The remains of a maritime tragedy
The sinking of theEmpress of Ireland, an ocean liner which ensured the connection between Liverpool and Quebec, which occurred on May 29, 1914 off Sainte-Luce, near Rimouski, remains to this day the worst maritime tragedy in the history of Canada, with 1012 victims among its 1477 passengers . On the eve of 108e anniversary of this disaster, Historia offers a unique documentary directed by the “wreck hunter” and maritime historian Samuel Côté, who is particularly interested in the rediscovery of the wreck, by a small group of reckless divers, in 1964.
The first minutes detail the actions taken by the Canadian Pacific, owner of the liner, to recover the remains of the victims, but also the wealth that its coffers contained, including thousands of letters, which will in many cases go to their recipient. The documentary takes us quickly 50 years later, offering a vivid and archival chronicle of the adventure of a small group of fearless amateur divers (and not afraid of the icy waters of the St. Lawrence estuary…) and who will take advantage of the loan of a boat by a magnate from the region, Aubert Brillant, to locate the remains of the ship. The interest of the film lies essentially in the testimonies of some of these reckless marine explorers who are still alive and of those who gravitated around them at the time on the underside of this important discovery in Quebec maritime history.
Conquering the Empress of Ireland
Historia, Saturday, May 28, 9 p.m.
A “banished from history” and his treasure
The other original novelty of Historia at the end of spring is a documentary series that takes the form of an archaeological and historical investigation not so common on Quebec television: a real treasure hunt… This production undertaken by filmmaker Roger Cantin (matusalem), which took part in the research and the production, allows us to discover a historical character “larger than life” from New France little known to the general public: Jean-Vincent d’Abbadie de Saint-Castin, baron of his state , who allied himself with the Abenakis, to the point of founding a first “Métis” community and settled on the coast of Maine, on the border of Acadia, where he would have amassed a colossal fortune thanks to numerous businesses. .
The series works first and foremost to follow the investigation of two Quebec historians, Billy Rioux and Samuel Venière, to find the remains of a treasure that de Saint-Castin would have hidden on his land and part of which was found by a farmer in the 19the century. The investigators can count on the contribution of specialists to carry out this quest, which starts a little slowly, but which gains in interest and twists, not always subtly presented, over the episodes. A patient quest, like the sciences it highlights.
The treasure of Saint-Castin
Historia, starting Monday, May 30, 10 p.m.
For the continuation of a world
In 1976, David Bowie had his first film role in the film The man who came from elsewhere by Nicolas Roeg, the adaptation of a science fiction novel about the (vain) efforts of an extraterrestrial who came to Earth to find a way to convey water to his planet on the verge of total desertification.
Forty-five years later, Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman (regulars of the franchise star trek) offer a sequel in the form of a TV series, in which we find the character of Bowie, Newton, this time played by Bill Nighy, but where we mainly follow the bumpy steps of another inhabitant of this distant planet, Faraday, interpreted this time by Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), to save it from an imminent end, while our planet is also on the brink. The first episodes, already available in English, quickly reveal the affiliation with the film that has become cult, while following its own trajectory, glued to our own environmental concerns, and quickly prove to be very engaging.
The Man Who Fell to Earth (VF)
Crave and Super Ecran, starting Sunday, May 29, 9 p.m.