Film R€yi€UJ/ lot more than anyone else. Instead, he out of the ground, appear to a child in tempted to speculate that her participation, organizes a seance, where Helen Burns another house, shatter mirrors, cause and name above the title, could be one of turns in a terrifyingly believable perfor­ fatal car accidents, violently shake massive the perks that goes along with being Mrs. mance as a psychic medium. Through the pieces of furniture in an office miles away, George C. Scott. rather nebulous connection of Scott's set fires and cause hurricane winds (even The Changeling'won 'Best Picture' at recent bereavement it evolves that a indoors), what does it really need Scott Canada's Genie Awards; but alas, these 'presence' is not only trying to communi­ for? things are relative. In the American sys­ cate with him, but also gain his assistance With its four, major, foreign stars, the tem, this would be comparable to some­ to settle an old score. one area where this picture has managed thing less than The Omen or The Offering Ultimately, this brings Scott to old to show restraint is in its use of Canadian winning a Best Picture Oscar. Senator Joe Carmichael (Melvyn Doug­ performers. Much has been made of this In addition, The Changeling will un­ las in an excellent performance). How­ lately, and with good reason. Ifs amazing doubtedly do business, and could even ever, in the final confrontation, even to see just how tiny these token cameos garner good reviews in certain places. But Douglas is unable to overcome the incon­ for indigenous talent can become; and there's something vaguely dishonest sistencies built into his character, and the taking co-star billing for a three-minute about this picture. At its core, it has not result undermines a scene on which so part seems a humiliating concession. been well enough constructed to offer much hinges that it sets a wonky tone for Most noticeable among the locals, aside much more than a rehash of some of the the bang-up, no-holds-baned, bum-down- from those mentioned, is a flash of Barry gothic-suspense genre's most tortured all-the-sets ending. Morse as a parapsychologist and a single cliches, and no amount of spectacular With few exceptions, there seems to scene of John Colicos in a broad, eye- production value is really able to com­ have been little restraint in any area of this popping parody of a police chief. pensate. production. Trish Van Devere's performance so The script by William Gray and Diana often relies on bland and elegant poise, Maddox, from the story by Russell Hunter, and ajj impeccable wardrobe, that one is Roy Moore brings into play all the well-worn tactics of the genre, though many of them, on their own, work effectively — largely due to society at the turn of the century. The George C. Scott's almost consistently lean Beaudin's overwhelming power of the Catholic intelligent performance. Church parallels that of the legal system, Rick Wilkins' score contains a sweet Cordelia and is just as oppressive. The force behind and haunting melody and the cues are admirable. But in the end, the music is p.c. National Film Board in collaboration with laid on too thickly, as though silence Radio-Canada p. Jean-Marc Garand p.man. L.aurcnce Pare d. Jean Beaudin a.d. Jacques behind scenes is almost unthinkable, and Benoit sc. Jean Beaudin, Marcel Sabourin, the audience must be continually re­ based on novel La lampe dans la fenetre by minded of how nervous it should be. Pauline Cadieux cont. Monique Champagne art. d. Denis Boucher, Vianney Gauthier d.ph. Trevor Williams' art direction is another Pierre Mignot sd. Jacques Blain mus. Maurice area where the film goes overboard. Cos­ Blackburn ed. Jean Beaudin cost. Louise tumes are intrusively tasteful, and the sets Jobin chief elec. Kevin O'Connell l.p. Louise so sumptuous that one can't help won­ Portal, Gaston Lepage, Raymond Cloutier, Gilbert Sicotte, James Blendik, Pierre Gobeil, dering how these people got so filthy rich. Jean-Louis Roux Marcel Sabourin, Claude Director Peter Medak's overall pace is Gauthier, Jean-Pierre Masson, Julie Morand, languorous, too often dwelling on the Michelle Rossiqnol, Olivette Thibault, Lionel scenery and plot points that are already Villeneuve, RoTland Bedard, Frangoise Berd, Roger Garand, Jean Gascon, Henry Ramer, more than clear. The resulting film runs Serge Theriault pub. Les Films Mutuels col. about twenty minutes too long. Though a 35 mm length 118 min. year 1979 dist Les good line of tension runs through certain Films Mutuels. sequences, the meanderings and credibil­ ity problems make it tough to maintain. The most serious error of excess has to "Guilty for having loved life... Con­ do with the