Gilles Groulx
Encyclopedia
Gilles Groulx was a Canadian
film director. He grew up in a working-class family with 14 children. After studying business in school, he went to work in an office but found the white-collar
environment too stultifying. Deciding that the only way out was to become an intellectual, he attended the "École du meuble" for a time and was a supporter of Borduas
' automatiste movement
. He also made 8 mm
amateur films, which landed him a job as picture editor
in the news department of the CBC
. After three short personal films that confirmed his talent, he was hired by the National Film Board (NFB) at what was the beginning of the candid eye
movement in 1956.
(1958). Co-directed with Michel Brault
, and including the important contribution of sound recordist Marcel Carrière it surpassed the candid eye approach, establishing for the first time in film history, the filmmakers in the midst of the ongoing event. Seeking a truthful relation to the captured film reality, sound is also captured live. The film, not devoid of comical aspects, is also seen as an important step in anthropological cinematography. It captures without judgement, a social phenomenon that would have seemed unimportant in its archaism and triviality (a snowshoe convention on asphalt!), thus revealing with documented distanciation elements of popular Quebec culture that were previously disdained.
In 1961, Groulx's focus shifted from the crowd to the individual, with his short documentary, Golden Gloves.
Voir Miami (1962) revealed Groulx's poetic side. Although it presents an indictment of contemporary America, it does so in a poetic, almost lyrical style.
In 1964, Groulx turned to a highly social and political type of filmmaking, which would be characteristic of his work to the very end. Le chat dans le sac
, his first feature-length drama, is about coming of age: for the protagonists as they face difficult political choices, and possibly for the Quebec people as well. Not only did Groulx write and direct the film, he also did his own editing (as he would for all subsequent films). In his dramas, Groulx liked to film non-professionals who were the real characters in the story or who were very similar to them and could improvise within a given situation.
Before undertaking another feature, Groulx made the documentary short Un jeu si simple (1965), a dramatic look at the sport of hockey in the province of Quebec, and in particular, the Montreal Canadiens teams of 1950-1960.
This was followed in 1967 by the film Où êtes-vous donc?, a complex collage of images reflecting the daily lives of Quebeckers. Groulx questions their choice of lifestyle through an unconventional filmic language giving unprecedented importance to sound. Barraging the spectators with a disturbing mix of chanting voices, songs, quotations and advertisements from the mass media, the film is a protest against the consumer society, a denunciation of the dehumanizing mechanisms created and used by man against man.
Continuing in this pamphleteering vein, Groulx made 24 heures ou plus, a veritable call to revolution, which was censored by the NFB. Shot at the end of 1971, the film was not officially released until 1977, although a bootleg video version of it was seen by thousands of people.
In 1977, he directed the feature-length documentary Première question sur le bonheur, a Mexico-Canada co-production in which Groulx again questions the exploitation of man by man, but this time in the context of rural Mexico
.
In 1980, Groulx was involved in a serious automobile accident that put an end to his career, although he did manage to come back in 1982 and complete the feature film he had been working on. Au Pays de Zom is a scathingly funny satire on the businessman ethos in the unexpected form of a musical, in which Joseph Rouleau, an opera singer greatly admired by Groulx, plays the role not of a romantic hero but of a financier.
and drama. Overall, it could be said that his films convey a Marxist philosophy with a Brecht
ian aesthetic.
Le chat dans le sac
(1964) remains his best known film and played a seminal role in the development of Quebec cinema. In 1985, the Government of Quebec presented Groulx with the Prix Albert-Tessier
for lifetime achievement.
"A filmmaker is a journalist: he must inform and comment. For me, what counts in a film is the moral, what the author has to say. Mere technique is meaningless. The story, too, is meaningless; it's the pretext for the film; it's like the model for an impressionist painter." (Translation) - La Crue, September 15, 1964
"Everyone should spend their life working on their life, and each of our films should be a reminder of that. A film is a critique of daily life." (Translation) - Le Devoir
, December 20, 1969
"If my films are defending the freedom of peoples, as a creator I must fight for my own freedom. " - Gilles Groulx
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
film director. He grew up in a working-class family with 14 children. After studying business in school, he went to work in an office but found the white-collar
White-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
environment too stultifying. Deciding that the only way out was to become an intellectual, he attended the "École du meuble" for a time and was a supporter of Borduas
Paul-Émile Borduas
Paul-Émile Borduas was a Canadian painter known for his abstract paintings. He was also an activist for the separation of church and state, especially for art, in Quebec.- Biography :...
