Details from IMDB:
Danny
- 2015
- 2h 3m
A feature documentary about the life of former Newfoundland Premier, Danny Williams
- Directors
- Writer
- Stars
Initial Thoughts:
I’m not a very political person, even in these wild times I just normally don’t concern myself with it much, that said I am a proud Canadian and proud of my home province, Newfoundland and Labrador and like most people in the province, I really felt that way for the first time when Danny Williams was our premiere. So when I found this documentary on Amazon Prime (and I was on a plane with time) I watched it.
Main Points:
Danny Williams was premier of Newfoundland and Labrador from November of 2003 until December of 2010, so a little over 7 years. During that time he did a lot for the province and this documentary shows that well. Danny Williams was a great example of a politician who really cared about the province, someone who didn’t care about the money or the power, he was the only premier to give his entire salary to charity. At that time the Newfoundland economy was in rough shape, lots of out-migration and unemployment but within a few years Danny changed all that, he turned us from a have-not to have province and I loved and respected him very much.
Enough of me gushing though, the documentary shows how Danny stood up to the Federal government, two different Prime Ministers, to get the best for the province. It showed how Danny had always been a fighter, as a lawyer he always took the hard cases, most notably representing men who had been abused at the former Mount Cashel Orphanage when they were young and getting them a measure of justice. He did things I had forgotten about, like a public apology to Indigenous people of Labrador and standing up to big oil companies to get a fair deal for offshore oil. He also knew when to stop before he had worn out his welcome, ending on a high note and you could see him holding back tears (as were many people) during the press conference.
Final Thoughts:
People say there is no such thing as an honest politician but I think Danny was one and I think he’ll go down in history as one of the best Premiers we ever had. I loved this documentary, my only complaints are that it wasn’t long enough, didn’t go into enough depth and the production values were low, so it looks dated even though it only came out 10 years ago. A solid 8 out of 10 from me. I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn about Newfoundland and Labrador, the politics of the time of course the unique and wonderful person that is Danny Williams. There was a little bit of coarse language, so I’d say ages 12+.