Maria Chapdelaine
This program showcases seminal works and sometimes lesser-known gems from Québec's cinematic heritage.
Winner of 4 Genie Awards in 1984
Adapted from Louis Hémon’s 1913 novel, the film is both a portrait of pioneer life in French Canada and the story of a beautiful and hard-working young woman torn between three suitors. Maria, prisoner of her solitude, rejects the “good match” represented by stolid Eutrope Gagnon, her intended, and longs for the return of her beloved François Paradis, a coureur des bois who has left for adventure.
Gilles Carle
Gilles Carle was a Quebec graphic artist, director, screenwriter, editor, and producer. He joined the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) in 1960, initially working as a documentalist and a screenwriter, before directing several documentaries, including Percé on the Rocks. In 1965, he made his first feature film, La vie heureuse de Léopold Z, although he had only been authorized to make a documentary. Reprimanded by his employer for this, Carle left the NFB and joined Productions Onyx, where he wrote and directed Le viol d'une jeune fille douce (1968), Red (1970), and Les mâles (1971). He then co-founded Productions Carle-Lamy with Pierre Lamy and went on to direct films such as La vraie nature de Bernadette (1972), starring Micheline Lanctôt, Daniel Pilon, and Willie Lamothe. In the 1980s, he adapted two Quebec literary classics for the big screen: Les Plouffe (1981) and Maria Chapdelaine (1983). His final feature films were produced in the 1990s. Known for his ability to craft complex yet authentic characters true to their cultural realities, Carle’s body of work is filled with tales, fantasy, and social fables imbued with humor.
Photo: Collections de la Cinémathèque québécoise
