Le chat dans le sac
Encyclopedia
Le chat dans le sac is a 1964 drama film by Gilles Groulx
, which played a seminal role in the development of Quebec cinema. The film's themes, improvisational style, hand-held camera work and evocative music signalled the emergence of a new generation of Quebec films and filmmakers.
The film mixes Direct Cinema
documentary techniques and distancing devices similar to those employed by Jean-Luc Godard
to tell the story of a young man's struggles to come to terms with his place in Quebec
society and Quebec’s place in Canada
.The protagonist, a journalist played by Claude Godbout, struggles with the question of whether to change society or accept it the way it is. His Jewish girlfriend, an actress with a budding theatre career, does not share his concerns, leading to tension between the two. Claude leaves Montreal
for the Quebec countryside to reflect on his life, and with the distance between them, their love fades.
Critic Robert Daudelin stated that “At last we were confronted by a film which really belonged to us, one in which we were happy to recognize ourselves and see ourselves close up. [It] was (and remains) the image of our most recent awakenings.”
It received the Grand Prix at the 1964 Montreal International Film Festival. Le Chat dans le sac was identified as a “culturally significant film” by the AV Preservation Trust through the 2002 Masterworks programme.
Gilles Groulx
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...
, which played a seminal role in the development of Quebec cinema. The film's themes, improvisational style, hand-held camera work and evocative music signalled the emergence of a new generation of Quebec films and filmmakers.
The film mixes Direct Cinema
Direct Cinema
Direct Cinema is a documentary genre that originated between 1958 and 1962 in North America, principally in the Canadian province of Quebec and the United States...
documentary techniques and distancing devices similar to those employed by Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
to tell the story of a young man's struggles to come to terms with his place in Quebec
Quebec
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....
society and Quebec’s place in Canada
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...
.The protagonist, a journalist played by Claude Godbout, struggles with the question of whether to change society or accept it the way it is. His Jewish girlfriend, an actress with a budding theatre career, does not share his concerns, leading to tension between the two. Claude leaves 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...
for the Quebec countryside to reflect on his life, and with the distance between them, their love fades.
Critic Robert Daudelin stated that “At last we were confronted by a film which really belonged to us, one in which we were happy to recognize ourselves and see ourselves close up. [It] was (and remains) the image of our most recent awakenings.”
It received the Grand Prix at the 1964 Montreal International Film Festival. Le Chat dans le sac was identified as a “culturally significant film” by the AV Preservation Trust through the 2002 Masterworks programme.
External links
- Watch Le chat dans le sac at NFB.ca (in French)