| 7:30 p.m. | Orders Michel Brault (Canada, 1974) |
Michel Brault in Person
(Les ordres). "A relentless look at how easily totalitarian methods can surface in a so-called republic or democracy . . . touching and harrowing" (Variety). Orders examines the consequences of the use of the War Measures Act during Canada's October Crisis of 1970, which temporarily suspended civil rights for the entire nation. By focusing on five of the more than 450 innocent people arrested and held without warrant or charge during the weeks the Act was in force, Brault exposes the effects of state operations on individuals. The characters are composites, but the details of each story are taken from interviews with real people arrested under the Act. Filmed in a near-documentary style, Orders rigorously limits itself to the experiences of its main characters; the audience, like the prisoners, is given no information about events outside the prison walls, whether personal or political. Winner of numerous awards, including the Best Direction award at Cannes and the Canadian Film Award for Best Feature.
—Chris Gehman
• Written by Brault. Photographed by Brault, François Protat. With Jean Lapointe, Helene Loiselle, Claude Gauthier, Louise Forestier. (107 mins, In French with English subtitles, B&W/Color, 35mm, Courtesy Cinémathèque québécoise, permission Nanouk Films)
Preceded by short:
Wrestling (La lutte) (Michel Brault, Marcel Carrière, Claude Fournier, Claude Jutra, Canada, 1961). This marvelous documentary on professional wrestling, inspired by a Roland Barthes essay, shows as much interest in the spectators and their identification with the heroes of the ring as in the match itself. (27 mins, B&W, In French with English subtitles, Beta SP, From National Film Board of Canada)
• (Total running time: 134 mins)
