Celadon Films, LLC

 

Under These Same Stars - the Celadon Affair is a feature length film from Céladon Films, LLC of Webster Groves, Missouri and Alto Pass, Illinois. Based on a true story from 1773 and shot in the historic homes of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, in Cahokia, Illinois, and at rural locations across Southern Illinois, The Celadon Affair tells a tale of Céladon, a mixed race hunter and his struggles with love, loss, and his dual life in town and in the Ozark wilderness. Both a murder mystery and a romance that could not be, the film endeavers to show how the needs of one man threw a frontier village into turmoil. This is set in a time of Native and Black slavery and French, Spanish and English colonial rule along the central Mississippi Valley. Based on the book Stealing Indian Women by Carl Ekberg.

testimonials:

Excellent historical story done beautifully! Characters excellent -- gave a terrific insight as to life at that time, in that area and era, struggles, attempt at civility that DID exist "in the wild". Film is exceptional and excellent. Shirley, CT

I was taken by surprise to find it completely captivating. The first thing I noticed was how good the script was. It skillfully developed vivid characters and laid out the story with a minimum of verbiage and no intrusive explanations. The language was historically appropriate (very hard to get right), but more important, appropriate to the characters.
I also thought the casting and acting were excellent. ...the acting in this film was extremely subtle--so important for such a quiet story. There was not an actor that didn't seem to me perfect for their role. I particularly liked the fact that Marianne was not a bimbo--she actually looked old enough to have two kids; and while she was very restrained, the crucial scene where she has to leave her kids was simply heartbreaking. The actor who played Celadon was also excellent... he seemed very Indian to me. I have known a number of Indian men just like that--quiet, unassuming, but competent; and Indian men were legendary for their indulgence with kids.
Carolyn Gilman
Special collections Historian
Missouri History Museum

Just wanted to drop you a line and tell you I received the Celadon DVD promptly and have watched it three times already. I love it. And the roundtable discussion was very informative. Great job and thanks for making it. Recshaw

"Thank you for doing this movie". It brings to life an historical event which occurred over 230 years ago and this movie will help preserve the heritage of the town and its habitants. On a personal note the movie helped to connect me to my ancestors and life in Colonial Ste Genevieve. The movie brings life to stories and facts. Martin Aubuchon

Thanks Mike for recommending that movie! I ordered a copy, it got here in just 4 days, and it was great! To those that have it, did you guys watch the discussion part under special features? There is a lot to learn there. That was really good movie, and historical discussion. If it wasn't for this forum, I would have never ever heard about it...sawbones
Muzzleloader

If you didn't go to the St. Louis premiere of the movie, you missed something special. I was greatly impressed by the level of authenticity that they held everyone to. That the movie is based on the true story of the investigation of the death of an Indian slave girl, the kidnapping of another is far too simple. So many details are present in the scenes that just ring true and describe the feelings of the French, Spanish and British presence in the French Creole country of Louisiana (Missouri and Illinois) before the AWI. Mike/MO Frontier Folk

I was there and it was great. Very well done for a virtually no budget enterprise. Very accurate I think even down to the mannerisms of the people. The music was great too. I bought the DVD and the soundtrack. twoholes
Frontier Folk

Just wanted to drop you a line and tell you I received the Celadon DVD promptly and have watched it three time already. I love it. And the roundtable discussion was very informative. Great job and thanks for making it. Ron

I just saw a locally produced movie based on an incident that happened in 1773 in the French Creole country of Illinois and Spanish Louisiana. The actors were local and all the settings were period. This is perhaps one of the most historically correct movie I have ever seen. In talking to the director and screen writer after the screening, it seemed that they made the decision for presenting a very accurate representation of the characters and times. Clothing was very accurate. Not only was the clothing of the proper period, it was styled for the French version of dress. This meant proper woolen caps for the men. Most of the women wore a turban rather than a mob cap.

The story is one of the slavery of Indian women, the trade of hunting for furs, and the investigation of the death of an Indian slave and the stealing of another. This is far to simple a synopsis of the story. The movie is 2 hours long and goes into detail of the life of the times and the very difficult decisions the Indian slave, Marianne has to make whether to run with the hunter, Celadon, or to stay.

Its worth a visit to the website and I hope this very low budget, but very good movie makes it to your area. Mike/MO
Muzzleloader