Maria Chapdelaine (1983)

A young woman, living with her parents and siblings on a remote farm in harsh, picturesque northern Québec, has three suitors: a steady and unimaginative farmer, Eutrope, the Americanized ... See full summary »

Director:

Gilles Carle

Writers:

Gilles Carle, Guy Fournier,

Stars:

Carole Laure, Nick Mancuso, Claude Rich

4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carole Laure	...	Maria Chapdelaine
Nick Mancuso	...	François Paradis
Claude Rich	...	Curé Cordelier
Amulette Garneau	...	Laura Chapdelaine
Yoland Guérard	...	Samuel
Pierre Curzi	...	Eutrope Gagnon
Donald Lautrec	...	Lorenzo Surprenant
Gilbert Sicotte	...	Da'Bé Chapdelaine
Guy Thauvette	...	Esdras
Stéphane Quéry	...	Tit-Be
Josée-Anne Fortin	...	Alma-Rose Chapdelaine
Louis-Philippe Milot	...	Télesphore Chapdelaine
Gilbert Comptois	...	Edwidge Légaré
Patrick Messe	...	Canayen Corneau
Claude Evrard	...	Caumartin

Storyline

A young woman, living with her parents and siblings on a remote farm in harsh, picturesque northern Québec, has three suitors: a steady and unimaginative farmer, Eutrope, the Americanized and wealthy Lorenzo, who has sought his fortune in Boston, and François Paradis, a rough and virile logger who captures her heart despite the warnings of her parents and the village priest. For a year, marked by seasonal change in an atmosphere charged with the strangeness of Indians and the demons of the woods, we see Maria at work and prayer, struggling with decisions, choosing to stay in Canada, in love with François, seeking to change his rough behaviors, and dealing with extraordinary loss.

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Plot Keywords:

canada | quebec | based on novel | character name in title

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Canada France

Language:

French

Release Date:

April 1986 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Lac Baskatong, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$4,600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Astral Bellevue Pathé, Société Radio-Canada, TF1 Films Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of The Naked Heart (1950)

User Reviews

Good but the book is better

This movie follows the story as told by Louis Hémon in his book of the same name. Carole Laure is simply charming as Maria Chapdelaine, the daughter of a French-Canadian «colon». She's got to decide which pretender is she going to marry: the adventurous François Paradis (played by Nick Mancuso), Eutrope Gagnon the local farmer (played by Pierre Curzi) or Lorenzo Surprenant who works at a factory in New England (played by Donald Lautrec).

This movie frankly depicts the way of life of those who went north to farm the land and work in the forest industry.

The book is actually a classic in French-Canada, even though it was written by Louis Hémon, of France. The majority of high schools still have the book on their literature program.

8 out of 10.