On its surface, The Song and the Sorrow is the tale of legendary Canadian songwriter Gene MacLellan, as told by his daughter Catherine MacLellan, filmmaker Millefiore Clarkes, and the people who knew him best. It’s a journey we embark on with Catherine as she explores her father’s legacy and comes to terms with his death and the idea of performing his songs.
For me, Gene MacLellan was a towering figure of Canada’s cultural landscape that loomed just this side of Don Messer. His songs were made famous by the likes of Elvis Presley, Anne Murray, Joan Baez, and Bing Crosby. When Catherine MacLellan released If It’s Alright With You: The Songs of Gene MacLellan, an album of her father’s material back in 2017, it landed on my desk with an imposing magnitude. I knew just enough of Gene, his history and his talent as a songwriter, to be intimidated by it. As radio broadcaster Eric MacEwen similarly bows out in a recounting of his and MacLellan’s attempt to analyze Don MacLean’s “Vincent” in the film: “I was too young.” I still am.
The album sat there; listened to, contemplated, agonized over. Ultimately, it was neglected and relegated to a pile of guilt.
MacLellan’s skill as a lyricist, coupled with his battle with depression and tragic death by suicide, make for an awful lot to unpack. There’s more to fathom there than casual enjoyment would suggest. If it’s intimidating to simply review, you can imagine the hesitation his daughter would have felt about performing the songs herself.
But the things worth doing most often aren’t easy. The Song and the Sorrow is beautifully bittersweet. We come to know Gene MacLellan, if only just a little, through friends and family. We learn about his life and the depth of his insight, not through cut and paste biopic material, but through the stories of the people that loved him.
It’s also a reminder that Canada’s music industry, once you’ve gotten past the promoters and the security guards, is a very small and supportive community. You’re never as far from Anne Murray as you might think. Gene MacLellan was surrounded by legends, and none seemed short on praise for him. From Anne Murray, to journalist Bob Mersereau, to Lennie Gallant and Ron Hynes, it should seem a wonder that someone, like MacLellan, with the respect and admiration of his peers could be so depressed as to take their own life. But it isn’t. It’s entirely common, especially within the music industry. The Song and the Sorrow challenges the stigmas of depression and recognizes the need to socialize that discussion.
What Millefiores Clarkes and Catherine MacLellan have accomplished with The Song and the Sorrow is remarkable and beautiful. It is the story, not just of the legacy of a man, but the challenges faced by his daughter and his community in the wake of his passing. It breaks the mould of biopics by sharing their story as a bittersweet eulogy from people actively dealing with his absence with very real and tangible connections, and the echo it presents in Catherine and her ongoing experiences as a musician. For a film centered around depression, there’s a lot of beauty in the sadness.
Tour Dates:
09.21.18 – Lunenburg Doc Fest
10.10.18 – Rendezvous with Maddness Festival
10.12.18 – Charlottetown Film Festival
11.07.18 – Film Works/TIFF Film Circuit – Summerside Cineplex
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