Pierre Falardeau
Encyclopedia
Pierre Falardeau was a 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....

 film and documentary
Documentary 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...

 director, pamphleteer
Pamphleteer
A pamphleteer is a historical term for someone who creates or distributes pamphlets. Pamphlets were used to broadcast the writer's opinions on an issue, for example, in order to get people to vote for their favorite politician or to articulate a particular political ideology.A famous pamphleteer...

 and noted activist for Quebec independence.

Profile

Falardeau studied anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...

 at university and he taught that subject for a brief period. During the 1960s, he became involved in the pro-independence Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale
Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale
The Rassemblement pour l'Indépendance Nationale was a political organization dedicated to the promotion of Quebec national independence from Canada.-History:...

, and his passionate belief in the need for the succession
Quebec sovereignty movement
The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...

 of the province of Quebec from Canada features prominently in most of his films. In the "Elvis Gratton
Elvis Gratton
Bob 'Elvis' Gratton is a fictional character, the subject of multiple films and a television series of the same name by Quebec director Pierre Falardeau: a series of short films released on VHS as the single 1985 film Elvis Gratton: Le king des kings, and then two sequels: Elvis...

" series; a sarcastic trilogy about a local Elvis impersonator
Elvis impersonator
An Elvis impersonator is someone who impersonates or copies famed American musician Elvis Presley. Professional Elvis impersonators can work all over the world as entertainers, and such tribute acts are in great demand due to the unique iconic status of Elvis...

, Falardeau sharply satirizes federalist Quebecers. This tendency is also seen in more serious efforts such as "Octobre", about the October crisis
October Crisis
The October Crisis was a series of events triggered by two kidnappings of government officials by members of the Front de libération du Québec during October 1970 in the province of Quebec, mainly in the Montreal metropolitan area.The circumstances ultimately culminated in the only peacetime use...

, 15 février 1839, about the quelling of the "Patriotes" movement which led to the Lower Canada Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...

 and "Le steak", about Quebec boxer Gaetan Hart
Gaétan Hart
Gaétan Hart is a former lightweight/welterweight boxer from Canada, who was a three time boxing champion from his country. He lost his only world title fight against Aaron Pryor in 1980...

.

Falardeau linked his support for Quebec independence to the struggles for national independence and decolonization
Decolonization
Decolonization refers to the undoing of colonialism, the unequal relation of polities whereby one people or nation establishes and maintains dependent Territory over another...

 movements abroad. That linkage, too, is a prominent part of his work, for instance in an unidentified documentary he prepared on political issues confronting the Algerian people
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...

.

Falardeau, who occasionally published in the Le Couac, an independent newspaper, often attracted media controversy. In 2002, he joined with Loco Locass
Loco Locass
Loco Locass are a hip hop group from Quebec formed in 1995. The group often defends the role of the French language in Canada, and champions Quebec sovereignty.Loco Locass' lyrics often deal with the role of the French language, and Quebec's role in Canada...

 to perform a song called "Yallah", which criticized pro-American sentiment resulting from the September 11 attacks. Upon the 2004 cancer death of Claude Ryan
Claude Ryan
Claude Ryan, was a Canadian politician and leader of the Parti libéral du Québec from 1978 to 1982. He was also the National Assembly of Quebec member for Argenteuil from 1979 to 1994.-Early life and career:...

, a former provincial Liberal leader and minister who had led the "No" side in the 1980 Quebec referendum
1980 Quebec referendum
The 1980 Quebec referendum was the first referendum in Quebec on the place of Quebec within Canada and whether Quebec should pursue a path toward sovereignty. The referendum was called by Quebec's Parti Québécois government, which strongly favoured secession from Canada...

 on sovereignty, Falardeau published a harsh critique in lieu of a eulogy in the sovereignist journal Le Québécois
Le Québécois
Le Québécois is a political newspaper based in Quebec City. Founded in 2001, it is a medium of the Quebec sovereignty movement. The newspaper also has a militant wing, the Réseau de Résistance du Québécois.- Description :...

. In 2005 he demonstrated on Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...

 in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...

 against the celebration of what he called, a "colonizing power". More generally Falardeau had come under fire from critics for reportedly urging federalist anglophones to leave Quebec, for voicing support for military intervention to ensure that no portion of Quebec be allowed to secede from Quebec and remain with Canada in the event of a referendum majority for sovereignty
Quebec sovereignty movement
The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...

, and for his ambiguous association with the MLNQ. However, Falardeau had repeatedly stated that he supported the mainstream Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...

 as the only viable party for realizing Quebec's independence.

