À Hauteur d'homme
Encyclopedia
À Hauteur d'homme is a 2003
Canadian political documentary
directed in 2003 by Jean-Claude Labrecque
about Bernard Landry
and the 2003 general election
in Quebec
, Canada
. It won a Jutra Award
for Best Documentary (tie) in 2004. Its style belongs to the Quebec cinéma direct
school of film
making.
, leader of the Parti Québécois
(PQ), and second around the re-election campaign of his party in 2003. The movie shows an intimate, never-before-seen look at the works of an election campaign. The finality of the story, the defeat of the party, gives this work a mood of tragedy, but with final acceptance. It also features, amongst others, Landry's girlfriend, Chantal Renaud
, and press attaché Hubert Bolduc.
Landry, the protagonist, is an independentist, social democrat, Premier of Quebec
, fighting for the re-election of the Parti Québécois in the hope of obtaining his life's dream: the independence of Quebec from Canada. His opponents in the election, Jean Charest
of the Parti Libéral du Québec
(PLQ) and Mario Dumont
of the Action démocratique du Québec
(ADQ), are rarely seen in the film.
Along with his team, he goes through an intense experience in two periods. The first half of the campaign goes smoothly: Landry is relaxed and confident. After having fought for its very life, the party is popular again and leads the polls. The televised leaders' debate is the turning point. During the debate, Charest confronts Landry with a quotation (said that very day and soon to become controversial) from Jacques Parizeau
, the former PQ premier. In the following days, this sparks a controversy that will be known as the Parizeau Affair
. From then on, a second period begins. The PQ loses some steam. Charest slowly surpasses him in the polls.
Often trapped by insistent, forceful questions by reporters, he shares with the team his impression that journalists are unjustly harassing him and the party's campaign. After being, in turn, anxious, angry, and sometimes morose, he accepts the coming ineluctable defeat with serenity, but with much emotion, with the comfort of his loved ones and colleagues.
The documentary features the following politicians: Pauline Marois
, André Boisclair
and François Legault
.
Landry's strategist team is consisted of: Richard Nadeau
, Brigitte Pelletier
, Hubert Bolduc, Denis Hardy
, Frederic Alberro, Marie-Johanne Nadeau, Nathalie Verger, Pierre Langlois, Éric Côté and Jacques Wilkins
.
In 2002, the poll numbers for the Parti Québécois fell sharply. The PQ government had been in power for two mandates and was seen as worn-out by some. An important part of the PQ's support went to the Action Démocratique du Québec
and its young leader, Mario Dumont
, and some to the Liberal Party of Quebec. It is under this dramatic situation for the PQ followers that Landry underwent a revitalization of the party and its image. The PQ was aided by the fall popularity of the ADQ's ideas as their conservative nature was uncovered, and by social democratic measures taken by the PQ government like the passing of the Act to combat poverty and social exclusion. The Parti Québécois succeeded in gaining back popularity in the beginning of 2003 to take the lead in the public opinion polls again. The PQ felt confident again to take upon a singular task: to become the first Quebec government in more than forty years to win a third mandate.
It is at the time of the downfall of 2002 that Labrecque decided to work on bringing about a movie about the coming election. He stated that, for this election, he believed the PQ had a lot to win if it succeeded, and a lot to lose if it did not: the re-election of the party could bring Quebec to independence, while a loss had the potential of hurting the sovereigntist movement, perhaps halting it for years.
The 2003 Quebec election itself happened over the backdrop of the war in Iraq
. The principal battles in that war took place during the first half of the campaign, diverting the attention of the media
and the population. Landry became known for his custom of wearing the white ribbon
worn by Quebecers in favour of peace. The wearing of this ribbon was soon adopted by the two other main party leaders, Charest and Dumont.
