Vision TV will rebroadcast "Prairie Giant," the drama about the life of Tommy Douglas, on Tuesday, September 25 and Thursday, September 26, at 9 pm.
It's an important step. The ban-and-censor crowd persuaded the CBC to withdraw the film from broadcast in 2006, and CBC executive Richard Stursberg made a craven apology after consulting some anonymous historian. It's good to see a blow struck against that kind of behaviour.
I've written about some people whose stories got pretty vigorously changed about in "Prairie Giant." But that's what dramas do. In a time when the War Museum has to rewrite its exhibits at the dictates of political lobbyists, it's much to the credit of Vision TV to stand behind writers and filmmakers, and to confront this notion that anything you disagree with should be taken out of circulation forever.
But, you know, forget about this disagreeable controversy, and just watch. It's a good flick.
Later addition: And.... after part one on September 25, Vision TV will show a discussion about the controversy over the CBC's withdrawal of the film. Valerie Pringle interviews Prairie Giant's director John N. Smith, Saskatoon Star-Phoenix political columnist Randy Burton, history prof Alan Gordon, and me for an hour.
