Claude Fournier (born July 23, 1931 in

Waterloo, Quebec Waterloo ( 2021 population 4,920) is a city in the Canadian province of Quebec. It is included in La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality, in the administrative area of Estrie. Completely encircled by the township of Shefford, this resident ...

) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

film director, screenwriter, editor and

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

. He is one of the forerunners of the

Cinema of Quebec The history of cinema in Quebec started on June 27, 1896 when the Frenchman Louis Minier inaugurated the first movie projection in North America in a Montreal theatre room. However, it would have to wait until the 1960s before a genuine Quebec ...

. He is the twin brother of

Guy Fournier Guy Fournier, CM (born 23 July 1931 in Waterloo, Quebec) is a Quebec author, playwright, and screenwriter. From 8 September 2005 to 19 September 2006 he was chairman of the board of directors of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Personal li ...

Career

Claude Fournier began his career in journalism then moved to the

Radio-Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

as a news cameraman. He joined the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

in 1957 as a writer and director, and he worked on early cinéma-vérité films such as '' À Saint-Henri le cinq septembre'' and '' La lutte''. He left the Board to work in the United States with famed documentary filmmakers

Richard Leacock Richard Leacock (18 July 192123 March 2011)
The Telegraph (Lon ...

and

D.A. Pennebaker Donn Alan Pennebaker (; July 15, 1925 – August 1, 2019) was an American documentary filmmaker and one of the pioneers of direct cinema. Performing arts and politics were his primary subjects. In 2013, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sc ...

, then returned to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

in 1963 to set up his own production company, Rose Films. In 1970, he directed ''

Two Women in Gold ''Two Women in Gold'' (french: Deux femmes en or) is a Canadian sex comedy film, directed by Claude Fournier and released in 1970.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 227. Plot Fernande Turcot and Violette La ...

(Deux femmes en or)'', one of the most successful Quebec films of its time. In the private sector, Fournier produced over 100 short films, co-wrote the

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...

film ''

A Special Day ''A Special Day'' ( it, Una giornata particolare) is a 1977 Italian drama film directed by Ettore Scola and starring Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni and John Vernon. Set in Rome in 1938, its narrative follows a woman and her neighbor who stay h ...

'', a Canada-Italy co-production that was nominated for an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

, and directed ''The Tin Flute'' with

Marilyn Lightstone Marilyn Lightstone (born 28 June 1940) is a Canadian stage, film and television actress and writer. Biography Early life and education Born in Montreal, Quebec, Marilyn Lightstone graduated from Baron Byng High School in 1957. She went on to ...

and ''The Book of Eve'' with

Claire Bloom Patricia Claire Bloom (born 15 February 1931) is an English actress. She is known for leading roles in plays such as ''A Streetcar Named Desire,'' ''A Doll's House'', and '' Long Day's Journey into Night'', and has starred in nearly sixty film ...

. ''

The Tin Flute ''The Tin Flute'' (original French title ''Bonheur d'occasion'', literally "secondhand happiness") is the first novel by Canadian author Gabrielle Roy and a classic of Canadian fiction. Imbued with Roy's brand of compassion and understanding, th ...

'' was entered into the

13th Moscow International Film Festival The 13th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 7 to 21 July 1983. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Moroccan-Guinea-Senegalese film '' Amok'' directed by Souheil Ben-Barka, the Nicaraguan-Cuban-Mexican-Costa Rican film ''Alsino and ...

. His 1988 TV series ''

The Mills of Power ''The Mills of Power'' (french: Les Tisserands du pouvoir) is a Canadian television miniseries, directed by Claude Fournier. A historical drama, the film centres on the historical phenomenon of French Canadians who emigrated to New England for w ...

(Les Tisserands du pouvoir)'' won him a Gémeaux Award for best direction of a television drama and a

Genie Award for Best Screenplay The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television presents one or more annual awards for the Best Screenplay for a Canadian film. Originally presented in 1968 as part of the Canadian Film Awards, from 1980 until 2012 the award continued as part of the Gen ...

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films ''Citizen X'' (1995) an ...

described him as "one of the truly wretched directors of the world." Also a published poet, novelist and essayist, Claude Fournier is one of the most durable and respected Quebec filmmakers of his generation.

Filmography

Features

*''

(Deux femmes en or)'' - 1970 *''

The Master Cats ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

(Les chats bottés)'' - 1971 *''

Alien Thunder ''Alien Thunder'' (also known as ''Dan Candy's Law'') is a 1974 Canadian Northern film directed by Claude Fournier and starring Donald Sutherland. Its original screenplay was written by W.O. Mitchell but Mitchell removed his name from the fi ...