Despite a PQ comeback, Charest presented himself as a viable alternative for people in desire of change, especially during the leaders' debate. Also, the Parizeau Affair is said to have harmed Landry's campaign up to election day. The PQ lead vanished mid-campaign, and the Parti Libéral won the election.
within the movie, along with the occasional swearing of Landry in Quebec joual
, was noted by many journalists. Some reporters considered Landry's reactions to the attitude of the press to be excessive. Also, the few swear words of Landry from the movie were played in loop on news channels.
The publicity acquired by the initial controversy partly assured the movie an immense success in theatres. In its first days, at the Ex-Centris theatre, where it was first shown in Montreal, the movie was often sold-out several hours before presentation. After it had opened, the consensus of the viewing public (along with the opinion of some critics and other journalists) was that the initial media presentation of the movie was misrepresentative of the complete work. The movie managed to spark public debate in the media about the (often described as unfair and aggressive) attitudes of Quebec journalists towards politicians and politics (and vice versa).
The movie also inscribed a catchphrase into Quebec popular culture
: Audi alteram partem
. During the movie, the sentence, Latin
for listen to the other side, was repeatedly uttered by Landry to counteract the barrage of questions from reporters about the Parizeau Affair. It was meant to tell the reporters not to judge Parizeau before hearing his side (he was to give a press conference later that day) and to signify that he wished to wait for Parizeau to speak before making himself hasty comments. Landry studied Latin in college and has a reputation of liking to quote Latin phrases.
The way Landry acts in this movie surprised many. Landry is seen as a man of pride and high culture by many Quebecers, something that sometimes puts a distance between a public figure and the people in Quebec. Rather than hurting his reputation, his Québécois swearing
broke that bourgeois image in some ways. Also, his sense of humour
and humanity throughout the movie was felt by many viewers. Those seldom before seen aspects of the man subsequently inspired a popular wave of sympathy for him.
had accepted to be filmed in such privacy impressed many and was therefore seen as an historical feat: few other movies have had such access to a political figure before.
are the backbone of the musical backdrop of the film. Audio excerpts from Amazon.com.
s, breaking the standard of the news channel waist shot
or talking head
s type of clips that politicians are mostly seen through.
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
Canadian political 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...
directed in 2003 by Jean-Claude Labrecque
Jean-Claude Labrecque
Jean-Claude Labrecque, is a director and cinematographer who learned the basics of filmmaking at the Quebec Film Office and the National Film Board of Canada.-Career:...
about Bernard Landry
Bernard Landry
Bernard Landry, is a Quebec lawyer, teacher, politician, who served as the 28th Premier of Quebec , leader of the Opposition and leader of the Parti Québécois .-Personal:...
and the 2003 general election
Quebec general election, 2003
The Quebec general election of 2003 was held on April 14, 2003, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec . The Parti libéral du Québec , led by Jean Charest, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by Bernard Landry.-Unfolding:...
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....
, 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...
. It won a Jutra Award
Jutra Award
The Jutra Award is a Canadian annual cinema award that recognizes talent and achievement in the mainly francophone feature film industry in the province of Quebec...
for Best Documentary (tie) in 2004. Its style belongs to the Quebec cinéma direct
Cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its topics.There are subtle yet...
school of film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
making.
Overview
À Hauteur d'homme is a political documentary film revolving first around one man, Bernard LandryBernard Landry
Bernard Landry, is a Quebec lawyer, teacher, politician, who served as the 28th Premier of Quebec , leader of the Opposition and leader of the Parti Québécois .-Personal:...
, leader of the 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...
(PQ), and second around the re-election campaign of his party in 2003. The movie shows an intimate, never-before-seen look at the works of an election campaign. The finality of the story, the defeat of the party, gives this work a mood of tragedy, but with final acceptance. It also features, amongst others, Landry's girlfriend, Chantal Renaud
Chantal Renaud
Chantal Renaud is a Québécoise script writer, and a past yé-yé singer and actress. She is the wife of former Quebec Premier and former Parti Québécois leader Bernard Landry....
, and press attaché Hubert Bolduc.
