Kamouraska (film)
Encyclopedia
Kamouraska is a 1973 Québécois film directed by Claude Jutra
, based on the novel by Anne Hébert
, who also worked as screenwriter.
in the 1830s.
Élisabeth is at the deathbed of her second husband Jérôme recounting her past, conveyed through a series of flashbacks; her first marriage to Antoine, the brutish Seigneur of Kamouraska, and her ensuing love affair with a loyalist
American doctor George Nelson which leads to the brutal murder of Antoine, her trial for complicity and acquittal, her loveless marriage to Jérôme to save her honour.
, it cost nearly $1 million, making it the most expensive Canadian film to date. Poorly reviewed by critics (it was edited to accommodate theatre owners; a two-hour restored version shows more artistic coherence), it was a modest commercial success in Canada and was not a major release in France and the United States.
Henry Herx gave it a mixed review in his Family Guide to Movies on Video: "[T]he movie captures a vanished era, has excellent acting and the beauty of its settings[,] but its story of hot passion in a cold climate is heavily melodramatic."
Claude Jutra
Claude Jutra was a Canadian actor, film director and writer. The Prix Jutra are named in his honor because of his importance in Quebec cinema history. He was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec....
, based on the novel by Anne Hébert
Anne Hébert
Anne Hébert, CC, OQ , was a Canadian author and poet. She is a descendant of famed French-Canadian historian Francois-Xavier Garneau, "and has carried on the family literary tradition spectacularly."...
, who also worked as screenwriter.
Synopsis
The film is set in rural QuébecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in the 1830s.
Élisabeth is at the deathbed of her second husband Jérôme recounting her past, conveyed through a series of flashbacks; her first marriage to Antoine, the brutish Seigneur of Kamouraska, and her ensuing love affair with a loyalist
Loyalist
In general, a loyalist is someone who maintains loyalty to an established government, political party, or sovereign, especially during war or revolutionary change. In modern English usage, the most common application is to loyalty to the British Crown....
American doctor George Nelson which leads to the brutal murder of Antoine, her trial for complicity and acquittal, her loveless marriage to Jérôme to save her honour.
Cast
- Geneviève BujoldGeneviève BujoldGeneviève Bujold is a Canadian actress best known for her portrayal of Anne Boleyn in the 1969 film Anne of the Thousand Days, for which she won a Golden Globe Award for best actress and was nominated for an Academy Award....
as Élisabeth d'Aulnières - Richard JordanRichard JordanRichard Jordan was an American stage, screen and film actor. A long-time member of the New York Shakespeare Festival, he performed in many Off Broadway and Broadway plays...
as Georges Nelson - Philippe LéotardPhilippe LéotardPhilippe Léotard was a French actor, poet, and singer....
as Antoine Tassy - Marcel Cuvelier as Jérôme Rolland
- Huguette OlignyHuguette OlignyHuguette Oligny, is a Canadian actor.She married Gratien Gélinas, a great pioneer of Quebec theater, in 1973.In 1984 she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1996. In 1999 she was made an Officer of the National Order of Quebec.-External links:...
as the mother of Élisabeth - Camille Bernard as the mother of Antoine
- Janine SuttoJanine SuttoJanine Sutto, CC, CQ is a Quebec actress.Born in Paris, the daughter of Léopold Sutto and Renée Mamert, she immigrated to Canada in the 1930s with her family settling in Montreal....
as Tante - Olivette Thibault as Tante
- Marie Fresnières as Tante
- Suzie Baillargeon as Aurélie
- Colette Cortois as Florida
- Gigi Duckett as Anne-Marie
- Marcel Marineau as Greffier, médecin
- Len Watt as Le gouverneur
Production and release
A slow-moving but beautiful film shot by cinematographer Michel BraultMichel 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...
, it cost nearly $1 million, making it the most expensive Canadian film to date. Poorly reviewed by critics (it was edited to accommodate theatre owners; a two-hour restored version shows more artistic coherence), it was a modest commercial success in Canada and was not a major release in France and the United States.
Henry Herx gave it a mixed review in his Family Guide to Movies on Video: "[T]he movie captures a vanished era, has excellent acting and the beauty of its settings[,] but its story of hot passion in a cold climate is heavily melodramatic."