Also Directed by Pierre Falardeau
Images and sounds are spliced together in this journey to the heart of the political, economic and cultural oppression of the Quebecpeople. A reflection on neo-colonial exploitation and the cancer of alienation. To the very Canadian nulti-culturalism of Trudeau and the métissage of the multinationals, celebrated by the high priests of the dominant ideology, is contrasted the idea of acculturation, even deculturation. A way of resisting as good as any other.
The television footage of a wrestling match is employed here as a metaphor for Quebec society. Using voice-over narration, Falardeau presents a compelling analysis of the structure of wrestling and its rituals. The good guy against the evil antagonist, the forces of order and the desires of the crowd. The audience becomes part of the spectacle in this powerful show where wrestlers confront one another under the watchful eye of the referee. It is a ritual of catharsis. The documentary begins with the words, images and sounds of Quebec's political struggle, "SOS F.L.Q. Continuons le combat". Produced right after the October Crisis in 1970, a crucial moment in Quebec's struggle to become a sovereign state, independent of Canada, the tape is charged with the bitter experience and political aspirations of the period. We recognize in this tape, the "Falardeau style" evident through a very strong narration that supports the images till the end, when the video abruptly closes.
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 English-speaking Quebecers. In 1980, Speak White was made into a short motion picture by polemicists Pierre Falardeau and Julien Poulin, the six-minute film featured actress Marie Eykel reading Lalonde's poem. It was released by the National Film Board of Canada.
A dramatization of the abduction and murder of a Quebec government minister by a cell of The Quebec Liberation Front. In October 1970, one group from the same organization kidnapped the British Consul in Montreal. A few days later, a second group kidnapped Pierre Laporte, a minister of the Quebec Governement. The film tells the story of this last terrorist cell which ended in the death of its hostage.