Landry, the protagonist, is an independentist, social democrat, Premier of Quebec
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
, fighting for the re-election of the Parti Québécois in the hope of obtaining his life's dream: the independence of Quebec from Canada. His opponents in the election, Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
of the Parti Libéral du Québec
Parti libéral du Québec
The Quebec Liberal Party is a centre-right political party in Quebec. It has been independent of the federal Liberal Party of Canada since 1955....
(PLQ) and Mario Dumont
Mario Dumont
Mario Dumont is a television personality and former politician in the province of Quebec. He was a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec , and the leader of the Action démocratique du Québec , from 1994 to 2009...
of the Action démocratique du Québec
Action démocratique du Québec
The Action démocratique du Québec, commonly referred to as the ADQ is a centre-right political party in Quebec, Canada. On the sovereignty question, it defines itself as autonomist, and has support from both soft nationalists and federalists....
(ADQ), are rarely seen in the film.
Along with his team, he goes through an intense experience in two periods. The first half of the campaign goes smoothly: Landry is relaxed and confident. After having fought for its very life, the party is popular again and leads the polls. The televised leaders' debate is the turning point. During the debate, Charest confronts Landry with a quotation (said that very day and soon to become controversial) from Jacques Parizeau
Jacques Parizeau
Jacques Parizeau, is an economist and noted Quebec sovereignist who was the 26th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from September 26, 1994 to January 29, 1996.-Early life and career:...
, the former PQ premier. In the following days, this sparks a controversy that will be known as the Parizeau Affair
Parizeau Affair
The Parizeau Affair was a political controversy that occurred in Quebec during the 2003 Quebec general election campaign.-Description:...
. From then on, a second period begins. The PQ loses some steam. Charest slowly surpasses him in the polls.
Often trapped by insistent, forceful questions by reporters, he shares with the team his impression that journalists are unjustly harassing him and the party's campaign. After being, in turn, anxious, angry, and sometimes morose, he accepts the coming ineluctable defeat with serenity, but with much emotion, with the comfort of his loved ones and colleagues.
The documentary features the following politicians: Pauline Marois
Pauline Marois
Pauline Marois is the current leader of the Parti Québécois in the province of Quebec, since June 27, 2007 and current Leader of the Official Opposition of the National Assembly of Quebec, representing the riding of Charlevoix...
, André Boisclair
André Boisclair
André Boisclair is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was the leader of the Parti Québécois, a social democratic and separatist party in Quebec....
and François Legault
François Legault
François Legault is a politician in Quebec, Canada, and former member of the National Assembly of Quebec. A member of the Parti Québécois , he was first elected in the 1998 Quebec election in the riding of Rousseau in the Lanaudière region.-Life and career:Legault was born in...
.
Landry's strategist team is consisted of: Richard Nadeau
Richard Nadeau
Richard Nadeau is a teacher and Bloc Québécois politician in Quebec, Canada.He is the Member of Parliament for the riding of Gatineau. Nadeau attended the University of Ottawa where he received degrees in history, political science and education...
, Brigitte Pelletier
Brigitte Pelletier
Brigitte Pelletier is a Quebec lawyer and associate deputy minister of the Quebec Ministry of Justice. She is a graduate of Université Laval.She was a former chief of staff for Quebec premier Bernard Landry in 2002-2003....
, Hubert Bolduc, Denis Hardy
Denis Hardy
Denis Hardy is a Quebecois economist who served as a chief of staff for Bernard Landry, while he was deputy premier and minister of finances. He later became deputy chief of staff for premier Landry....
, Frederic Alberro, Marie-Johanne Nadeau, Nathalie Verger, Pierre Langlois, Éric Côté and Jacques Wilkins
Jacques Wilkins
Jacques Wilkins is a Quebec public relations advisor. He is a partner at Communications André Bouthillier, a Montreal public relations firm.Wilkins served as the communication director for former premier of Quebec Bernard Landry from 2001 to 2003...
.
