The Champions, Part 1: Unlikely Warriors(1978)

The Champions, Part 1: Unlikely Warriors is a documentary that traces the formative years of Pierre Elliott Trudeau and René Lévesque from their university days in the 1950s through 1967, when their paths diverged dramatically. Director Donald Brittain follows Trudeau's ascent to federal Minister of Justice while Lévesque departed the Liberal Party, exploring the ideological and personal forces that shaped two of Canada's most influential political figures. The film examines what drove these men toward power and how their competing visions for the nation's future began to crystallize during this pivotal era. Part 1 of a three-part series, it offers intimate insight into the ambitions and convictions that would define Canadian politics for decades to come.