Cinema Canada/25 = • F I L M 5 T U D I E 5 •

• F I L M 5 , u D I E 5 • ral shF -- by Louis Goyette ~ like to reestablish Jutra's motives for moving to Toronto to work for the CBC. After the release of Wow in 1969, (Translated by Tom Waugh) Jutra shared'his thoughts with a Quebec critic: he death of Claude Jutra represe?ts "Tbe simple fact of wanting to make an immense loss for the Canadian films in Quebec is a political act. It's Tfilm world. His name is associated only here that Ifeel myself, I belong here first and foremost with Mon Oncle An and it's here that I can find my identity. toine (1971), considered to this day as T couldn't create elsewhere. And when the best Canadian film ever. This film we demand the right to makefilms here was also acclaimed by the international at home, we demand the control not press, with prizes garnered abroad as only of our cinema, but also of our well as in Canada. Jutra's renown was country.") based primarily on films he shot in These comments might seem surpris Quebec: Tout prendre (1963), Wow A ing considering that Jutra made several (1969), Kamouraslfi (1973) and La films outside of Quebec. All the same, we Dame en couleurs (1985) are works must remember the social and political that have earned a central place in the 5l context Quebec was plunged into dur Canadian film repertory. § ing those years. Nationalist feelings were It is important, however, to remember ~ stronger than ever before in Quebec cul that Jutra had a brief but important ~ ture, Think of Charlebois's songs from career in English Canada, and the princi- :g that period or of the appearance of other pal goal of this article is to assess the <3 deeply nationalist popular music. Jutra filmmaker's English Canadian produc- 12 was himself also caught up in nationalist tion. This part of the filmmaker's work .§ feelings and these comments are tes has been unjustly overlooked by critics E timony to his intimate ties to Quebec. and I would like to restore it to its im- E In 1975, his film Pour Ie meilleur et portant place within Jutra's oeuvre. In 8 pour Ie pue was released, an event particular, Ada and Dreamspeaker ~ from which Jutra probably never reco share wholly in Jutra's personal themes g: vered. The reviews were very harsh, and and deserve our attention all the more. 1ii to make matters worse, weak publicity They must certainly not be seen as ~ ~ managed to keep the film only three minor works. At the same time, I would g ~ weeks in its first-run showplace. Devas -------------------------------S ~ tated, Jutra changed his tone, telling Le Louis Goyette is an award-wi!1ning un- a .!!lJour, dergraduate student offilm at Concor- 3l ~ "IfI always refused to do film abroad, dia University. ~ ,£. it was not principles but a state Offeel - June 1987 - Cinema Canada/25 = • F I L M 5 T u D I E 5 • ings that made me do so. Now, today, connection between my medical stu I'm heartbroken that I've spent two dies and this film. As for the failure Of years of my life for a film that lasted m edicine, it's a hardproblem to resolve. three weeks at the Parisien, and that's r used to believe in medicine. My father that. ,,2 was a doctor, my grandfather was a A profound bitterness arises from dentist. I was obliged to believe in me these words. One thing was sure, gone dicine. From my point of view, I didn't were the days of making films only in make this film as an accusation Quebec on the pretext of being against doctors. That was already pre Quebecois. Invited by Toronto, Jutra sent in Margaret Gibson's story. All the then decided to go and direct for the same, the ir:zstitution is an alienating CBC (joining several other Quebecois place. r think that it would be ridicu like Gilles Carle, Francis Mankiewicz, lous to make a film showing that peo and Andre Theberge in the process). p le coming out of that hospital become 'normal' and hapf,l again. That seems impossible to me. " he II For the Record" Series Ada offers to the spectator an impres sive gallery of characters. Jutra always On several occasions,Jutra declared that said that he w as more interested by the he "had to express himself in filmmaking psychology of women than of men. Gib whatever the cost," because it was like a son's story thus became a perfect vehicle drug, a veritable passion. Directing for for analysing, in depth, relations be the CBC gave him this chance to express tween women. The cast was made up al himself. His acceptance of several pro most exclusively of actresses from the jects in Toronto was due to the fact that theatre, including Anne Anglin and Janet nothing interesting was available in Amos for the leads. For a long time,Jutra Quebec. In my interview with him on himself had studied and performed for October 14, 1986, Jutra offered this cla the theatre. That explains the importan rification: ce the filmmaker placed on the acting of "Every Quebecois filmmaker who his players: spoke English and who was interested "My relations with actors are always in working in English was welcome to established directly, since the world of participate in this project. I very often actors was also my world. When I di went from one side to the other, that is, rect, the perf ormance of the actors is carrying out projects at the same time what's most imp ortant, it's a priority. ,,9 in Quebec and elsewhere. I was doing It should be noted that during his stay the Montreal- Toronto shuttle. I took the in Toronto, Jutra participated in theatri train to go to Toronto but I would come cal activities as well. In particular, he di back regularly to Montreal to work on rected n Teatro del Pepperonni, a co other projects. People thought that I had media dell'arte praised by the critics for been in exile in Toronto for years but its originality. In addition, Jutra perfor that's false. In Toronto, everything went med in several of his own films, inclu well. I really like working with the ac ding A tout prendre, Man Onele An· tors I had. As for the films, they were toine, and Pour Ie meilleur et pour Ie suggested by the GBG peop le. They came p ire, not to mention films by other di look ing for me. ,,3 rectors, like Riel and Two Solitudes. The main goal of the For the Record The scenario for Ada remained very series was to reflect Canada in an honest faithful to Gibson's story. The film 's dia manner, its joys and its problems. In his logue is, with some exception, an exact article on the series, 4 Marc Gervais de transcription from the original. tails that all the films were structured Dreamspeaker, also from the For around a rather modest budget. In terms the Record series, w as shot on Vancou of their narrative design, these films re ver Island. One more time, an institution present a kind of hybrid of fiction and of rehabilitation is presented as an alien the great Canadian documentary tradi ating place. The film's plot goes like this: tion. They explore and analyse different Peter, a young boy suffering from serious mechanisms of our SOCiety, and are psychological problems, escapes from praised by Gervais for their high degree an institution and finds refuge with an of realism and credibility. old Indian living in a forest. In touch Jutra made two excellent films for this with nature, Peter gets back his equili series, Ada and Dreamspeaker, pro brium and his serenity. But the authori duced in 1977 by Ralph Thomas. Ada is Ada tells the story of the relations of a I was familiar with the patients' mise ties recapture him and send him back to inspired by a short story of the same title group of women living in a psychiatric rable conditions and the injustice that the institution. He can't tolerate this published in Margaret Gibson'S collec hospital, relations that are sometimes could exist.,,7 existence and commits suicide. 5 tion The Butterfly Ward. In directing very tender but often very tense. The The use of a certain kind of violence With Dreamspeaker, Claude Jutra Ada, Jutra collaborated closely with theme of the film clearly relates to Jutta's became a means of making these condi renewed a theme that he had long given Gibson: personal experience, since he had stu tions and this injustice more convincing. special emphasis: youth. On this subject, "As for Ada, they had me read the died medicine before becoming a film In Ada, injustice centres on the loboto he explained in 1970. short story in question. After reading it, maker. Ada's statement is coloured by a my that the doctors had committed on "Youth. I am the prisoner of my the first thing I did was meet Margaret violence that the viewer may find hard the brain of Ada, one of the characters. youth. There's nothing I can do about it. Gibson. She was a very beautiful wom But far from sensationalistic, this violen I think I will be always talking about it an, of a truly bizarre beauty. She resem to take. This stand is justified by the film ce is motivated and part of the author's in one way or another.

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