'' - 1974 *''

The Apple, the Stem and the Seeds ''The Apple, the Stem and the Seeds'' (french: La pomme, la queue et les pépins) is a Canadian sex comedy film, directed by Claude Fournier and released in 1970.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 16. The fi ...

(La pomme, la queue et les pépins)'' - 1974 *''

Far from You Sweetheart ''Far from You Sweetheart'' (french: Je suis loin de toi mignonne) is a 1976 Canadian comedy-drama film, directed by Claude Fournier.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 75. The film stars Dominique Michel and ...

(Je suis loin de toi mignonne)'' - 1976 *'' The Clean Up Squad (Les chiens chauds)'' - 1980 *''

(Bonheur d'occasion)'' - 1983 *''Page trois: un ordinateur au coeur'' - 1985 *''

Heads or Tails Coin flipping, coin tossing, or heads or tails is the practice of throwing a coin in the air and checking obverse and reverse, which side is showing when it lands, in order to choose between two alternatives, heads or tails, sometimes used to res ...

(J'en suis!)'' - 1997 *'' The Book of Eve (Histoires d'Ève)'' - 2003 *''

My Only Love ''My Only Love'' is a Philippine television drama romance series broadcast by GMA Network. Based on a 1982 Philippine film of the same title, the series is the fifth instalment of ''Sine Novela''. Directed by Louie Ignacio, it stars Mark Herras ...

(Je n'aime que toi)'' - 2004

Documentaries

*''Télésphore Légaré, garde-pêche'' (Short film, 1959) *''Alfred Desrochers, poète'' (Short film, 1960) *''La France sur un caillou'' (Short film Co-Directed with

Gilles Groulx Gilles Groulx (August 30, 1931 in Montreal, Quebec – August 22, 1994) was a Canadian film director. He grew up in a working-class family with 14 children. After studying business in school, he went to work in an office but found the white-co ...

, 1961) *'' La lutte'' (Short film Co-Directed with

Michel Brault Michel Brault, OQ (25 June 1928 – 21 September 2013) was a Canadian cinematographer, cameraman, film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He was a leading figure of Direct Cinema, characteristic of the French branch of the National ...

Marcel Carrière Marcel Carrière (born April 16, 1935) is a Canadian film director and sound engineer. Biography Marcel Carrière joined the NFB in 1955 after studying electronic engineering and developed his skills as a sound engineer while working on wildli ...

and

Claude Jutra Claude Jutra (; March 11, 1930 – November 5, 1986) was a Canadian actor, film director, and screenwriter.

, 1961) *''Midwestern Floods'' (Short film, 1962) *''Nehru'' (Short film, 1962) *''Vingt ans express'' (Series of 7 shorts, 1963–1964) *''Nomades de l'ouest'' (Short film, 1963) *''Calgary Stampede'' (Short film, 1965) *''Deux femmes'' (Short film, 1965) *''Columbium'' (Short film, 1966) *''Londres'' (Short film, 1966) *''On sait où entrer Tony, mais c'est les notes'' (Short film, 1966) *''Québec an 2000'' (Short film co-directed with

Aimée Danis Aimée Danis (September 19, 1929 - May 8, 2012) was a Canadian film director and producer from Quebec.Guy Fournier"Aimée Danis, une femme si effacée" ''Le Journal de Montréal'', May 16, 2012. She produced the films ''Léolo'' and ''My Friend Ma ...

, 1966) *''Sebring, La cinquième heure'' (Short film, 1966) *''Ti-Jean'' (Short film, 1966) *''Tony Roman'' (Short film, 1966) *''Du général au particulier'' (Short film, 1967) *''Canada Today'' (Short film of Expo 67, 1967) *''La greffe cardiaque'' (Short film, 1969) *''La greffe cardiaque, symposium de Montréal'' (Short film, 1969) *''Coeurs neufs'' (Short film a.k.a. ''Hearts'', 1969) *''Le dossier Nelligan'' (1969) *''...Et Dieu créa l'été'' (Short film Co-Directed with Marie-José Raymond, 1974) *''Aliments, gentils aliments'' (Short film Co-Directed with Marie-José Raymond, 1975)

Television

*'' The Newcomers'' - TV miniseries, 1977) *'' The New Avengers'' - TV series, 1977 *''Tales of the Klondike'' - TV miniseries a.k.a. ''The Scorn of Women'', 1981 *''

(Les tisserands du pouvoir)'' - TV miniseries, 1987 *''Golden Fiddles'' - TV miniseries, 1990 *''Juliette Pomerleau'' - TV miniseries, 1999 *''Félix Leclerc: Les esprits du fleuve'' - TV miniseries, 2005

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fournier, Claude 1931 births Canadian screenwriters in French Screenwriters from Quebec Film directors from Quebec Living people People from Montérégie Canadian cinematographers French Quebecers National Film Board of Canada people Canadian twins