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The Legacy of Mary McEwan

Directed by Patricia Watson
Canada, 1987 (documentary, 56 minutes, colour, English)
The Legacy of Mary McEwan
Image: © National Film Board of Canada

Film Description:
"A tribute to a woman who was a true revolutionary, and a remarkable story of friendship, respect, leadership, and radical change. A doctor, a wife, and the mother of four, Mary McEwan switched careers in mid-life to become one of Canada's first feminist psychiatrists and then the country's first corporate psychiatrist. Her goal was to enable women and men to transform their lives. McEwan's portrait is woven primarily through the personal stories of the outstanding Canadian women for whom she was a mentor: artists Helen Lucas and Joyce Wieland; journalists Judy Steed and Olivia Ward; Toronto Star columnist Doris Anderson; the coordinator of York University's Women's Studies Program, Shelagh Wilkinson; and corporate executive Bonnie Fowke."
-- National Film Board of Canada (source)

Film Credits (partial):
Produced by: Patricia Watson, Margaret Pettigrew, Kathleen Shannon, Ginny Stikeman
Cinematography: John Walker
Film Editing: Hannele Halm, Margaret Wong, Myrtle Virgo
Production Company: National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada, P.K.W. Productions
(sources)

Quote about The Legacy of Mary McEwan

"The most frustrating aspect of tonight's otherwise intriguing documentary about feminist psychiatrist Mary McEwan, is the absence of the woman herself. In the NFB production, titled The Legacy of Mary McEwan (Vision TV at 8 and 11), she appears only briefly at the beginning and near the end. This is not a criticism of producer/director Patricia Watson; the film is actually a testimonial to McEwan, who died in 1985. But the seven women interviewed, who were her patients and friends, speak with such emotion and affection and reveal so many tantalizing glimpses of this fascinating woman, that the viewer is curious to experience something of the paragon herself."
-- John Haslett Cuff (source)

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