Jesuits, like the Algonquin who paddle Laforgue up to the lonely and desolate place where the Huron live. But overall, the encounters between the Europeans and the natives are a clash of uncomprehending civilizations. The two groups do not understand one another, linguistically or culturally. They natives view the Jesuit as strange and weak, because he is not married. Some natives respect the priest, but do not understand his teachings or his perceived mission. To Laforgue, the natives live in literal and figurative darkness in the woods.

A different perspective of native life is seen through the eyes of another European in the film, a Frenchman named Daniel who is not a priest but accompanies the Jesuit on his journey. He is more willing to reflect upon his culture and faith, and to question them. Eventually, he has a relationship with a native woman. Perhaps the noblest character of the film is that of Chomina, a native visionary who helps the Europeans out of a sense of pride and honor, even when it forces him to risk his own life. Chomina, however, refuses to accept Christ even when he is dying, remaining true to the faith of his people.

Despite the fact that its characters are moralistic, Black Robe portrays the universe as cruel and indifferent. Eventually, some of the Huron convert to Christianity, but only do so because of a fear of smallpox. Of course, it was the Europeans who bought such foreign diseases to the Huron, which killed them rapidly because the tribesmen had no natural immunity to the European complaints. The Huron convert out of fear and self-interest, and ultimately the French mission is destroyed after the entire tribe is massacred by the Iroquois.

Black Robe is intensely realistic in its portrayal of disease, inter-tribe conflict, and the worldview of the Jesuit priest. It is also realistic by showing how relationships between white men and native women were common, even though the Europeans would often disparage the native population as inferior. It refuses to show one side as 'good' or 'bad,' given the moral complexities posed by warfare. The Jesuits, unlike later colonizers, do not seem to be self-interested in an economic fashion, and Father Laforgue risks everything in his attempt to reach the Huron. The Indians are not pure, and are just as fractious as the Europeans in their tribal rivalries. However, the incursion of European influence clearly has long-term negative fallout, as symbolized in the death of Chomina, the most moral religious figure of the tribe in the film, and the Pyrrhic victory wrought by converting the native population.