With regard to minorities, Falardeau claimed not to care whether someone was white, black, yellow or green with orange polka dots; those who supported independence he considered brothers and sisters, and those who did not were "the enemy". http://www.vigile.net/spip.php?page=archives&u=/archives/ds-michaud/docs/01-12-8-macpherson.html

Falardeau died on September 25, 2009 following a long battle with cancer. http://lcn.canoe.ca/lcn/artsetspectacles/general/archives/2009/09/20090926-084211.html

Style

Falardeau's rhetorical style was well known for mixing intellectual reflection with a deliberately working-class joual
Joual
Joual is the common name for the linguistic features of basilectal Quebec French that are associated with the French-speaking working class in Montreal which has become a symbol of national identity for a large number of artists from that area...

 dialect which occasionally slips into coarse language. Partly because of this colourful speaking style, he was often sought after for on-air opinions by media outlets seeking sensationalist copy.

Controversy

Falardeau created some controversy during his career. For example, in 2006, a photograph http://www.voir.ca/blogue/player.aspx?iIDImage=1021.jpg surfaced of him at an August 2006 Montreal pro-peace rally about the Israel-Lebanon conflict
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War #Other uses|Tammūz]]) and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War , was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. The principal parties were Hezbollah...

. The picture shows Falardeau with some young men and his friend and filmmaking partner Julien Poulin
Julien Poulin
Julien Poulin is an actor, film director, screenwriter, film producer, and composer in Quebec, Canada. He has portrayed numerous roles in several popular Quebec films and series...

 holding a Hezbollah flag. When asked to comment, Falardeau responded that he approached the men to understand why they supported Hezbollah, and that the flag belonged to the young men. http://www.infinit.com/infos/quebeccanada/archives/2006/08/20060812-122101.html They explained to him that they had victims of the conflict in their family. He has stated that he did not condone the ways of the Hezbollah.

He also created controversy in October 2008 with a column denouncing biologist and environmentalist David Suzuki
David Suzuki
David Suzuki, CC, OBC is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph.D in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department of the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001...

 for having said he was disappointed in those Quebecers who supported the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...

. Falardeau referred to Dr. Suzuki as un petit japanouille à barbiche (a little goateed Jap-noodle).

Les Humains

Les Humains is a song created by aKido
Akido
aKido is the pseudonym of Canadian electronic rock musician and composer Kim Gaboury. Gaboury assembles a live band to tour with; this live component is generally considered a separate entity from aKido in the recording studio....

 in 1998 which featured samples from a speech Pierre Falardeau gave at Université Laval
Université Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...

 in Quebec.

Filmography

  • Continuons le combat (1971)
  • À mort (1972)
  • Les Canadiens sont là (1973)
  • Le Magra (1975)
  • A Force de courage (1977)
  • Pea Soup (1978)
  • Speak White
    Speak White
    Speak White is a French language poem composed by Québécois writer Michèle Lalonde in 1968. It was first recited in 1970 and was published in 1974 by Editions de l'Hexagone, Montreal. It denounced the poor situation of French-speakers in Quebec and takes the tone of a collective complaint against...

    (1980)
  • Elvis Gratton
    Elvis Gratton
    Bob 'Elvis' Gratton is a fictional character, the subject of multiple films and a television series of the same name by Quebec director Pierre Falardeau: a series of short films released on VHS as the single 1985 film Elvis Gratton: Le king des kings, and then two sequels: Elvis...

    (1981)
  • Les Vacances d'Elvis Gratton (1983)
  • Pas encore Elvis Gratton (1985)
  • Elvis Gratton, le king des kings (1985)
  • Le Party (1989)
  • Le Steak (1992)
  • Le Temps des bouffons
    Le Temps des bouffons
    Le Temps des bouffons is a short film created in 1985 by Québécois director Pierre Falardeau....

    (1993)
  • Octobre
    Octobre
    Octobre is a 1994 Quebec movie directed by filmmaker and noted separatist Pierre Falardeau. It tells a fictionalized version of the October Crisis from the point of view of the Chénier Cell, the FLQ terrorist cell who in 1970 kidnapped and murdered Quebec minister and Deputy Premier Pierre Laporte...

    (1994)
  • Elvis Gratton, président du comité des intellectuels pour le non (1995)
  • Une minute pour l'indépendance (1995)
  • Elvis Gratton 2 (Miracle à Memphis) (1999)
  • 15 février 1839 (2001)
  • Elvis Gratton XXX: La revanche d'Elvis Wong (2004)

See also

  • Cinema of Quebec
  • Quebec sovereignty movement
    Quebec sovereignty movement
    The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...

  • Independence movements
    Separatism
    Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...

  • Anti-imperialism
    Anti-imperialism
    Anti-imperialism, strictly speaking, is a term that may be applied to a movement opposed to any form of colonialism or imperialism. Anti-imperialism includes opposition to wars of conquest, particularly of non-contiguous territory or people with a different language or culture; it also includes...


External links

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