When actor Michel Côté left us on May 29, everyone unanimously praised the kindness of this extraordinary actor. And some have referred to one – or several – scenes that he carried on his shoulders.
Jacques Laroche’s sermon to his son Marc (Louis-José Houde) in From father to cop by Émile Gaudreault? Michel Cote!
Pilot Robert Piché determined to save the lives of his crew and passengers in Sylvain Archambault’s Piché: Between Heaven and Earth? Side again!
The peacock, lion, bull and worm in ALL the scenes from Robert Ménard’s Cruising Bar? Always Side!
This is enough to remind us of the extent to which memorable scenes in the cinema are an excellent tonic for us to feel alive. And that’s what we feel when reading 27 Outstanding Scenes from Quebec Cinema, an essay by journalist, critic, essayist and lecturer Michel Coulombe published by Les Herbes Bleues.
From the scene of torture on the stove in La petite Aurore, l’enfant martyre (Jean-Yves Bigras) to Marie-France’s fart (Guylaine Tremblay) in December 23 (Miryam Bouchard), passing unique passages of Mommy (Xavier Dolan), Die Loudly (Anne Claire Poirier), The War of the Toques (André Melançon), The Orders (Michel Brault) or C.R.A.Z.Y. (Jean-Marc Vallée), Mr. Coulombe recalls that Quebec cinema proudly claims its share of unforgettable moments.
What is his definition of a milestone? “Something that remains with us and that has an impact on us, answers the author in an interview. These are scenes that jostle us. For example, when I saw the rape in Dying Loudly, it just stuck with me. And talking about it with Julie Vincent [interpreter of Suzanne, the victim], she tells me that we still talk to her about it every week, 44 years after the film was released. »
Mr. Coulombe also wrote his book from a broad historical perspective. “I wanted the scenes to be meaningful. Whether they are in popular memory one way or another, he says. That they cover the entire history of Quebec cinema, therefore from the beginning of the 1950s until recently. And that they represent several ways of making cinema. »
There are not only sad and dramatic scenes in this collection. We find that of “the hardness of the mind” in Les Boys (Louis Saia), the explanation of the origins of Robert en route to Santa Banana in Elvis Gratton (Pierre Falardeau) or the dance of seduction of the four male performers in Le Decline of the American Empire (Denys Arcand).
“In Les Boys, the scene on ‘the hardness of the mind’ is striking because Marc Messier is a great performer who never misses a line,” continues Mr. Coulombe. I also think Guylaine Tremblay’s monologue in December 23 works because she’s a Stradivarius. As for Sophie’s monologue in Nô [Robert Lepage], it works because Anne-Marie Cadieux, a top performer, refined that scene for years on stage [the film is adapted from a segment of the play The Seven Branches of the Ota River]. »
The book is also another way to look at the history of contemporary Quebec. The author recalls, for example, that the film Alone or with others (Denys Arcand, Denis Héroux, Stéphane Venne) refers to the Quiet Revolution, while Valérie (Denis Héroux) evokes the sexual revolution.
Note that 25 of the 27 nominated films were directed by men, a reminder that female directors have long been overlooked.
“Alas, that was the case until 10 years ago,” says Mr. Coulombe. I imagine that 90% of Quebec cinema was made by men. Now it’s 50-50, and that’s a very good thing because with the talent of the directors [Louise Archambault, Sophie Dupuis, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, etc.], the situation is changing. »
If he redid this book in 10 years, the reality would be different, more balanced, he assures. “For this book, I took two choices that seemed obvious to me and I thought it was good that the last film was directed by a woman because it illustrates the current trend. »
So let’s hope for a new date somewhere around 2033! In the meantime, this very nice little book has all the attributes to feed many conversations about our memories of cinema.
