The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood

"The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood" is a surreal Canadian comedy film, released in 1986. The film was directed by Andy Jones and written by Andy and Mike Jones, with the collaboration of a number of workshop participants. A common mistake seen is an added 's' to 'Adventure'.

Andy Jones stars as Faustus Bidgood, a clerk in the Newfoundland provincial department of education who harbours secret dreams of becoming president of Newfoundland and leading the province to secede from Canada. The film contains several levels of what might be termed competing "realities, " oscilating between visions of mundane office work and sequences in which Bidgood accidentally leads a revolution, and containing a film within a film that narrates Faustus' real life and imaginary rise to power.

In the film within a film, we learn that Faustus' paternal grandfather has predicted that a great man will lead the people of Newfoundland to glory. His name is the Reverend Dempster Peebles, although his son (Faustus' father) is named Bruce Bidgood and Faustus full name is Faustus Peebles Bidgood.

The film also stars Jones' CODCO colleagues Robert Joy and Brian Downey, respectively, as Bidgood's boss and a government official who plans to indoctrinate students in a cultish geometric theory known as Total Education. Greg Malone appears as a figment of Faustus' imagination, who acts as both his conscience and as a revolutionary spokesman in Faustus' dream of taking over Newfoundland.

"Faustus Bidgood", the first feature film ever produced entirely in Newfoundland with a Newfoundland cast, crew, and funding, was initiated in 1977 and took ten years to complete. It satirizes and comments on aspects of Newfoundland politics and culture, and sends up traditional religious and historical expectations that great men are the prime movers of cultural and social change.

Reception

1987 Genie Awards - (nominations) - Best Original Screenplay; Best Achievement - Film Editing; Best Original Song

References

External links

* Heritage Newfoundland [http://www.heritage.nf.ca/arts/feature_films.html article] on local feature films.
* [http://www.nifco.org The Newfoundland Independent Film Cooperative] .
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090593/ The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood] at The Internet Movie Database.
* [http://www.filmreferencelibrary.ca/index.asp?layid=44&csid1=238&navid=87&fid3=555&offset=20 Canadian Film Encyclopedia]