How did you come to shoot a feature film from the series of novels that author Pauline Gill devoted to the Dufresne family, also famous for the castle that bears their name in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal? And more particularly to the story of Victoire Du Sault?
Everything was done very simply, because Sylvain Guy’s screenplay had already been written when the proposal was made to me. Upon reading, I was completely captivated by this woman’s story. It’s not so much the historical aspect that interested me, but rather the love story that she lived in secret, through a silent desire because it shouldn’t appear in the eyes of others. It is at the same time passionate, disturbing, disturbing, and very painful. And as my greatest pleasure is to work with actors, I knew that with this scenario, there was very good material.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
François Bouvier brought to the screen the screenplay written by Sylvain Guy by adapting the series of novels the cobblerby Pauline Gill.
You have already worked with Rose-Marie Perreault at the time of the series Breakupsas well as on top The Bolduc, where she played the eldest daughter of Mary Travers. With the cobbler, you offer him his first leading role in the cinema. You also chose Élise Guilbault to play the same character at a more mature age. How was this choice made?
When I read the script, I had barely read the second page when I was already beginning to see Rose-Marie in the role of Victoire. And since the screenplay is written in such a way that the narration is done by Victoire at 60, I also started to see and hear Élise. In my eyes, these two actresses are in classes apart.
If you had to find one thing in common between them, what would it be?
Their economy in the game. And their interiority. It is of an extraordinary power, as much in one as in the other. We can shoot a scene where all the other characters are talking around and yet we only see them, their silence is so eloquent. Everything is in their eyes.
the cobbler is a historical biographical drama, as was The Bolduc, your previous film. Is there a particular challenge to be met when tackling this kind of production in Quebec?
The pleasure we take in making a period film mainly takes place during the preparation, because it is at this stage that we learn a lot of things. Having said that, once all that is well established and the days of shooting arrive, I concentrate on the actors and I hardly see the sets anymore. In all my films, working with the actors has always been my main concern. The rest, for me, are technical details that serve to support the acting of the actors.
James and Novemberyour first feature film (co-directed with Jean Beaudry), will soon be 40 years old…
Oh my God !
Is the pleasure of making movies still the same?
The pleasure is the same, but I would say that the conditions are becoming more and more demanding because of the budgets which often force us to reduce the number of shooting days. We come to develop skills and find solutions by force of circumstance, especially since I also work on TV series, where you have to work quickly. For the cobbler, we had a good budget – more than six million dollars – but we still had to cut around thirty scenes. It’s obviously painful at the time, but once the film is done, I put all that aside because I think that at the end, we all did our job well. We can be satisfied, proud, and have the feeling of having given our full measure.
Your two most recent feature films, The Bolduc And the cobbler, are dedicated to two Quebec pioneers who, each in her own way, shattered a glass ceiling. Can we say that you are a feminist filmmaker?
You are a feminist filmmaker if you are also a feminist in life. And I am sensitive to the concerns of women. The fact is that the story of these great women who built Quebec by paving the way for other generations is little known. Apart from the series of novels by Pauline Gill, the life of Victoire Du Sault is very little documented. Yet there are so many women’s stories to tell.
the cobbler is currently showing.