Miller Brittain
Brittain came as close to greatness as any painter who ever lived in Canada. Kent Martin’s film is a brilliant tribute to a brilliant and self tormented man.” - ALDEN NOWLAN
Best Overall Entry,
Best Documentary Film, Honorable Mention for Music -
ATLANTIC FILM FESTIVAL
For Miller Brittain, variously described as a mystic, a war hero, a madman and a drunk, there
was only one constant - art. Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1912, he painted most of the time in or near that city. He served two tours as a bomb aimer in the Second World War, a copy
of William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience tucked in his flack jacket on the run into Germany. Personal, social and religious upheavals were all reflected in his art, in aching,
obsessive works that people didn't understand, and much of the time didn't buy, though
now they are worth thousands. The film is a reconstruction of the life and career of this misunderstood Maritime painter.
“In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown,
and in between, there are doors.”
― William Blake
Directed and Edited by: Kent Martin
Produced by: Kent Martin, Barry Cowling
Writer: Barry Cowling
Cinematography: Kent Nason
Music: Steve Tittle, Brian Eno, J.S. Bach
Sound: Ted Haley
Narration: John Dunsworth
Executive Producer: Rex Tasker