Context
- Main article: Quebec general election, 2003Quebec general election, 2003The Quebec general election of 2003 was held on April 14, 2003, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec . The Parti libéral du Québec , led by Jean Charest, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by Bernard Landry.-Unfolding:...
In 2002, the poll numbers for the Parti Québécois fell sharply. The PQ government had been in power for two mandates and was seen as worn-out by some. An important part of the PQ's support went to the Action Démocratique du Québec
Action démocratique du Québec
The Action démocratique du Québec, commonly referred to as the ADQ is a centre-right political party in Quebec, Canada. On the sovereignty question, it defines itself as autonomist, and has support from both soft nationalists and federalists....
and its young leader, Mario Dumont
Mario Dumont
Mario Dumont is a television personality and former politician in the province of Quebec. He was a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec , and the leader of the Action démocratique du Québec , from 1994 to 2009...
, and some to the Liberal Party of Quebec. It is under this dramatic situation for the PQ followers that Landry underwent a revitalization of the party and its image. The PQ was aided by the fall popularity of the ADQ's ideas as their conservative nature was uncovered, and by social democratic measures taken by the PQ government like the passing of the Act to combat poverty and social exclusion. The Parti Québécois succeeded in gaining back popularity in the beginning of 2003 to take the lead in the public opinion polls again. The PQ felt confident again to take upon a singular task: to become the first Quebec government in more than forty years to win a third mandate.
It is at the time of the downfall of 2002 that Labrecque decided to work on bringing about a movie about the coming election. He stated that, for this election, he believed the PQ had a lot to win if it succeeded, and a lot to lose if it did not: the re-election of the party could bring Quebec to independence, while a loss had the potential of hurting the sovereigntist movement, perhaps halting it for years.
The 2003 Quebec election itself happened over the backdrop of the war in Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. The principal battles in that war took place during the first half of the campaign, diverting the attention of the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
and the population. Landry became known for his custom of wearing the white ribbon
White ribbon
The white ribbon, a white-colored ribbon or representation of a white-colored ribbon, has several different meanings depending on the context. As with other color ribbons, is sometimes used by political movements to signify or spread their beliefs...
worn by Quebecers in favour of peace. The wearing of this ribbon was soon adopted by the two other main party leaders, Charest and Dumont.
Despite a PQ comeback, Charest presented himself as a viable alternative for people in desire of change, especially during the leaders' debate. Also, the Parizeau Affair is said to have harmed Landry's campaign up to election day. The PQ lead vanished mid-campaign, and the Parti Libéral won the election.
Impact
A week before its theatre opening, À Hauteur d'homme gained much media attention. The animosity between Landry and the pressNews
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
within the movie, along with the occasional swearing of Landry in Quebec 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...
, was noted by many journalists. Some reporters considered Landry's reactions to the attitude of the press to be excessive. Also, the few swear words of Landry from the movie were played in loop on news channels.
The publicity acquired by the initial controversy partly assured the movie an immense success in theatres. In its first days, at the Ex-Centris theatre, where it was first shown in Montreal, the movie was often sold-out several hours before presentation. After it had opened, the consensus of the viewing public (along with the opinion of some critics and other journalists) was that the initial media presentation of the movie was misrepresentative of the complete work. The movie managed to spark public debate in the media about the (often described as unfair and aggressive) attitudes of Quebec journalists towards politicians and politics (and vice versa).
The movie also inscribed a catchphrase into Quebec popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
: Audi alteram partem
Audi alteram partem
Audi alteram partem is a Latin phrase that literally means "hear the other side" or "hear the alternative party"...
. During the movie, the sentence, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for listen to the other side, was repeatedly uttered by Landry to counteract the barrage of questions from reporters about the Parizeau Affair. It was meant to tell the reporters not to judge Parizeau before hearing his side (he was to give a press conference later that day) and to signify that he wished to wait for Parizeau to speak before making himself hasty comments. Landry studied Latin in college and has a reputation of liking to quote Latin phrases.