' automatiste movement
Les Automatistes
Les Automatistes were a group of Québécois artistic dissidents from Montreal, Quebec. The movement was founded in the early 1940s by painter Paul-Émile Borduas. "Les Automatistes" were so called because they were influenced by Surrealism and its theory of automatism...
. He also made 8 mm
8 mm film
8 mm film is a motion picture film format in which the filmstrip is eight millimeters wide. It exists in two main versions: the original standard 8mm film, also known as regular 8 mm or Double 8 mm, and Super 8...
amateur films, which landed him a job as picture editor
Picture Editor
A picture editor, sometimes known as a photo editor, is a professional who collects, reviews, and chooses photographs and/or illustrations for publication in alignment with preset guidelines. Publications include, but are not limited to, websites, books, magazines, newspapers, art galleries, museum...
in the news department of the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
. After three short personal films that confirmed his talent, he was hired by the National Film Board (NFB) at what was the beginning of the candid eye
Candid Eye
Candid Eye is a Canadian documentary television series which aired on CBC Television in 1958.-Production:This series aired various National Film Board of Canada documentaries such as Blood and Fire , The Back-Breaking Leaf , The Days Before Christmas and Police Candid Eye is a Canadian...
movement in 1956.
National Film Board
His first film with the NFB was Les RaquetteursLes raquetteurs
Les raquetteurs is a 1958 Direct Cinema documentary film co-directed by Michel Brault and Gilles Groulx. The film explores life in rural Quebec, at a convention of snowshoers in Sherbrooke, Quebec in February of 1958...
(1958). Co-directed with Michel Brault
Michel Brault
Michel Brault, OQ is a Quebec cinematographer, cameraman, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He is a leading figure of Direct Cinema, characteristic of the French branch of the National Film Board of Canada in the 1960s...
, and including the important contribution of sound recordist Marcel Carrière it surpassed the candid eye approach, establishing for the first time in film history, the filmmakers in the midst of the ongoing event. Seeking a truthful relation to the captured film reality, sound is also captured live. The film, not devoid of comical aspects, is also seen as an important step in anthropological cinematography. It captures without judgement, a social phenomenon that would have seemed unimportant in its archaism and triviality (a snowshoe convention on asphalt!), thus revealing with documented distanciation elements of popular Quebec culture that were previously disdained.
In 1961, Groulx's focus shifted from the crowd to the individual, with his short documentary, Golden Gloves.
Voir Miami (1962) revealed Groulx's poetic side. Although it presents an indictment of contemporary America, it does so in a poetic, almost lyrical style.
In 1964, Groulx turned to a highly social and political type of filmmaking, which would be characteristic of his work to the very end. Le chat dans le sac
Le chat dans le sac
Le chat dans le sac is a 1964 drama film by Gilles Groulx, which played a seminal role in the development of Quebec cinema...
, his first feature-length drama, is about coming of age: for the protagonists as they face difficult political choices, and possibly for the Quebec people as well. Not only did Groulx write and direct the film, he also did his own editing (as he would for all subsequent films). In his dramas, Groulx liked to film non-professionals who were the real characters in the story or who were very similar to them and could improvise within a given situation.
Before undertaking another feature, Groulx made the documentary short Un jeu si simple (1965), a dramatic look at the sport of hockey in the province of Quebec, and in particular, the Montreal Canadiens teams of 1950-1960.
