Traitor or Patriot

Traitor or Patriot

2000 · 82 min · ★ 8.0 · Documentary

This feature documentary is a portrait of Adélard Godbout, the largely forgotten man who was Premier of Quebec from 1939 to 1944. During his office, Godbout helped lay the groundwork for the Quiet Revolution of the 1950s and 1960s: instituting compulsory education, giving women the vote, creating Hydro-Québec and trying to free the province from domination by the clergy. Yet, during the conscription crisis, he favoured sending volunteers to fight Hitler: a sin for which many would never forgive him. Filmmaker Jacques Godbout takes a fresh look at his great-uncle's legacy.

Directed by Jacques Godbout · Written by Jacques Godbout

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Fabienne sans son Jules

Fabienne sans son Jules · 1964

Fabienne sans son Jules

She is a nightclub entertainer, in her way a highly successful exponent of her art, but there are moments when the admiration of her Montréal following is not enough. 'Fabienne' is the portrait of a woman who, having achieved enviable fame, is still far from content.

The Fate of America

The Fate of America · 1997

The Fate of America

MovieDocumentaryHistory

Two well-known Quebec artists (filmmaker Jacques Godbout and playwright René-Daniel Dubois) look at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Whose version of this historic event should prevail? Is history best served by documentary or fiction? We also meet Baron Georges Savarin de Marestan and Andrew Wolfe-Burroughs, direct descendants of Montcalm and Wolfe, both of whom died in the battle that would give birth to Canada and to the province of Quebec.

September Five at Saint-Henri

September Five at Saint-Henri · 1962

September Five at Saint-Henri

MovieDocumentary

This short film is a series of vignettes of life in Saint-Henri, a Montreal working-class district, on the first day of school. From dawn to midnight, we take in the neighbourhood’s pulse: a mother fussing over children, a father's enforced idleness, teenage boys clowning, young lovers dallying - the unposed quality of daily life.

Huit témoins

Huit témoins · 1964

MovieDocumentary

Filmed in 1964, this feature-length documentary by Jacques Godbout explores the world of delinquency through the stories of eight young people who have already committed offenses. With a touch of humor, the filmmaker paints a portrait of these youths from underprivileged backgrounds who dream of a better world.

Anne Hébert, 1916-2000

Anne Hébert, 1916-2000 · 2000

Anne Hébert, 1916-2000

MovieDocumentary

Jacques Godbout takes us into the world of Anne Hébert, a woman he considered his spiritual sister and who had only one raison d’être: literature. During the four decades of her creative process, this Quebecois poet and novelist rose to the ranks of the greatest French-language writers, with books such as Kamouraska, Les fous de Bassan and Le tombeau des rois.

Two Episodes from the Life of Hubert Aquin

Two Episodes from the Life of Hubert Aquin · 1979

Two Episodes from the Life of Hubert Aquin

MovieDocumentary

Documentary on the life of Hubert Aquin. Alive, he was a dazzling and extraordinary character. Dead, he is already legendary. From his legend, everything is both true and false. Neither biography nor critical work, this film is an evocation of his universe.

Last Resort

Last Resort · 1987

MovieDocumentary

This feature length documentary by Jacques Godbout tackles a topic all too rarely explored in the media: terrorism in Canadian society. From Montreal to Vancouver, and Quebec City to Toronto, exasperated individuals find a new calling as self-style saviours of humanity and decide to mete out their own justice. Part reportage, part essay and part critical analysis of the phenomenon, this film includes first-hand accounts by Serge Daoust, Franco Piperno, François Schirm, Pierre Vallières and young militants from the journal Révoltes.

Feu l'objectivité

Feu l'objectivité · 1979

Feu l'objectivité

MovieDocumentary

Investigation into political journalism in Quebec. Mainly focusing on English-speaking journalists in the press gallery at the National Assembly and their perception of current events, Godbout argues that the sense of objectivity in journalism is above all a question of culture.

Les « troubbes » de Johnny

Les « troubbes » de Johnny · 1974

Les « troubbes » de Johnny

A pleasant fantasy about the setbacks experienced by a young man who loves costumes. His wife having left him, he goes after her to live some rather funny adventures.

Alias Will James

Alias Will James · 1988

Alias Will James

MovieDocumentaryWestern

This feature-length documentary tells the incredible story of Ernest Dufault, a.k.a. Will James, a French-Canadian man who became one of the most legendary cowboys of the American West. For over 30 years, as he went from cattle rustler to ex-convict, he managed to keep his secret. And when he took up the pen, he became a Hollywood legend. Watch this compelling exploration of the powerful attraction the West still holds for young adventurers.

People Might Laugh at Us

People Might Laugh at Us · 1964

People Might Laugh at Us

On the Maria reserve in the Baie des Chaleurs region of Québec, Mi’kmaq children make birds and dolls of brightly coloured paper, which they hang in trees. But they are reluctant to have visitors see them, claiming, 'People might laugh at us.' The film is without comment except for the background music.

Urbanissimo

Urbanissimo · 1967

MovieAnimationComedy

A comic allegory in which a runaway "city" on legs matches wits with a wily farmer. A farmer has an encounter with a runaway "city" (which devours its environs). He deserts his rural home for the imagined joys of urban life.

The Black Sheep

The Black Sheep · 1992

The Black Sheep

MovieDocumentary

From coast to coast, from St. John's, Newfoundland to Vancouver, British Columbia, Jacques Godbout films a documentary chronicle of the political turnaround that was to follow the Meech Lake Accord. Following the Meech referendum, Quebec and Canada found themselves at an impasse after a long and ultimately fruitless negotiation, various social and political actors spoke out. Their comments, linked to film clips on the lives of important Canadian politicians (Sir Georges-Étienne Cartier, John A. Macdonald, Louis-Joseph Papineau...), draw parallels between the speeches of yesterday and those of the post-Meech era.

The Mob

The Mob · 1975

MovieCrimeDrama

Seasoned drug smuggler and thief François “Chico” Tremblay is tired of his modest lifestyle. Given the opportunity to earn $50,000 killing a prominent New York City gangster, he leaps at the opportunity, ignoring the warnings of Montreal’s leading mob boss, who has forbidden local criminals from taking the assignment. Upon his return, Chico discovers he is being pursued from all sides, prompting an unlikely response: he calls a local talk radio show and starts revealing the mafia’s most carefully guarded secrets. As his revelations get more shocking, so do the tactics of his adversaries, culminating in a devastating gut punch of a finale.

Derrière l'image

Derrière l'image · 1978

Derrière l'image

MovieDocumentary

This feature-length documentary analyzes television newscasts and, as a result, takes a look at the news industry as a whole. By tackling five major themes – the script, the stars, the show, the actors and telecracy – it elucidates and demystifies certain aspects of television news, the bearer of daily news and guarantor of a certain image of reality.

YUL 871

YUL 871 · 1966

An engineer from Paris flies to Montreal, partly on business, partly in search of parents displaced by World War II, and partly because of the prevailing restlessness of the age.

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