Blood and Fire (1958), dir. Macartney-Filgate
Though its title might lead you to think otherwise, Terence Macartney-Filgate’s Blood & Fire is a film about the workings of the Salvation Army in Montreal in the late 1950s, and especially their outreach work, the counselling and hot meals they provided, the newspaper they sold on the streets and in the taverns, their music program, the open-air ministry they ran, and the elaborate parades they were still staging at the time.
Macartney-Filgate was a pioneer of the National Film Board of Canada’s “Candid Eye” team, and Blood and Fire was one of the earliest films in the series. Among the highlights of the film are the many telephoto-lens shots of spectators and passersby looking on as the soldiers of “God’s Army” run an outdoor ministry downtown.
The film’s closing parade scene is perfect for a rainy fall day in Montreal—a day like today. Just look at the determination in their eyes. Just look at the architecture, the cars, the dress, the signage. Just look at those rain-slicked streets.
While we’re at it, we might as well take the opportunity to listen to Niney the Observer’s “Blood and Fire,” even if it is a little anachronistic.
And though the subject matter is a little far-flung, there’s something about P.J. Harvey’s “Written on the Forehead” that seems appropriate here.
[Salvation Army; open-air ministry; spectators; rainy days; financial district; centre-ville; taverns; parades]
You can find Blood & Fire here.
aj