William Fruet wrote and directed the domestic drama, Wedding in White, based on his earlier play. The film stars Carol Kane, Donald Pleasence, Doris Petrie, Doug McGrath, and Paul Bradley.
Grade: B
Set during World War II, in a small Ontario community, the film stars Carol Kane as Jeannie Dougall, a teenager who is raped by Billy (Doug McGrath), a friend of her brother Jimmie (Paul Bradley), while the two men are on furlough.
She subsequently struggles against the harsh and cruel reaction of her parents Jim and Mary (Donald Pleasence and Doris Petrie), when she discovers that the incident has left her pregnant.
Jim’s proposed solution to the dilemma is to marry Jeannie off to Sandy (Leo Phillips), an old army friend of his who is in his 60s.
The play and film were inspired by a real woman who Fruet met in his youth, who had been forced to marry an older man by her parents.
The film is notables for its attention to detail in the period-accurate dialogue and complex nature of its characters, whose stoicism may be just surface to inner turmoil and capability for violence.
Wedding in White and Réjeanne Padovani represented Canadian films at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival
The film won Best Picture at the Canadian Film Awards in 1973.
Fruet’s later career included several horror films, including Death Weekend (1972), Cries in the Night (1980), and Killer Party (1986), as well as TV series, including Goosebumps and Poltergeist: The Legacy. Other writing credits include the influential Canadian film Goin’ Down the Road, which he co-wrote with Donald Shebib.
