Le martien de Noël (1971)

User Rating:

3.5/10   

Director:

Bernard Gosselin

Writer:

Roch Carrier (writer)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Plot:

This is a French Canadian Christmas movie for children. The martian comes to this small town in Quebec and becomes friends with the town children...

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Christmas | Child

Cast

Marcel Sabourin	...	Le Martien / The Visitor
Catherine Leduc	...	Katou / Cathy
François Gosselin	...	François / Police officer
Guy L'Ecuyer	...	Laframboise / Mr. frame
Paul Hébert	...	Le père / Father
Louise Poulin-Roy	...	La mère / Mother
Paul Berval	...	Le garagiste / Uncle Henry
Ernest Guimond	...	Le père Bonneville / Storekeeper
Yvan Canuel	...	Policeman
Yvon Leroux
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roland Chenail	...	Le chef de police

Also Known As:

The Christmas Martian (Canada: English title)

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Sainte-Mélanie, Québec, Canada

Company:

Faroun Films

Nice but dull children's SF.

An odd little film which anticipates "E.T." with its story of a friendly alien who is hunted by the local law enforcers but befriended by two children who help him repair his flying saucer. This slight story is bolstered by plenty of shots of people driving around on snowmobiles and shots of the snowy landscape which means the film often resembles a tourist travelogue. Still it is one of the only SF films made in the French Canadian region which gives it a slight curiosity value.

The alien resembles a circus clown whose make up was devised by Andy Warhol. He indulges in some lame slapstick and low key alien behaviour which confuses the local adults and delights their children. This film has a warm fuzzy feel to it which stops me being particularly vitriolic about it, but I can't seriously recommend it to anyone either due to the rather slow pace and predictability of the whole affair.