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American Dream (5)
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Alias Will JamesJacques Godbout 1988 1 h 23 minThis feature-length documentary tells the incredible story of Ernest Dufault, a.k.a. Will James, a French-Canadian man who became one of the most legendary cowboys of the American West. For over 30 years, as he went from cattle rustler to ex-convict, he managed to keep his secret. And when he took up the pen, he became a Hollywood legend. Watch this compelling exploration of the powerful attraction the West still holds for young adventurers. -
The Cirque: An American OdysseyNathalie Petrowski 1989 50 minThis short documentary chronicles the Cirque du Soleil’s 1988 United States tour. As the fledgling Quebec circus sets up its big top in New York City, where it garners rave reviews, circus artists discuss what it means to be a part of this success and the price they pay for taking part in the American Dream.
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Imagined States of AmericaAlberta Nokes 2014 43 minWhen you hear the word “America,” what springs to mind? Car culture, big business, advertising, religious fundamentalism, the consumer society, militarism, suburbia, office towers, and the technology of paranoia? Imagined States of America takes on the big American myths to get at the heart of a country that continues to fascinate the world. Inspired by the photo collages of Quebec artist Pierre Guimond, and incorporating an intricately built soundscape, the film is like a dream on the verge of a nightmare, revealing an America that’s rich in paradoxes.
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Jack Kerouac's Road - A Franco-American OdysseyHerménégilde Chiasson 1989 54 minPart documentary, part drama, this film presents the life and work of Jack Kerouac, an American writer with Québec roots who became one of the most important spokesmen for his generation. Intercut with archival footage, photographs and interviews, this film takes apart the heroic myth and even returns to the childhood of the author whose life and work contributed greatly to the cultural, sexual and social revolution of the 1960s.
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Seeing Miami...Gilles Groulx 1962 30 minSeeing Miami... is a cinematic allegory of the modern U.S. at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Gilles Groulx’s masterfully poetic montage aesthetic evokes Quebecers’ simultaneous aversion and attraction to the El Dorado that is Florida—both a giant nursing home and an ideal of progress, American style.
