Arcand, Denys

▪ 2005

      In 2004 the career of French Canadian filmmaker Denys Arcand reached climatic heights as his 2003 film Les Invasions barbares (The Barbarian Invasions) collected major award after major award. The film, written and directed by Arcand, follows the final days of Rémy, a history professor, womanizer, and devout leftist who is dying of cancer in a Montreal hospital. His banker son, ex-wife, and friends old and new gather to comfort Rémy in his final days and reflect on the vagaries of life.

      The accolades for The Barbarian Invasions began in 2003 at the Cannes Festival, where Arcand received the top honours for his screenplay and Marie-Josée Croze was hailed as best actress for her performance as an addict who provides the pain-wracked Rémy with heroin. The film was also named best Canadian film at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival. The momentum carried into 2004 as Arcand was named a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters—the highest cultural honour in France. On February 21 in Paris The Barbarian Invasions received three César Awards for original screenplay, director, and best film. The next day at the Jutra Awards in Montreal, Arcand again received awards for screenplay, direction, and best film. The following weekend in Los Angeles, Arcand's film won the Academy Award for best foreign-language film.

      Arcand was born on June 25, 1941, in Deschambault, Que. He was raised in a devout Catholic home and educated by Jesuits before entering the University of Montreal, where he studied history and made his first film. A job at the National Film Board (NFB) followed graduation. There he began making documentaries, most notably films about the early history of Quebec. Arcand had been an outspoken leftist since he was a young man, and in 1970 he made On est au coton (Cotton Mill, Treadmill), an exposé of the textile industry that was so controversial that it was banned by the NFB. He soon moved into feature films, beginning with La Maudite Galette (Dirty Money) in 1972. He directed the film Le Crime d'Ovide Plouffe (Murder in the Family) in 1984 and the television miniseries based on it that followed the next year, and in 1986 he made his first big splash on the international film scene with Le Déclin de l'empire américain (The Decline of the American Empire). The movie, which was nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign-language film, was centred on a gourmet dinner with a group of intellectuals—the same friends featured in The Barbarian Invasions and starring many of the same actors. Arcand scored another international hit with Jésus de Montréal (1989; Jesus of Montreal). Although Arcand's films were sometimes criticized for an excess of sentimentality, they all embodied his intellectual curiosity and passion for politics, art, and life.

James Hennelly

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▪ Canadian filmmaker

born June 25, 1941, Deschambault, Que., Can.

      French Canadian filmmaker whose movies, most notably Les Invasions barbares (2003; The Barbarian Invasions), embodied his intellectual curiosity and passion for politics, art, and life.

      Arcand was raised in a devout Roman Catholic home and educated by Jesuits before entering the University of Montreal, where he studied history and made his first film. Following graduation, he took a job at the National Film Board (NFB), where he began making documentaries, most notably films about the early history of Quebec. Arcand had been an outspoken leftist since he was a young man, and in 1970 he made On est au coton (Cotton Mill, Treadmill), an exposé of the textile industry that was so controversial that it was banned by the NFB. He soon moved into feature films, beginning with La Maudite Galette (Dirty Money) in 1972. He directed the film Le Crime d'Ovide Plouffe (Murder in the Family) in 1984 and the television miniseries based on it that followed the next year.

      In 1986 Arcand earned international attention with Le Déclin de l'empire américain (The Decline of the American Empire). The movie, which was nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign-language film, centres on a gourmet dinner with a group of intellectuals—the same friends featured in The Barbarian Invasions and starring many of the same actors. Arcand scored another international hit with Jésus de Montréal (1989; Jesus of Montreal). He later wrote and directed The Barbarian Invasions, which follows the final days of Rémy, a history professor, womanizer, and devout leftist who is dying of cancer in a Montreal hospital. His banker son, ex-wife, and friends old and new gather to comfort Rémy in his final days and reflect on the vagaries of life. The movie earned numerous awards, including an Academy Award for best foreign-language film. In 2004 Arcand was named a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters—the highest cultural honour in France. In 2007 he wrote and directed the dark comedy L'Âge des ténèbres (Days of Darkness); he also acted in the film.

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