''Eliza's Horoscope'' is a 1975 Canadian feature from Gordon Sheppard, one of the most enigmatic features made in Canada.

Background

Gordon Sheppard (1937–2006) began his career with the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 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. ...

in 1960 as a writer and interviewer on public affairs programs such as "The Lively Arts." His 1962 film about

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...

, ''The Most'', was praised by

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

as "a great documentary short." In 1965 he was appointed to the Secretary of State as a special consultant on a proposal to create the Canadian Film Development Corporation (later

Telefilm Canada Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation reporting to Canada's federal government through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm provides services to the Canadian audiovisual industry with four regional offices in V ...

). Leaving government service, Sheppard began work on his flawed masterpiece, which was originally titled ''Susan's Horoscope.'' After drafting a script, he approached Hefner for financial support. Hefner invited him to the Chicago Playboy Club to discuss the idea, and though he ultimately wasn't interested, this visit led to Sheppard meeting Elizabeth Moorman, who was working as a

Playboy Bunny A Playboy Bunny is a waitress who works at a Playboy Club and selected through standardized training. Their costumes were made up of lingerie, inspired by the tuxedo-wearing Playboy rabbit mascot. This costume consisted of a strapless corset te ...

at the Chicago club at the time. Sheppard convinced Moorman to join him in Montreal and renamed the project ''Eliza's Horoscope'' after her. A ten-minute film was shot in 1969, but the feature was not completed until 1974 (which explains why there are three cinematographers on the film).

Synopsis

The central character is an eighteen-year-old woman named Eliza (Elizabeth Moorman), who learns from an astrologer that she will meet a rich husband and proceeds to look for one. She rooms with an older prostitute (

Lila Kedrova Yelizaveta Nikolaevna Kedrova (Russian: Елизавета Николаевна Кедрова; 9 October 1909 – 16 February 2000), known as Lila Kedrova, was a Russian-born French actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actre ...

, the veteran Russian-born actress who had won an Oscar for ''

Zorba the Greek ''Zorba the Greek'' ( el, Βίος και Πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά, , Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas) is a novel written by the Cretan author Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1946. It is the tale of a young Greek int ...

'') in a rundown Montreal apartment where a young man of mixed indigenous and European heritage (

Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor and film director. He has received four Academy Award nominations, winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in the 1993 thriller film '' The ...

in one of his first screen appearances) falls for her. Later he is killed trying to blow up a bridge as a form of protest. Heavily allegorical and densely symbolic, ''Eliza's Horoscope'' is a psychedelic film left over from the 1960s – closer to

Bob Rafelson Robert Jay Rafelson (February 21, 1933 – July 23, 2022) was an American film director, writer, and producer. He is regarded as one of the key figures in the founding of the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s. Among his best-known films as a ...

’s ''

Head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

'' than

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most i ...

’s ''

Juliet of the Spirits ''Juliet of the Spirits'' ( it, Giulietta degli spiriti) is a 1965 fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini and starring Giulietta Masina, Sandra Milo, Mario Pisu, Valentina Cortese, and Valeska Gert. The film is about the vi ...

''.

Richard Manuel Richard George Manuel (April 3, 1943 – March 4, 1986) was a Canadian singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter, best known as a pianist and one of three lead singers in The Band, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and ...

, formerly of the legendary Canadian group The Band, appears as a background extra in the film.

Awards

Canadian Film Awards The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

– Supporting Actress (Kedrova), Cinematography (van der Linden), Art Direction, Overall Sound, Special Award It was also a nominee for

Best Feature Film Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

, but did not win.

References

External links

* * 1975 films Films shot in Montreal Films set in Montreal Canadian avant-garde and experimental films Canadian drama films English-language Canadian films 1970s Canadian films {{1970s-Canada-film-stub