Juliette Béliveau
A tiny Quebec community is thrown into an uproar when a tall young Texan named Bill arrives to claim a farm he has inherited. Bill's inability to speak French, and his apparent unwillingness to learn the language, foments plenty of ill will in the community. The story is resolved with an abundance of warmth and humor, sometimes hokey, sometimes hilarious.
Filmed in French, this Canadian film was based on a popular Quebec-based radio serial. The man of the title is miserable miser Seraphim (Hector Charland). Misanthropic to the point of insanity, Seraphim takes great pleasure in destroying the lives of everyone with whom he comes in contact. His current target is Alexis (Guy Provost), the ex-lover of Seraphim's long-suffering wife Donalda (Nicole Germain). Taking into consideration its daytime-drama source, it's understandable that Un Homme et Son Peche is plotted and paced like a soap opera. Star Hector Charland had previously spent 10 years portraying Seraphim on radio, so he's got plenty of "mean" at his disposal for this big-screen spin-off.
This short film showcases the city of Montreal on a summer's night. What was once a small Indian village is presented as a pot-pourri of contrasting sights and sounds. It is North America's second largest port and, after Paris, the world's largest French-speaking city. With its warehouses, offices, homes, clubs and amusement parks, the city serves as a bright backdrop for a happy couple out on the town.
The film was produced and directed by Gratien Gélinas, who also plays the lead role of Fridolin, and who also wrote the screenplay. It is of course a parody of the novel by Alexandre Dumas fils, La dame aux camélias . As the press noted in 1942: “…the work is a real revenge of Quebec popular culture on French classical culture” or even “ Fridolin sticks his tongue out at France!”. The film is like a bomb. We must not forget that at the time of the premiere, Gratien Gélinas was one of the most influential authors in the province. His plays were performed in French in Quebec, and in English across Canada.
