Battle of the Brave (2004)
"Nouvelle-France" (original title)

In the mid-18th Century, as England and France battle over control of Canada, an epic romance between a peasant woman and a trapper unfurls.

Director:

Jean Beaudin

Writer:

Pierre Billon

Stars:

Noémie Godin-Vigneau, David La Haye, Juliette Gosselin

2 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Noémie Godin-Vigneau	...	Marie-Loup Carignan
David La Haye	...	François le Gardeur
Juliette Gosselin	...	Young France Carignan
Sébastien Huberdeau	...	Xavier Maillard
Gérard Depardieu	...	Father Thomas Blondeau
Bianca Gervais	...	Acoona
Irène Jacob	...	Angélique de Roquebrune
Pierre Lebeau	...	Joseph Carignan
Vincent Perez	...	Intendant Le Bigot
Isabel Richer	...	France Carignan
Johanne-Marie Tremblay	...	Madeleine Carignan (as Johanne Marie Tremblay)
Tim Roth	...	William Pitt
Jason Isaacs	...	Général James Wolfe
Colm Meaney	...	Benjamin Franklin
Billy Merasty	...	Owashak

Storyline

Prejudice, perfidy, love, and bravery in Québec. In 1779, a priest on his deathbed receives a young woman. Flash back 20 years: Marie-Loup, an herb-dispensing peasant, falls for François, a man of property. The priest's perfidy and the treachery of a soldier separate the lovers and set in motion a chain of events leading to a death, a trial, and an execution. The action unfolds against a backdrop of England's take-over of French-Canada, the Church's manipulations to maintain spiritual hegemony, and the limited rights of woman and indigenous peoples. Watching it all is Marie-Loup's daughter, named France, who, when grown, is the dying priest's visitor in prelude and coda.

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Plot Keywords:

priest | france | england | love | canada | 

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Taglines:

Rise. Unite. Fight.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Melenny Productions Inc [Canada] (French, English)

Country:

Canada France UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

20 July 2005 (France)

Also Known As:

Battle of the Brave

Filming Locations:

Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 27,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

UKFS, Bespoke Films, Davis-Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

143 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Ma Nouvelle-France"
by Céline Dion

User Reviews

Pretentious film

This is the one major problem with this film, along with a good deal of québecois' biggest movies: Done in a pretentious way by pretentious people.

It's really sad, but "big shots" movie makers (driving Dodge Stratus...) from this province believes They Got the Thruth, They Know What the Little People Like.

We're not a rich province, every time a big movie like this (30 millions?!!?) is made, it's cutting off a lot of others who won't see their movie made because of lack of governmental help. So it generates mediocrity; only movies from "friends of the family" are going to be made.

I sound angry and I am. I went see Nouvelle-France expecting a journey in the lives of my ancestors, but i found myself stuck in a pool of inconsistencies: french accent (we gotta please our cousins, so f*** our québecois' language)and lack of historical research is only a few. Add a campy love story and the same music score playing again and again and dumb québecois' viewer is gonna open up and ask for more. I'm glad this pretentious piece of s*** didn't do as planned by the Dodge stratus Big Shots... It's gonna help movie makers who aren't in the very restrained "movie business" of Québec.

Rent Cruising Bar instead and have a real good time.

PS: I'll never forgive them for ruining such an awesome title.