''Hold on to Daddy's Ears'' (), also known as ''What the Hell Are They Complaining About?'',

Gerald Pratley Gerald Arthur Pratley (September 3, 1923 – March 14, 2011) was a Canadian film critic and historian. Piers Handling"Gerald Arthur Pratley" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', September 18, 2011. A longtime film critic for the Canadian Broadcasting Cor ...

, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 237. is a Canadian comedy film, directed by Jean Bissonnette and released in 1971. A satirical allegory for

Quebec nationalism 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 ...

, the film stars Dominique Michel as Suzanne David and

Yvon Deschamps Yvon Deschamps (born July 31, 1935, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Quebec author, actor, comedian and producer best known for his monologues. His social-commentary-tinged humour propelled him to prominence in Quebec popular culture in the 1970s and 1 ...

as Jacques Martin, two

French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...

s working for the

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

office of a large

English Canadian English Canadians (), or Anglo-Canadians (), refers to either Canadians of English ethnic origin and heritage or to English-speaking or Anglophone Canadians of any ethnic origin; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadians. Cana ...

insurance company from

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

.Charles-Henri Ramond
"Tiens-toi bien après les oreilles à papa – Film de Jean Bissonnette"
''Films du Québec'', April 12, 2009. The cast also includes Dave Broadfoot as the company president Mr. Thompson, as well as Paule Bayard,

Gilles Latulippe Gilles Latulippe Order of Canada, CM Knight of the National Order of Quebec, CQ (31 August 1937 – 23 September 2014) was a French-speaking Quebecer, Québécois actor, comedian and theatre director and manager. Latulippe was a central figure in ...

, Jean Leclerc,

Hélène Loiselle Hélène Loiselle (March 17, 1928 – August 7, 2013) was a Canadian actress living and working in Quebec. Life She was born in Montreal and studied acting with Charlotte Boisjoli, François Rozet, and during the 1940s. Loiselle joined ...

, Suzanne Lévesque, Alpha Boucher and Claude Michaud in supporting roles.

Release

The film premiered in limited release in Montreal on December 25, 1971. It was an immediate popular success, grossing over $600,000 in eight weeks across just five theatres; it received broader theatrical release across Quebec in 1972, ultimately grossing over $2 million across its entire theatrical run.Dane Lanken
"Comedy is best policy for Gilles Richer"
''

Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...

'', February 24, 1973.

Legacy

Screenwriter Gilles Richer's next film, 1973's '' Enuff Is Enuff (J'ai mon voyage!)'' addressed similar themes and again starred Michel, but was not a sequel to ''Daddy's Ears''. In contemporary times, the film has also been analyzed as a precursor of the

MeToo movement #MeToo is a social movement and Consciousness raising, awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment and rape culture, in which women publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was init ...

for its depiction of the sexist behaviour that Suzanne was forced to endure in the workplace. A key scene in the film, in which Suzanne and Jacques are forced to pray the

rosary The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...

in both English and French simultaneously, is considered one of the classic scenes in the cinema of Quebec.Mario Girard
"L’impressionnant parcours d’un homme discret"
'' La Presse'', April 2, 2016. The song "Mommy Daddy", written by Richer and songwriter Marc Gélinas and performed by Michel and Gélinas for the film's soundtrack, was a hit, which became one of Michel's enduring

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

s and was inducted into the

Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame () is a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 1998 by Frank Davies, that inducts Canadians into their ''Hall of Fame'' within three different categories: songwriters, songs, and those others who have m ...

in 2014.Lara Zarum
"Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame"
''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

'', October 26, 2020.

References

External links

*{{imdb title, 0190203 1971 films Canadian comedy films Canadian satirical films 1970s Canadian films French-language Canadian films Quebec films 1971 comedy films 1970s French-language films