This was followed in 1967 by the film Où êtes-vous donc?, a complex collage of images reflecting the daily lives of Quebeckers. Groulx questions their choice of lifestyle through an unconventional filmic language giving unprecedented importance to sound. Barraging the spectators with a disturbing mix of chanting voices, songs, quotations and advertisements from the mass media, the film is a protest against the consumer society, a denunciation of the dehumanizing mechanisms created and used by man against man.
Continuing in this pamphleteering vein, Groulx made 24 heures ou plus, a veritable call to revolution, which was censored by the NFB. Shot at the end of 1971, the film was not officially released until 1977, although a bootleg video version of it was seen by thousands of people.
In 1977, he directed the feature-length documentary Première question sur le bonheur, a Mexico-Canada co-production in which Groulx again questions the exploitation of man by man, but this time in the context of rural Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
In 1980, Groulx was involved in a serious automobile accident that put an end to his career, although he did manage to come back in 1982 and complete the feature film he had been working on. Au Pays de Zom is a scathingly funny satire on the businessman ethos in the unexpected form of a musical, in which Joseph Rouleau, an opera singer greatly admired by Groulx, plays the role not of a romantic hero but of a financier.
Legacy
Groulx's films are the work of a worried man perpetually questioning life and the world around him. Through them, he explored different aspects of Quebec society, always varying his style to suit the subject. He was one of the first Quebec filmmakers to make auteur films, both documentaryDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
and drama. Overall, it could be said that his films convey a Marxist philosophy with a Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
ian aesthetic.
Le chat dans le sac
Le chat dans le sac
Le chat dans le sac is a 1964 drama film by Gilles Groulx, which played a seminal role in the development of Quebec cinema...
(1964) remains his best known film and played a seminal role in the development of Quebec cinema. In 1985, the Government of Quebec presented Groulx with the Prix Albert-Tessier
Prix Albert-Tessier
The Prix Albert-Tessier is an award by the Government of Quebec that is part of the Prix du Québec, given to individuals for an outstanding career in Québec cinema. It is awarded to scriptwriting, acting, composing music, directing, producing and cinematographic techniques. It is named in honour of...
for lifetime achievement.
"A filmmaker is a journalist: he must inform and comment. For me, what counts in a film is the moral, what the author has to say. Mere technique is meaningless. The story, too, is meaningless; it's the pretext for the film; it's like the model for an impressionist painter." (Translation) - La Crue, September 15, 1964
"Everyone should spend their life working on their life, and each of our films should be a reminder of that. A film is a critique of daily life." (Translation) - Le Devoir
Le Devoir
Le Devoir is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and the rest of Canada. It was founded by journalist, politician, and nationalist Henri Bourassa in 1910....
, December 20, 1969
"If my films are defending the freedom of peoples, as a creator I must fight for my own freedom. " - Gilles Groulx
Fiction
- Le chat dans le sacLe chat dans le sacLe chat dans le sac is a 1964 drama film by Gilles Groulx, which played a seminal role in the development of Quebec cinema...
(1964) - Où êtes-vous donc? (1970)
- Entre tu et vous (1970)
- Au pays de Zom (1982)
Documentaries
- Les héritiers (Short, 1954)
- Les raquetteursLes raquetteursLes raquetteurs is a 1958 Direct Cinema documentary film co-directed by Michel Brault and Gilles Groulx. The film explores life in rural Quebec, at a convention of snowshoers in Sherbrooke, Quebec in February of 1958...
(Short Co-Directed with Michel BraultMichel BraultMichel Brault, OQ is a Quebec cinematographer, cameraman, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He is a leading figure of Direct Cinema, characteristic of the French branch of the National Film Board of Canada in the 1960s...
, 1958) - Normétal (Short, 1959)
- La France sur un caillou (Short Co-Directed with Claude FournierClaude FournierClaude Fournier L'Héritier was a French personality of the Revolution, nicknamed l'Americain .-Early activities:...
, 1960) - Golden Gloves (Short, 1961)
- Voir Miami (Short, 1962)
- Un jeu si simple (Short, 1966)
- Québec...? (Short, 1967)
- Place de l'équation (1973)
- 24 heures ou plus... (1976)
- Première question sur le bonheur (1977)