The True Nature of Bernadette
With fifteen films made over more than forty years, Micheline Lanctôt is an essential figure in Quebec cinema. From L’homme à tout faire to Autrui, from Sonatine (Silver Lion, 1984) to Une manière de vivre, this conviction-driven filmmaker, known for her precise writing, has often borne witness to her times, always one step ahead. It's high time we revisit her films on the big screen to fully appreciate their impact. Key films from her acting career round out the program.
Winners of five Canadian Screen Awards in 1972, including Best Actress for Micheline Lanctôt
Bernadette breaks away from her city life and moves to the countryside, where she is noticed for her surprising generosity.
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
