Crazy Batise


Batise, the "crazy" Flathead Indian/French cross, was played by Jean Gascon,classical actor, Opera director, and head of Canada's Stratford Shakespearian Festival at the time. He'd spent years trying to get government grants, dealing with cultural politics and staging classical theatre - and then he gets paid big money to wear a pointy-headed wig and loincloth and speak "wid crazy french" accent, non? You can tell he was having the time of his life, even with the irritating giggle!

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He was one of my favorite characters. I would not mind being the tribes jester. Sounds like an easy life.

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If you don't mind being mutilated. (Hehehe... you big man, non?)

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Well, yeah that part would suck. But I would have been smarter. I would have acted crazy before I got mutilated. For free food and lodging I would become a one man goon show : )

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I never really understood the story behind him. Where was he from? Was he a captured frenchman who adopted into the Indian life or how did he speak english?

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He was a Metis(half white,half Indian). Many Metises spoke French and English. They had problems when whites moved into the area. Check out Chester Brown's Louis Riel about the Metis and the man who led them against Canadian forces. It's a graphic novel.

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Thank you so much for the information on this amazing actor. I thought his performance was incredible -- a lot more believable than Richard Harris in some ways, who was playing the usual white "superhero." Batise is a real man who makes real compromises in order to survive.

"Your next challenge is always your biggest." Joe Namath

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Thanks. He said he made more money from this one gig than all his years working in the arts combined.

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