Pierre Perrault

Pierre Perrault (29 June 1927 – 24 June 1999) was a Québécois documentary film director. He directed 20 films between 1963 and 1996. He was one of the most important filmmakers in Canada, although largely unknown outside of Québec. In 1994 he was awarded the Prix Albert-Tessier. ''Pour la suite du monde'' (1963), ''The Times That Are (Le Règne du jour)'' (1967), and ''The River Schooners (Les Voitures d'eau)'' (1968) make up his critically acclaimed L'Isle-aux-Coudres Trilogy. His film ''La bête lumineuse'' (1982) screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 36th Cannes Film Festival.

Perrault originally studied law (and practiced for two years), before becoming a radio announcer, poet, filmmaker and dramatist. His first involvement with film was on the ''Au pays neufve France'' series, which was based on his radio program for Radio-Canada.

Impact

Canadian film historian Peter Morris wrote this about Perrault in his 1984 ''The Film Companion'': "The most famous direct cinema filmmaker in Quebec, who developed a unique 'cinema of speech' that has 'spoken' about Quebec, its land and its people, and that has been at once witness of its past and often prophecy of its future. His approach involves close collaboration with his cinematographers (Michel Brault and Bernard Gosselin, who often co-direct), direct involvement with the people or events, and later, a careful construction of scenes in the editing room. From the 1960s and early 1970s (on ''Pour la suite du monde'', ''Le règne du jour'', ''Les voitures d'eau'' and ''L'Acadie L'Acadie?!'') through his later films on Abitibi and First Nations people, he expressed the concept of 'ethnic class' that some feel avoids more basic issues, even though it gave voice to long-buried cultural aspirations."

Perrault's life and work was analyzed by Jean-Daniel Lafond in the 1986 documentary film '' Dream Tracks (Les Traces du rêve)''.Marika Csano, "Jean-Daniel Lafond's Les Traces du rêve". ''Cinema Canada'', January 1987. p. 31.

Filmography

* ''Pour la suite du monde'' (Co-Directed with Michel Brault and Marcel Carrière, 1963)
* ''The Times That Are (Le Règne du jour)'' (1967)
* ''The River Schooners'' (1968)
* ''Le beau plaisir'' (Short Co-Directed with Michel Brault and Bernard Gosselin, 1968)
* ''Un pays sans bon sens!'' (1970)
* ''L'Acadie, l'Acadie'' (Co-Directed with Michel Brault, 1971)
* ''Tickets s.v.p'' (Short, 1973)
* ''Le retour à la terre'' (1976)
* ''Un royaume vous attend'' (Co-Directed with Bernard Gosselin, 1976)
* ''Le goût de la farine'' (1977)
* ''C'était un Québecois en Bretagne, Madame'' (1977)
* ''Gens d'Abitibi'' (1980)
* ''Le pays de la terre sans arbre ou Le Mouchouânipi'' (1980)
* '' The Shimmering Beast (La bête lumineuse)'' (1982)
* ''Les voiles bas et en travers'' (1983)
* ''La grande allure'' (1985)
* ''La toundra'' (1992)
* ''L'oumigmag ou l'objectif documentaire'' (1993)
* ''Cornouailles'' (1994)
* ''Icewarrior'' (1996)

Further reading

*Olivier Ducharme et Pierre-Alexandre Fradet, ''Une vie sans bon sens. Regard philosophique sur Pierre Perrault'', foreword by Jean-Daniel Lafond, Montréal, Nota bene, coll. "Philosophie continentale", 2016, 210 p.
*David Clandfield, Jerry White, Pierre Perreault;

References

External links

*

Biography of Pierre Perrault
National Film Board of Canada website

Watch films by Pierre Perrault
National Film Board of Canada website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perrault, Pierre
1927 births
1999 deaths
Canadian documentary film directors
Canadian screenwriters in French
National Film Board of Canada people
French Quebecers
Film directors from Montreal
Writers from Montreal
Governor General's Award-winning non-fiction writers
Prix Albert-Tessier winners
20th-century Canadian screenwriters