Paul Hebert Movies

An important moment in Canadian history is brought to the screen in this drama drawn from historical documents of the period. In 1838, Francois-Xavier Bouchard (Francis Reddy) is a member of a group of French-Canadian rebels calling themselves Les Patriotes, who are hoping to remove the British-based government from Lower Canada (now known as Quebec). Having just returned to Canada after a brief exile in the United States, Bouchard aligns himself with Les Patriotes against the advice of his family, who fear for his safety. Their fears prove well-grounded when Bouchard is captured in a raid on a British stronghold, and after an attempt to escape to America, Bouchard is subjected to a trial he feels has been fixed from the start. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Two different narratives, separated by 37 years, interconnect in this feature debut from acclaimed Canadian theater director Robert Lepage. In 1952, Alfred Hitchcock (here played by Ron Burrage) is in Quebec, filming I Confess. While the great director's presence adds a bit of Hollywood excitement to the usually sleepy city, Rachel (Suzanne Clement), a 16-year-old girl who works at a church being used for filming, is in turmoil. She's become pregnant and has nowhere to turn, so she speaks of her dilemma to the priest in the confessional, secure that it will remain confidential. In 1989, Pierre (Lothaire Bluteau) has returned to Quebec after three years in China to attend the funeral of his father. He encounters his adopted brother Marc (Patrick Goyette), and together they begin searching for answers to their difficult questions about their true heritage. Kristin Scott Thomas appears in a supporting role as Hitchcock's assistant. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this biographical film which completely intermingles dramatic reenactments with documentary footage and interviews, the life of the Quebeçois sculptor Alfred Laliberte (whose works can be seen throughout the city of Montreal and the province), is told by the Quebeçois filmmaker whose 1982 drama (Les Fleurs Sauvage) won the international critic's prize at Cannes that year. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Five terminally ill patients inside the cancer ward of one hospital are the subject of this fictional accounting of different stances in front of the specter of imminent death. Whereas a middle-aged man and woman derive strength and comfort from each other, another young man is driven to suicide after saying a final farewell to his family and friends. The stories about each of the patients are introduced in the staff meetings at the hospital, in which each of the five cases is brought up in sequence. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Robert Bresson directed this grim but moving story of a girl forced to grow up quickly due to the unfortunate circumstances which surround her. Mouchette (Nadine Nortier) is a fourteen year old girl living in a rural village in France; while it's the mid-1960's, in many respects her community looks as if it could still be World War II, or even the turn of the century, and a number of the men earn their living though poaching game. Mouchette's mother (Marie Cardinal) is slowly dying of an incurable illness, while her father (Paul Hebert) is a heavy drinker who shows little concern for his daughter, often using a hard shove as a parenting technique. Mouchette is an outcast at school, works odd jobs to help her family's meager circumstances, and has developed a thinly veiled contempt for most of those around her. One of the few places Mouchette feels at home is in the woods, and when a heavy storm breaks out while she's making her way home from school, she happens upon Arsene (Jean-Claude Guilbert), a poacher who allows her to stay in his cabin for the night; he forces himself upon her sexually, but after her initial resistance Mouchette seems to almost welcome his attention. When Mouchette is made party to an act of violence between Arsene and a rival gamekeeper, she's forced into a complicated lie, and after the death of her mother, her shabby existence becomes almost too much to bear. Based on a novel by Georges Bernanos, Mouchette was (like many of Robert Bresson's films) largely cast with non-professional actors, and shot using a deliberately simple, ascetic style; the result was honored with major awards at the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival, and was named Best Film of 1967 (along with Luis Bunuel's Belle de Jour) by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Not surprisingly, this Canadian series originated from the Montréal studios of the CBC. The hosts were Gerard and Sheila Arthur, who'd previously helmed the similar CBC radio weekly "Time for French." In an entertaining, non-pedantic fashion, the hosts did their best to indoctrinate English-speaking audiences in the subtleties of conversational French, using comic sketches as the principle means of education. Regular features included "What the Dictionaries Don't Tell" and "Pages Choisies," the latter dealing with basic phrases needed for day-to-day survival in Quebec. Due to the frequent absences of costar Gerard Arthur, the sketches were taken over by a troupe of comedy regulars during the series' fourth season. French for Love was broadcast locally in Montréal from 1962, and on the entire CBC network from January 3 to July 10, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi