L'abatis

In the countryside of Quebec, a new phenomenon has appeared: violence. How does a handsome, tall, free and peaceful village boy let himself be led down the path of crime?

This colorful archival record of Québec City's Winter Carnival shows that many popular events of today—pageants, parades, boat races, folk dancing, fireworks, and torchlight skiing—were also favorites many years ago.

Set on an ice-encircled island in the St. Lawrence, this is a drama of passion and violence. An old man, attached to his ancestral home and traditions, is confronted by his son, an immature young man who has no time for these values. The outcome is tragic as the father refuses to let his home fall into the hands of outsiders.

In this National Film Board short, a ballad singer describes a yearly Quebec spectacle when spruce wood moves down a river, spurred by dynamite and cant hooks and twirled by the boots of leaping men.

Part comic adventure, part travelogue, this short film features the folkloric character of Ti-Jean, a French-Canadian kid endowed with magic powers. He travels west, drawing upon his superhuman strength to save a farmer’s crops.