“The Saviour of Romania – in words and pictures”
A presentation by Max Fraser, filmmaker
To the International Salon of Literature, Visual Arts and Music
“ToRo Fest” – Romanian Book and Arts Festival, 2nd Edition
Toronto/Oct 6, 2018
This presentation features impressions and images made by the filmmaker and his wife in their recent travels through Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Romania.
The story of Joseph Whiteside Boyle, “Saviour of Romania,” has captivated Max Fraser, a documentary filmmaker from Whitehorse Yukon, for a decade. The quest has taken him twice to Romania, most recently last March, 100 years since the wartime exploits of the Canadian mining mogul who made a fortune in gold in the Yukon’s Klondike. In 1916, Joe Boyle went to Europe, never to return. His unconventional wartime adventures earned him medals from Russia, Romania, France and England. He was very close to Marie of Edinburgh, Queen of Romania, and his missions on behalf of Her Majesty and her government earned him their undying admiration. Also a spy for the British Secret Service, Colonel Boyle’s first target was the Central Powers, and after that, the new Bolshevik government in Russia.
Sadly, Boyle died too young, in 1923 at the age of 55. Queen Marie arranged for a magnificent monument to honour his memory. The monument now is on display in the city museum in Woodstock, Ontario.
Joe Boyle with Queen Marie of Romania (left) and Princess Ileana, at Bicaz, Romania, 1918 (Directia Generala a Archivelor Statului, Romania).
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