The Restless Ghost of Matthew Begbie
Developed with the Assistance of The Canadian Independent Film & Video Fund.
Developed with the participation of British Columbia Film.
Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie is remembered today as British Columbia's Hanging Judge. That's only half of the story, though.
Begbie is a study in contrasts: An establishment figure with many anti-establishment judgments, an autocrat with the common touch, a Royalist equally comfortable with Californians, a judge who also served as a member of the government, and a life-long bachelor who nevertheless enjoyed the company of women.
At six feet four inches tall, with a Van Dyke beard, a gaucho hat, and a long black cloak, Begbie was a commanding figure. Along with Sir James Douglas, Begbie is responsible for steering British Columbia through its formative history for over 35 years, from 1858 to 1894. It is said that he still haunts Victoria today.
In "Begbie's Ghost," the ghost of Begbie materializes to plead his case. Begbie will tell us his story in the first person as we travel back and forward in time.
"Begbie's Ghost" will engage the viewer in three ways:
- a television production,
- an interactive DVD, and
- a cutting-edge website.
Although Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie is regarded as one of the most influential people in British Columbia's past, his historical reputation as the West's Hanging Judge is simply misleading. "Begbie's Ghost" will correct that in an entertaining, educational, innovative, and interactive way.