character of the 'spirif in the demned for having lived it passionately." house, which seems to have been delin­ So cry out these lines from the advertise­ eated not by the writers, but by what must ment which, along with a picture of Cor­ have been an enormous special effects delia (Louise Portal) pulling at prison budget bars, announces that this is a tragic film of 461 Church Street Toronto • If this spirit can make thunderous injustice. Cordelia Viau's husband was sounds, open and slam doors, strike piano murdered in 1897, and the film is about Ontdrb'Canada keys, break windows, switch on lights, I the unjust trial and hanging of Cordelia turn on taps, make its voice heard on and her supposed lover, Samuel. La Telephones; tape, dictate musical composittons to Presse claims the affair "still haunts the Scotfs unconscious, throw glasses, memory of the population" of Quebec, 9(ffi-0181 instantaneously retrieve a child's ball and that it has become a legend here. thrown into a distant river, push wheel­ Cordelia is a film of social criticism, 9f£-0182 chairs around, make gold chains slink up and in particular, a criticism of Quebec Cinema Canada/37 FILmR€yi€Ui/ ing scene, some of the beautiful close-up textures, of the wood of the scaffolding, the rope, and the black veil over her face, seem to detract from the emotional climax itself. Beaudin is a master filmmaker, and he presents the film as a series of short, unified sequences, separate emotional events or comments which are memory units in the building of this portrait of the emotional Cordelia. Often the characters in a sequence communicate entirely through glances or peculiar expressions. Beaudin's camera style is also very inter­ esting. Often the camera does not move, or moves very subtly to follow the central character in frame — usually Cordelia. At other moments, when Cordelia does not move and is alone in frame, (at home or in prison), the camera moves in very slowly to an ever closer close-up. The camera is always discreet, never attracting attention to itself. An obviously moving camera is used in only three sequences. These are the scenes where the people in the community No escape for Cordelia (Louise Portal) are all seated together: in the church, at the trial, and at the hanging. The camera tracks slowly across the townspeople in a these all-powerful and inflexible institu­ possible solution to the mystery crime are different way each time, finally, directly tions stems from the social mores of the acceptable; but an unexplained treatment accusing the faces of legal murder times, and the intolerance of family- of plot details does not usually work in a As for the acting, the performers are oriented rural society. The village women film — especially if the film itself intro­ generally excellent; particularly Gaston express most of this intolerance; an in­ duces details and then ignores them. In Lepage as the "haunting" face for the tolerance which ranges from the sup­ doing so, one concludes that the crime's country bumpkin, Samuel, and Raymond pressed resentment of the women who solution would have been better left totally Cloutier, as the loathsome family friend watch over Cordelia's mourning for her to the spectator's imagination. and public prosecutor, Jos Fortier. Louise dead husband, to the blatant spltttng Also confusing is the mystery of Corde­ Portal's performance as Cordelia is also animosity of Samuel's mother Why do lia's skin disease. The titles preceeding superb, and suffers only in comparison they hate her ? Because Cordelia loves to the film suggest that the disease has with Monique Mercure in a similarly chal­ sing and dance and enjoy life ? Or is it scarred her psychologically but strangely, lenging role in J.A. Martin. Unfortunate because she loves to flirt; and spends her there is only one direct reference to it in as it is, this comparison will be made time with men, instead of other women ? the plot After nearly being raped, she almost automatically by anyone who has Or, most damning of all, is it because of cries out in shame that she has never seen both films, because of their similar the social crime she commits by not shown it (her scarred skin ?) to anyone. subject matter, and their shared direc­ having any children ? But what she says doesn't seem to make torial vision and style. However, Portal Who the real murderer is, and why any sense, for her reference to the disease brings to the character a livehness, vitality Cordelia and Samuel are persecuted, are is far from explicit as is the shot of her and range of emotion absolutely essential questions which demand attention in the exposed abdomen. If indeed the disease to the film's success.