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February 15, 1839
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Wikipedia article
'February 15, 1839' is a 2001 Quebec historical drama film. Directed by Pierre Falardeau, it is about the incarceration at the Pied-du-Courant Prison and the execution by hanging there of Patriote participants of the Lower Canada Rebellion. Those rebels sought to make Lower Canada, now Quebec, a republic independent from the British Empire.
It features as characters the historical figures Franois-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, his wife Henriette and Charles Hindelang.
Synopsis
In the aftermath of the failed 183738 rebellion in Lower Canada, 800 rebels are held in the Prison de Montral. The film opens on February 14, 1839, the day when leader Marie Thomas Chevalier De Lormier (Luc Picard) and his comrade-in-arms (Frdric Gilles) are told they will be hanged in 24 hours. Director Pierre Falardeau makes no doubt about where his sympathies lie, but the film is as much about human beings confronting death as it is polemic, and there are tender scenes when De Lormier's wife (Sylvie Drapeau) visits him one last time.
Pierre Falardeau said that Telefilm Canada approved Michel Brault's 1999 movie 'Quand je serai parti... vous vivrez encore' as an excuse to initially deny funds for '15 fvrier 1839'.
Release and awards
It released in the United States by Lionsgate on January 26, 2001. It won four Prix Jutra for Actor (Luc Picard), Supporting Actress (Sylvie Drapeau), Art Direction and Sound.
Critical acclaims
"Its certainly not the masterpiece some 'indpendantiste' viewers see in the film, but its also not the insufferable, propagandistic dreck various English-language critics accuse it of being." Maurie Alioff, 'Take One: Film in Canada'
Cast
*Luc Picard - Franois-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier
*Sylvie Drapeau - Henriette De Lorimier
*Frdric Gilles - Charles Hindelang
*Denis Trudel - Jacques Yelle
*Julien Poulin - Cur Marier
*Yvon Barrette - Osias Primeau
See also
*Patriote movement
*Quebec nationalism
*Quebec independence movement
*History of Quebec
*Timeline of Quebec history
References
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