Délivrance - of the French Canadian kind

Cinema on the Bayou

Sunday 1/29/12

http://www.cinemaonthebayou.com/

7th Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival

Jan. 25-29, 2012
The dramatic film "Delivrance" will make its U.S. Premiere on the opening night of the Festival at AcA with New Brunswick filmmakers Donovan Richard and Danny Thebeau in attendance.

 

Délivrance 2011
"When all is lost, only deliverance is left to gain."

Link to review from Cineman on the Bayou Film Festival webpage...
http://bulldogpublicity.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/anna-silk-for-a-weekcbc-premieres-delivrance/

This dramatic narrative feature film tells the story of the escape in 1756 from Fort Beausejour by Pierre-Henri Surette and his followers, and Surette's return to battle for the rest of the men who were left behind before their deportation by the British. The film was shot primarily at Fort Beausejour (in the fort's ruins), in the areas of Memramcook and along the Petitcodiac River.
The film premiered across Canada this past fall with great fanfare. The amazing cast and crew created "a great snapshot of the hell Acadians were subject to during the great expulsion," says film and music writer Jim Lavoie. "Well written, directed, shot and acted, this is one film that 'Delivered' as promised."

The film is in both French and English, with English subtitles.
Click for filmmaker's web site

My notes from the evening...

As I was a volunteer I was doing that & not getting to watch the whole film--but did get to step inside at the end when there was a Q&A, my fav...because you hear people speak with passion normally about what they're trying to do & I like to listen to them give you a sneak peek into their creativity...

With these 2 (writer/film maker) I learned they had a lot of family/friends help them with this, but that they also all got paid--even in Canada...

And they took a car ride together somewheres in Canada & came up with the whole story along the way--would of loved being in the backseat for that...

They didn't want to do a documentary, they wanted to fictionalize the history with a story (I'm sure many people can tell family stories about what happened to their relatives at that time) & so there could be more films--will see if they follow that story of the Acadiens expulsion (their word) to say other locations where they fled to...They both knew that Southern Louisiana would be interested in the film as many fled here...

Also there were characters on both sides that were not all good or bad - as the groups were as well, not all bad or all good (as is real life if you think of it, so it was good they tried to portray that in their film too...)

Again I didn't see but 1 scene before a reunion of 2 groups of Acadiens that had been separated, 1 was being marched to a ship, the other had escaped & were helping others escape, so there was firing on the soldiers--then at a house/barn they were meeting up with the women & the children running to meet them, with the ship on the river in the background (I thought the film makers did well with the costumes of the times too, but what would I know not being of any Acadien descent that I know of...)

Don't think I didn't look twice at the title of this movie--I've grown up with movies & TV & the first Deliverance I'd heard of was a movie, that had canoes, banjos & squealing like a pig involved...but I just knew that this one would have nothing to do with that one, tho there was a river & trees & people running around the woods with guns in that (from what little I saw,) but that was about it that I can tell...then too the titles are spelled differently, as the French way is Délivrance...

On a lighter local note, they were asked about the food they enjoyed since coming to Lafayette or if they enjoyed the Cajun Food while they've been here, which they liked & want to come visit again, not just for the food--but it seems one of them is not fond of  Boudin, there was something with the soft texture that he thought would take some getting use to, like you'd need to acquire a taste for it...I like Boudin now, but could agree--if you're looking for a sausage it's not that...(they need to come during the Boudin Festival & try a whole bunch of choices is what I'm thinking?!)

note: both my pic's - can ya' tell I went to the Boudin Festival 2011?!