Deliver Us from Evil (French: Délivrez-nous du mal) is a 1969 Canadian drama film, written, directed, and edited by Jean-Claude Lord.[1] One of the first Canadian films ever to address the subject of homosexuality,[2] the film was produced and shot in 1965 but remained unreleased until 1969 due to its sensitive subject matter.[1]
| Deliver Us from Evil | |
|---|---|
| French | Délivrez-nous du mal |
| Directed by | Jean-Claude Lord |
| Written by | Jean-Claude Lord |
| Based on | Délivrez-nous du mal by Claude Jasmin |
| Starring | Yvon Deschamps Guy Godin Catherine Bégin Olivette Thibault |
| Cinematography | Claude Charron |
| Edited by | Jean-Claude Lord |
| Music by | François Dompierre |
Production company | Coopératio |
| Distributed by | France Film |
Release date |
|
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | French |
The film centres on the emotionally complex and abusive relationship between André (Yvon Deschamps), a gay man, and Georges (Guy Godin), a bisexual man who was also formerly romantically involved with André's sister Lucille (Catherine Bégin). When a vacation at a hotel ends with Georges having sex with a woman, André is driven to attempt both suicide and murder because of his inability to secure Georges' affections.[1]
The film was not well received by critics,[1] and has subsequently been heavily criticized as a "sordid" film that relies too heavily on outdated stereotypes of homosexual men.[3] The film's representation of gay identity was most prominently analyzed by Thomas Waugh in a 1981 article for the magazine Copie Zéro.[4]
Due to its controversial reception, following its premiere the film was not widely seen until a restored print was screened at Montreal's Fantasia Film Festival in 2016.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Charles-Henri Ramond, "Délivrez-nous du mal – Film de Jean-Claude Lord". Films du Québec, January 8, 2009.
- ^ "L’homosexualité dans le cinéma québécois". Ici Radio-Canada, June 7, 2018.
- ^ Janis L. Pallister, The Cinema of Québec: Masters in Their Own House. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1995. ISBN 9780838635629. p. 281.
- ^ Thomas Waugh, "Nègres blancs, tapettes et « butch » ; les lesbiennes et les gais dans le cinéma québécois". Copie Zéro - Vues sur le cinéma québécois, October 1981.
External links
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