Inner Mountains, Inner Valleys recreates the life and work of one of Canada's greatest writers -- the enigmatic and reclusive Nova Scotian author, Ernest Buckler.

Blending narrative and documentary styles, the film presents a reverential portrait of the artist struggling with the power of words. Re-enactments drawn from Buckler's journals are interwoven with reflections from David -- the central character in the author's famous novel, The Mountain and The Valley.

Fact and fiction coalesce, creating a composite image of a publicly-silent man whose voice illuminated the literary journals of its time and introduced the aspirations and dreams of the rural landscape of the Annapolis Valley into the Canadian consciousness.

The Literary Legacy of Ernest Buckler...

From the 1930's to this death in 1984, Ernest Buckler established an international reputation as a novelist, short story and essay writer. The degree of eminence that he has been given in Canadian Literature can be seen from the comments of fellow writers, publishers and critics.

Margaret Atwood, Canadian Author

 

"Ernest Buckler is one of the pathbreakers for the modern novel. All novelists writing here today are very much in his debt."

 

Jack McClelland, Publisher

 

"There are few Canadian authors whose work I admire as much as that of Ernest Buckler... He has been equalled by few and excelled by none. Our national debt to Ernest Buckler is immeasurable."

 

Margaret Laurence, Canadian Author

 

"Ernest Buckler is a genuine pioneer in Canadian writing... His novel, The Mountain and The Valley, is certainly one of the finest novels ever to have come out of this country."

 

William French, Globe & Mail Literary Critic

 

"The characters he has created are not limited by their space and their time... in them we recognize the moral issues and family dilemmas common to all mankind... He is the Canadian writer most concerned about the integrity and beauty of words in the English language... Those of us who live by the word, are forever in his debt."

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