The way Landry acts in this movie surprised many. Landry is seen as a man of pride and high culture by many Quebecers, something that sometimes puts a distance between a public figure and the people in Quebec. Rather than hurting his reputation, his Québécois swearing
Quebec French profanity
The literal translation of the French verb sacrer is "to consecrate". However, in Quebec it is the proper word for the form of profanity used in Quebec French. The noun form is sacre....
broke that bourgeois image in some ways. Also, his sense of humour
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
and humanity throughout the movie was felt by many viewers. Those seldom before seen aspects of the man subsequently inspired a popular wave of sympathy for him.
Production
Critics praised the work for its evocative, classy musical ambiance, and its lavish visual style.General
For months, Landry was filmed everywhere he went, up to voting day. The fact that a politicianPolitician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
had accepted to be filmed in such privacy impressed many and was therefore seen as an historical feat: few other movies have had such access to a political figure before.
Audio
These two previously existing (that is to say that they were not created for the movie soundtrack) musical compositions of the soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
are the backbone of the musical backdrop of the film. Audio excerpts from Amazon.com.
- Facades by Philip GlassPhilip GlassPhilip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
returns in leitmotiv throughout the movie. It was chosen by Labrecque for its repetitive nature, representative of the 2003 political campaign in some ways. - Fur Alina by Arvo PärtArvo PärtArvo Pärt is an Estonian classical composer and one of the most prominent living composers of sacred music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs his self-made compositional technique, tintinnabuli. His music also finds its inspiration and influence from...
and its very melancholic ambiance is used in the final scene where Landry conceded defeat and is comforted by the people close to him.
Visuals
It is rare for such emphasis be placed on attention to visual beauty in a documentary, especially a political one. This has brought much admiration for the work. It can be stated that Labrecque made it a point to show Landry as a human being with often very intimate, tight shotClose up
A close-up is tightly framed image of a person or an object.Close-Up or Close Up may refer to:- Film and television :*Close Up, two different New Zealand current affairs programmes...
s, breaking the standard of the news channel waist shot
Medium shot
In film, a medium shot is a camera shot from a medium distance. The dividing line between "long shot" and "medium shot" is fuzzy, as is the line between "medium shot" and "close-up"...
or talking head
Talking head
Talking head may refer to:Computers and internet*Computer facial animation, area of computer graphics that animates images of the human head and face*Interactive online charactersFilm and television*Talking Head , 1992 film by Mamoru Oshii...
s type of clips that politicians are mostly seen through.
Other version
Labrecque has always said that his favourite version of the film was the cut of over three hours (this version is 104 minutes long). He has stated that he plans to one day send this version to the wide screen.See also
- Cinema of Quebec
- Cinéma directCinéma véritéCinéma vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its topics.There are subtle yet...
- Culture of QuebecCulture of QuebecThe Culture of Quebec emerged over the last few hundred years, resulting from the shared history of the French-speaking majority in Quebec. It is unique to the Western World; Quebec is the only region in North America with a French-speaking majority, as well as one of only two provinces in Canada...
- List of Quebec movies
- National QuestionNational Question (Quebec)National Question is a general term used for questions relating to nationalities, nationalism, and nations. More specifically, the term usually refers either to the various theories about dealing with national questions National Question is a general term used for questions relating to...
- Politics of QuebecPolitics of QuebecThe politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Quebec City, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside.The...
- Quebec general election, 2003Quebec general election, 2003The Quebec general election of 2003 was held on April 14, 2003, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec . The Parti libéral du Québec , led by Jean Charest, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by Bernard Landry.-Unfolding:...
- Quebec nationalismQuebec nationalismQuebec nationalism is a nationalist movement in the Canadian province of Quebec .-1534–1774:Canada was first a french colony. Jacques Cartier claimed it for France in 1534, and permanent French settlement began in 1608. It was part of New France, which constituted all French colonies in North America...
- Quebec sovereigntism