Ciné-club constitutionnel: screening of Les Ordres

The Constitutional Ciné-club and Professor Johanne Poirier invite you to movie screening for the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Canadian confederation. The purpose of the program is to present films that will allow viewers to learn more about issues that have marked Canada and gain some critical reflection on them.

For this screening, we are delighted to announce that Quebec artist Louise Forestier, who played a role in Les Ordres, will be there to present the movie and to answer questions.

Les Ordres is a 1974 Quebec historical Les Ordres is a gripping reenactment of the roundup and imprisonment of ordinary Québécois citizens during the October Crisis of 1970, when Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act and regional authorities imposed virtual martial law in the panicked aftermath of kidnappings by the secessionist Front de libération du Québec (FLQ). Events unfold with startling immediacy in this early example of pseudo-documentary filmmaking—reminiscent of the work of Peter Watkins—as director Michel Brault borrows the handheld camerawork and wild sound of the cinéma vérité school to film actors speaking the words of actual participants in the events, culled from extensive interviews. Restored digitally by Éléphant, mémoire du cinéma québécois. Les Ordres shared a Cannes Film Festival Award in 1975 and four Canadian Film Awards the same year. It was also selected as the Canadian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 48th Academy Awards. The film was recently screened in the Cannes Classics section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

Watch the trailer : elephantcinema.quebec/video/recherche/michel brault/les-ordres/