''Traitor or Patriot'' (french: Traître ou patriote) is a

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

documentary produced by 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 ...

(NFB) in 2000. It is directed by and starring

Jacques Godbout Jacques Godbout, OC, CQ (born November 27, 1933) is a Canadian novelist, essayist, children's writer, journalist, filmmaker and poet. By his own admission a bit of a dabbler (''touche-à-tout''), Godbout has become one of the most important wri ...

. Its style belongs to the Quebec cinéma direct school of

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

making.

Synopsis

It analyzes the place of

Quebec Premier The premier of Quebec ( French: ''premier ministre du Québec'' (masculine) or ''première ministre du Québec'' (feminine)) is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of the ...

Adélard Godbout Joseph-Adélard Godbout (September 24, 1892 – September 18, 1956) was a Canadian agronomist and politician. He served as the 15th premier of Quebec briefly in 1936, and again from 1939 to 1944. He served as leader of the Parti Libéral du Qu� ...

in history. Godbout is not well-considered by Quebec historians and citizens. Adérald Godbout was the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

–era Quebec

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...

, and the great-uncle of the

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

. Godbout advances some theories to explain why his great-uncle was forgotten in the collective memory of the

ers. One theory is that Adélard Godbout was more favourable than other political leaders to

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

Quebec nationalists Quebec nationalism or Québécois nationalism is a feeling and a political doctrine that prioritizes cultural belonging to, the defence of the interests of, and the recognition of the political legitimacy of the Québécois nation. It has been ...

, at the time, opposed conscription, which they saw as a British imperialist manoeuvre of

English Canada Canada comprises that part of the population within Canada, whether of British origin or otherwise, that speaks English. The term ''English Canada'' can also be used for one of the following: #Describing all the provinces of Canada that ...

to defend the

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

Production

Like other documentaries of his ('' The Black Sheep'', for example), ''Traître ou Patriote'' showcases Jacques Godbout's own style of putting himself into the

narrative thread A narrative thread, or plot thread (or, more ambiguously, a storyline), refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry "all-knowing" sor ...

: he sets up scenes where he researches his subject and interacts with others, to help push the documentary forward. One example of this is when he is filmed asking historians at a reception if they can recognize the picture of Godbout, the politician, which they cannot. Jacques Godbout provides his own voice for the voice-overs of the English version.

References

External links

*
''Traitor or Patriot''
at the

Quebec history. Adélard Godbout - - Quebec History - Histoire du Québec. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2022, from http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/bios/godbout.htm 2000 films 2000s French-language films Canadian documentary films National Film Board of Canada documentaries Documentary films about Canadian politicians Documentary films about Quebec politics Films directed by Jacques Godbout 2000 documentary films Culture of Quebec French-language Canadian films 2000s Canadian films {{2000s-Canada-documentary-film-stub

Synopsis

Production

See also

References

External links