Michel Brault, OQ (25 June 1928 – 21 September 2013) was a Canadian
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 ...
,
cameraman
A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not imply that a male is performing the task.
In filmmakin ...
,
film director
A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...
,
screenwriter
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
, and
film producer
A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...
. He was a leading figure of Direct Cinema, characteristic of the French branch of 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 the 1960s. Brault was a pioneer of the
hand-held camera
Hand-held camera or hand-held shooting is a filmmaking and video production technique in which a camera is held in the camera operator's hands as opposed to being mounted on a tripod or other base. Hand-held cameras are used because they are conve ...
aesthetic.
Career
His early cameraman work 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 ...
Pour la suite du monde
''Pour la suite du monde'' (also known as ''For Those Who Will Follow''; ''Of Whales, the Moon, and Men'', or ''The Moontrap'' in English) is a 1963 Canadian documentary film directed by Michel Brault, Marcel Carrière and Pierre Perrault. It wa ...
'') virtually defines the look of classic Quebec cinema. He became involved with filmmaking while still at university and 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 1956, working on the celebrated '' Candid Eye'' series. From 1961–62 he was in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
Raoul Coutard
Raoul Coutard (16 September 1924 – 8 November 2016) was a French cinematographer. He is best known for his connection with the Nouvelle Vague period and particularly for his work with director Jean-Luc Godard. Coutard also shot films for New Wa ...
Pierre Juneau
Pierre Juneau, , (October 17, 1922 – February 21, 2012) was a Canadian film and broadcast executive, a one-time member of the Canadian Cabinet, the first chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and ...
40th Berlin International Film Festival
The 40th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 9 to 20 February 1990. The festival opened with ''Steel Magnolias'' by Herbert Ross, which was shown out of competition. The Golden Bear was awarded ''ex aequo'' to the American fi ...
. He won
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 ...
for lensing ''Mon oncle Antoine'' and ''
The Time of the Hunt
''The Time of the Hunt'' (french: Le Temps d'une chasse) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Francis Mankiewicz and released in 1972. An examination of masculinity, the film centres on Willy (Guy L'Écuyer), Richard (Marcel Sabourin) and Lionel ...
(Le Temps d’une chasse)'', and
Genie Awards
The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...
Orders
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
(Les Ordres)'' (1974), which he directed, shot and wrote, won for him the CFA for direction and he shared the best director award at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival. The film seamlessly fuses documentary and fiction styles while dramatizing the trauma of innocent people caught up in the
of 1970. It is still regarded as a masterpiece of Canadian cinema.
Death
Brault died of a heart attack on the afternoon of 21 September 2013, while en route to the Film North – Huntsville International Film Festival, where he was to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. According to festival founder Lucy Wing, Brault had arrived at Pearson International Airport after a flight from his home in Montreal, accompanied by his son, Sylvain. Brault had begun the drive north to
Huntsville
Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...
by limousine when he began to feel ill, approximately one hour after his arrival in Toronto. A Ceremony of Commemoration was held for Brault on 4 October 4, 2013 at the Église Saint-Mathieu in Beloeil, Quebec. Among those present for this homage were the provincial premier,
, and Brault's leading lady from ''Entre la mer et l'eau douce'', Genevieve Bujold.
Personal life
His son, Sylvain Brault, is one of Quebec’s top cameramen, and his daughter, Anouk, is a producer.
Honours and distinctions
* 1964 - Film of the Year,
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 ...
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 ...
Molson Prize
The Thomas Henry Pentland Molson Prize for the Arts is awarded by the Canada Council, Canada Council for the Arts. Two prizes are awarded annually to distinguished individuals. One prize is awarded in the arts, one in the social sciences and human ...
Flanders International Film Festival
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture ...
Governor General's Performing Arts Award
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Over the course of his career, Brault worked as a director or cinematographer on over 200 films. Some of the most notable of these films include:
As director
Fiction
*''Matin'' - 1960 (short film)
*''Geneviève'' - 1965 (short film, re-released as part of the 1966 anthology film ''La fleur de l'âge'')
*'' Between Salt and Sweet Water (Entre la mer et l'eau douce)'' - 1967
*''
Orders
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
*''Chèvres'' (Short film Co-Directed with Claude Sylvestre, 1954)
*''La Mattawin, rivière sauvage'' (Short film Co-Directed with Claude Sylvestre, 1954)
*'' Les raquetteurs'' (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 ...
, 1958)
*''Eye Witness No. 101'' (Documentary series Co-Directed with Grant Crabtree, 1958)
*'' La lutte'' (Short film Co-Directed with
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 ...
Claude Jutra
Claude Jutra (; March 11, 1930 – November 5, 1986) was a Canadian actor, film director, and screenwriter.
, 1962)
*''Les enfants du silence'' (Short film, 1962)
*''
Pour la suite du monde
''Pour la suite du monde'' (also known as ''For Those Who Will Follow''; ''Of Whales, the Moon, and Men'', or ''The Moontrap'' in English) is a 1963 Canadian documentary film directed by Michel Brault, Marcel Carrière and Pierre Perrault. It wa ...
'' (Co-Directed with
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 ...
Bernard Gosselin
Bernard Gosselin (October 5, 1934 – March 20, 2006) was a Canadian cinematographer and documentary film director.Jerry White. The Cinema of Canada'. Wallflower Press; 2006. . p. 43–. He is known for his work with the National Film Board of ...
À St-Henri le cinq septembre
''À St-Henri le cinq septembre'' (English release title: ''September Five at Saint-Henri'') is a 1962 National Film Board of Canada (NFB) documentary film directed by Hubert Aquin about the first day of school for children and their families in th ...
The Time of the Hunt
''The Time of the Hunt'' (french: Le Temps d'une chasse) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Francis Mankiewicz and released in 1972. An examination of masculinity, the film centres on Willy (Guy L'Écuyer), Richard (Marcel Sabourin) and Lionel ...
Beyond Forty
''Beyond Forty'' (french: La Quarantaine) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Anne Claire Poirier and released in 1982.No Mercy'' - 1985
* ''
The Great Land of Small
''The Great Land of Small'' (french: C'est pas parce qu'on est petit qu'on peut pas être grand!) is a 1986 Canadian fantasy children's film. It was written by David Sigmund and directed by Vojtěch Jasný. The film starred Michael J. Anderson i ...