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The Legendary Judge

1958 30 min
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This short fiction film profiles the controversial figure of Judge Matthew Bailie Begbie, who was tasked with bringing law and order to the gold-mining camps of British Columbia more than 150 years ago. After his death, Begbie’s fame grew, and he subsequently came to be known as “the Hanging Judge”; historians argue about his methods and legacy to this day. This film was produced in 1958 and may reflect outdated or even offensive stereotypes of that era. It must be seen in this historical context.

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The Legendary Judge
  • Perspective
    Perspective
    1955 46 films
    This TV series from the mid-1950s blended documentary and fiction to tell Canadian stories from a Canadian perspective.

Details

This short fiction film profiles the controversial figure of Judge Matthew Bailie Begbie, who was tasked with bringing law and order to the gold-mining camps of British Columbia more than 150 years ago. After his death, Begbie’s fame grew, and he subsequently came to be known as “the Hanging Judge”; historians argue about his methods and legacy to this day. This film was produced in 1958 and may reflect outdated or even offensive stereotypes of that era. It must be seen in this historical context.

  • director
    Donald Wilder
  • producer
    David Bairstow
  • script
    George Salverson
  • photography
    Eugene Boyko
  • sound
    John Locke
  • editing
    Stephen Timar
  • sound editing
    Victor Merrill
  • cast
    Peter Mannering
    Robert Clothier

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