''February 15, 1839'' () is a 2001

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

historical drama film A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction such as c ...

. Directed by

Pierre Falardeau Pierre Falardeau (; December 28, 1946 – September 25, 2009) was a Québécois film and documentary director, pamphleteer and noted activist for Quebec independence. Falardeau wrote at least one book, ''Rien n'est plus précieux que la liber ...

, it is about the incarceration at the

Pied-du-Courant Prison The Pied-du-Courant Prison () is a prison museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada near the Saint Lawrence River and the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. Overview The original plan for a prison in Montreal was designed by Quebec architect George Blaikloc ...

and the execution by

hanging Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

there of Patriote participants of the

Lower Canada Rebellion The Lower Canada Rebellion (), commonly referred to as the Patriots' Rebellion () in French, is the name given to the armed conflict in 1837–38 between rebels and the colonial government of Lower Canada (now southern Quebec). Together wit ...

. Those rebels sought to make

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

, now

, a republic independent from the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. It features as characters the historical figures François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, his wife Henriette and Charles Hindelang.

Synopsis

In the aftermath of the failed 1837–38 rebellion in Lower Canada, 800 rebels are held in the Prison de Montréal. The film opens on February 14, 1839, the day when leader Marie Thomas Chevalier De Lorimier (Luc Picard) and his comrade-in-arms (Frédéric Gilles) are told they will be hanged in 24 hours. Director Pierre Falardeau makes no doubt about where his sympathies lie, but the film is as much about human beings confronting death as it is polemic, and there are tender scenes when De Lorimier's wife (Sylvie Drapeau) visits him one last time. Pierre Falardeau said that

Telefilm Canada Telefilm Canada is a Canadian Crown corporation that supports Canada's audiovisual industry. Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm Canada provides services to the Canadian audiovisual industry with four regional offices in Vancouver, British Colu ...

approved

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 Nationa ...

's 1999 movie '' Quand je serai parti... vous vivrez encore'' as an excuse to initially deny funds for ''15 février 1839''.

Release and awards

It released in the United States by

Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to: Gates *Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...

on January 26, 2001. It won four

Prix Jutra Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who ...

for Actor (

Luc Picard Luc Picard (born 24 September 1961) is a French Canadian actor, director and comedian. Early life and education Picard was born on 24 September 1961, in Lachine, Quebec, Canada. He trained at the Conservatoire d'art dramatique de Montréal, ...

), Supporting Actress (Sylvie Drapeau), Art Direction and Sound.

Critical acclaims

"It’s certainly not the masterpiece some ''indépendantiste'' viewers see in the film, but it’s also not the insufferable, propagandistic dreck various English-language critics accuse it of being." – Maurie Alioff, ''Take One: Film in Canada''

Cast

- François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier *

Sylvie Drapeau Sylvie Drapeau (born 1962) is a Canadian actress and writer from Baie-Comeau, Quebec.Marie-France Bornais"«La terre» de Sylvie Drapeau: se tourner vers la lumière" ''Le Journal de Québec'', May 4, 2019. As an actress, she is most noted for he ...

- Henriette De Lorimier * Frédéric Gilles - Charles Hindelang *

Denis Trudel Denis Trudel (; born July 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician and former actor who was elected to the House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of ...

- Jacques Yelle * Julien Poulin - Curé Marier * Yvon Barrette - Osias Primeau

References

External links