If they are lucky, every person has that one teacher or professor who blasts open the doors to a greater world, inspires their students and helps them think for themselves.
For thousands of McGill University students, it was Professor Norman Cornett. A maverick who started his classes by leading them in a chorus of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2," Cornett would approach Religious Studies by showing them art and music, lead discussions on religion and politics, and guest lectures from such figures as former Canadian prime minister Paul Martin and Quebec nationalist firebrand Lucien Bouchard.
"There is no right answer, but there is an honest answer," he would regularly tell his students.
In the spring of 2007, McGill terminated Cornett's employment, with no explanation given. The move prompted a firestorm of protest: over 700 former students signed an online petition demanding Cornett's reinstatement, former NFB producer Robert Verrall spearheaded another petition, signed by 13 filmmakers and published in the Montreal Gazette in June of 2007. Several academics, including Cornett's lawyer Julius Grey, wrote an editorial for Le Devoir, demanding an explanation.
Now Aboriginal documentarian Alanis Obomsawin (Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance) keeps the fires of controversy burning by profiling Cornett in her new film, subtitled Since When do We Divorce the Right Answer From an Honest Answer?
It's a touching tribute to the maverick educator but fails to address the larger questions: how did the system fail Cornett and his students and why would he still want to teach at a school that so clearly spurned him?
Professor Norman Cornett: Since When do We Divorce the Right Answer From an Honest Answer?: Alanis Obomsawin's National Film Board of Canada Documentary
The majority of this film depicts Cornett's unorthodox teaching style, using footage taken from his seminars. Instead of the traditional "Knowledge given, knowledge received, knowledge regurgitated" system of post-secondary education, Cornett used what he called "dialogic sessions" to get his students thinking critically about various subjects. Obomsawin also interviewed former students to get their perspective on learning from Cornett, and pay tribute to their teacher.
However, in honouring Cornett so much, Obomsawin gives scant regard to other subjects, like Cornett's admiration for controversial Quebec nationalist Abbé Lionel Groulx or the events that led to his dismissal. It's not surprising the latter subject gets short shrift, especially since McGill refused to tell their side of the story for this documentary, but in her haste to tell everyone how great Cornett was, Obomsawin misses some important clues.
One explanation, barely touched on, is that Cornett was too busy teaching to attend to that other essential aspect of professorial life, getting published. The mantra of getting a tenured position is "Publish or perish," a dictum Cornett apparently ignored. This resulted in him not getting tenure, despite teaching at McGill for 15 years, and may have contributed to his dismissal.
Another ignored aspect of Cornett's personality is his quixotic quest to get his old job back, despite the university's repeated statements that they would not reinstate him. Exploring that would have gone a long way in giving a more rounded portrayal of his character.
The Final Analysis
Obomsawin has fallen into the more alluring trap of documentary filmmakers: being unable to look critically at a subject you admire. There is no doubt that Cornett was a spectacular educator – and McGill's refusal to explain why they terminated his employment is a well-deserved black mark that refuses to go away – but it's also obvious that Cornett's inability to watch his back and work within the system was a factor in his being fired. Yeah, the system sucked but it was an unfortunate reality that he failed to grasp.
Professor Norman Cornett: Since When do We Divorce the Right Answer From an Honest Answer? is a well-meaning attempt to show how McGill callously cast aside one of their better resources, but less admiration and more analysis would have gone a long way with this film.
It gets a 6/10.
This film screened at Hot Docs 2009 in Toronto, Canada
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
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