Funkytown (film)
Encyclopedia
Funkytown is a 2011 Canadian drama film directed by Daniel Roby
and written by Steve Galluccio
.
Set in Montreal during the disco
era, the film revolves around the Starlight, a fictionalized version of Montreal's famed Lime Light discothèque. It depicts this world starting in 1976, when Montreal was considered one of the world's top nightclub
destinations, through to 1982, when the fashion for disco
was about to experience a sharp decline. By the early 1980s political issues such as Quebec's 1980 independence referendum had fractured and polarized the city. Montreal
had also begun to experience a decade of economic decline. By then, it had ceased to be the largest city in Canada, and had ceased as well to be Canada's financial and industrial centre.
Some scenes of the film were in fact shot inside, outside and in the surroundings of the building which had housed the Lime Light, at 1258 Stanley Street. It now houses the premium strip club "Chez Parée" and the dance club "La Boom".
). Paul Doucet
stars as Jonathan Aaronson, a flamboyant gay radio, television and fashion personality and trendsetter (a fictionalised version of Douglas Coco Leopold). Patrick Huard
stars as Bastien Lavallée, an influential radio and television personality whose dance music shows play a key role in promoting the city's disco scene. Lavallée is a fictionalized version of real-life Montreal radio and television personality Alain Montpetit
.
The cast also includes Geneviève Brouillette
(as Mimi, a former Gogo
singer now down on her luck), Justin Chatwin
(as Tino, a young Italian waiter and disco dancer), Romina D'Ugo
(as Tino's girlfriend), Sophie Cadieux
(as Helene, Daniel Lefebvre's secretary), and Sarah Mutch
(as Adriana, a model who wants to become a disco singer).
, the film features dialogue in both English
and French
. For French audiences the English dialogue is subtitled, while for English audiences the French dialogue is subtitled.
The film has faced some controversy for its mixture of languages, with one journalist for La Presse accusing it of being essentially an English film with only token dialogue in French, rather than a truly bilingual film.
Daniel Roby
Daniel Roby is a Canadian film director and cinematographer. An alumnus of the film programs at Concordia University and the University of Southern California, he worked as a camera operator and cinematographer on numerous film and television projects before releasing his own directorial debut, La...
and written by Steve Galluccio
Steve Galluccio
Steve Galluccio is a Canadian screenwriter. His credits include the films Mambo Italiano , Surviving My Mother and Funkytown, and the television series Ciao Bella.Galluccio is openly gay.-External links:...
.
Set in Montreal during the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
era, the film revolves around the Starlight, a fictionalized version of Montreal's famed Lime Light discothèque. It depicts this world starting in 1976, when Montreal was considered one of the world's top nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
destinations, through to 1982, when the fashion for disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
was about to experience a sharp decline. By the early 1980s political issues such as Quebec's 1980 independence referendum had fractured and polarized the city. Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
had also begun to experience a decade of economic decline. By then, it had ceased to be the largest city in Canada, and had ceased as well to be Canada's financial and industrial centre.
Some scenes of the film were in fact shot inside, outside and in the surroundings of the building which had housed the Lime Light, at 1258 Stanley Street. It now houses the premium strip club "Chez Parée" and the dance club "La Boom".
Cast
Raymond Bouchard stars as Gilles Lefebvre, a record producer and impresario who runs the club with his son Daniel (François LétourneauFrançois Letourneau
François Letourneau is a Canadian slalom canoer who competed in the mid 1990s. He finished eighth in the C-2 event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.-References:*...
). Paul Doucet
Paul Doucet
Paul Doucet is a Canadian actor. He won a Prix Gémeaux for Meilleure interprétation premier rôle masculin - série dramatique for his portrayal of Jean Duceppe in the Jean Duceppe episode 5. His most recent work includes a leading role in Les 3 P'tits Cochons...
stars as Jonathan Aaronson, a flamboyant gay radio, television and fashion personality and trendsetter (a fictionalised version of Douglas Coco Leopold). Patrick Huard
Patrick Huard
Patrick Huard is a Quebecer actor and comedian.-Feature films:* 1997: J’en suis* 1997: Les Boys* 1998: Les Boys II* 2000: La vie après l’amour* 2000: Stardom* 2001: Les Boys III...
stars as Bastien Lavallée, an influential radio and television personality whose dance music shows play a key role in promoting the city's disco scene. Lavallée is a fictionalized version of real-life Montreal radio and television personality Alain Montpetit
Alain Montpetit
Alain Montpetit was a television and radio personality in Quebec, as well as an actor.Montpetit was a native of Westmount, where he was born and where he grew up. His grandfather was Édouard Montpetit, founder of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Montreal...
.
The cast also includes Geneviève Brouillette
Geneviève Brouillette
Geneviève Brouillette is a French Canadian television and film actress from Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec.Since 1998 she has gradually appeared in film and she appeared in A Sunday in Kigali in 2006....
(as Mimi, a former Gogo
Gogo (Quebec music)
Gogo was a type of francophone music that was popular in the 1960s in Quebec, Canada. It accompanied dancing that was characterised by lively, quick and irregular movements of the body and wide gestures of the arms...
singer now down on her luck), Justin Chatwin
Justin Chatwin
Justin Chatwin is a Canadian film actor. He played the son of Tom Cruise's character in the Steven Spielberg-directed War of the Worlds, a leading role in the 2007 mystery/thriller The Invisible, and Goku in Dragonball Evolution...
(as Tino, a young Italian waiter and disco dancer), Romina D'Ugo
Romina D'Ugo
Romina D'Ugo is a Toronto-born actress and dancer who was a part of the So You Think You Can Dance Canada Top 20. She has guest-starred in Degrassi: Next Generation, Life with Derek and Hairspray....
(as Tino's girlfriend), Sophie Cadieux
Sophie Cadieux
Sophie Cadieux is a Quebec actress. She studied theater at the Conservatoire d'art dramatique de Montréal from 1998 to 2001...
(as Helene, Daniel Lefebvre's secretary), and Sarah Mutch
Sarah Mutch
Sarah Mutch is a Canadian fashion model who has modeled for magazines including Maxim magazine and Ocean magazine. Her career began when she was discovered at age thirteen in her hometown of Vancouver, Canada, by Jeff Palffy. In the year following, she moved to New York City where she has continued...
(as Adriana, a model who wants to become a disco singer).
Language
Like the 2006 film Bon Cop, Bad CopBon Cop, Bad Cop
Bon Cop, Bad Cop is a 2006 Canadian comedy-thriller buddy cop film about an Ontarian and a Québécois police officer who reluctantly join forces. The dialogue is a mixture of English and French...
, the film features dialogue in both English
Canadian English
Canadian English is the variety of English spoken in Canada. English is the first language, or "mother tongue", of approximately 24 million Canadians , and more than 28 million are fluent in the language...
and French
Canadian French
Canadian French is an umbrella term referring to the varieties of French spoken in Canada. French is the mother tongue of nearly seven million Canadians, a figure constituting roughly 22% of the national population. At the federal level it has co-official status alongside English...
. For French audiences the English dialogue is subtitled, while for English audiences the French dialogue is subtitled.
The film has faced some controversy for its mixture of languages, with one journalist for La Presse accusing it of being essentially an English film with only token dialogue in French, rather than a truly bilingual film.