(1990),Careful(1992), andTwilight of the Ice Nymphs
(1997). On the East Coast, Nova Scotia’s William
MacGillivray continued to explore regional themes
in Understanding Bliss(1990), while Newfound-
land’s Mike Jones used the traditional humor of his
native province to good effect in Secret Nation
(1992).
Film in Quebec In the 1990’s, Quebec filmmakers
continued to be at the forefront of Canadian cine-
matic activity. Denys Arcand’sLove and Human Re-
mains (1993), his first English-language feature,
and15 Moments(1999), a reflection on media celeb-
rity, joined Gilles Carle’s sex farceLa Postière(1992)
and screwball comedyPudding chômeur(1996) in
adding interesting films to long and distinguished
résumés. Mid-career directors such as Jean-Claude
Lauzon, whoseLéolo(1992) was a stark depiction of
a dysfunctional family, and Marc-André Forcier,
whoseUne Histoire Inventée(1990) andLe Vent du
Wyoming (1994) expressed a distinctively poetic
magic realism, also made important contributions,
as did Pierre Falardeau, who inOctobre(1994) re-
counted a fictionalized version of the 1970 October
Crisis, a political kidnapping and murder that
threatened to spark a Canadian civil war. Several
women directors who produced their first features
in the 1980’s also crafted interesting work, among
which Micheline Lanctôt’s gender-bending improvi-
sationDeux actrices(1993), Paule Baillargeon’s trans-
sexual dramaLe Sexe des étoiles(1993), and Léa Pool’s
powerfully sensual Mouvements du désir (1994)
stand out.
A number of younger talents made their first
films during this decade. François Girard’s docu-
mentaryThirty-two Short Films About Glenn Gould
(1993) and musical romanceThe Red Violin(1998)
were English-language features that went on to be-
come international successes. Robert Morin’s crime
storyRequiem pour un beau sans-coeur(1992) and
Windigo(1994), a tale of First Nations political ac-
tivism, also impressed, as did Michel Langlois’s
Cap Tourmente(1993), a steamy change-partners
sex drama set at a deceptively placid summer resort.
Also of note was the internationally renowned
dramaturge Robert Lepage’s turn to filmmaking
in the Alfred Hitchcock homage Le Confessional
(1995), the postmodern murder mystery Le
Polygraphe(1996), and the hilarious theatrical farce
Nô(1998).
Impact Although Canadian filmmakers did not en-
tirely free themselves from the constraints imposed
by a small domestic market and uncertainty as to
whether commercially successful or critically lauded
films should be their focus, the 1990’s were on the
whole years of encouraging accomplishment and
much-increased activity. Established directors con-
tinued to bring forth films of interesting and often
exceptional quality, while their mid-career and
emerging counterparts produced a range of work
that was both intrinsically impressive and boded well
for the country’s cinematic future.Further Reading
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.Who’s
Who in Canadian Film and Televison 2002. Toronto:
Global Press, 2002. Biographies and contact in-
formation for more than 2,000 directors, produc-
ers, writers, and technical specialists.
Beard, William, and Jerry White, eds.North of Ever y-
thing: English Canadian Cinema Since 1980.Ed-
monton: University of Alberta Press, 2002. Thirty-
two assorted essays, most of them excellent, on
everything from commercial hits to avant-garde
cult favorites to creators obscure and well known.
Marshall, Bill.Québec National Cinema. Montreal:
McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2001. An exami-
nation of the role that cinema plays in Québec’s
view of itself as an independent cultural entity,
and particularly good on the interface between
film and nationalism.
Rist, Peter, ed.Guide to the Cinema(s) of Canada.
Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2001. This
entry in the publisher’s Reference Guides to
the World’s Cinema series is a scholarly, well-
organized, and essential tool for the serious
researcher.
Wise, Wyndham, ed.Take One’s Essential Guide to Ca-
nadian Film. Toronto: University of Toronto Press,- More accessible and wide-ranging than
Rist’sGuide, if somewhat less authoritatively re-
searched, and a useful source for reviews of im-
portant films and biographies of major players in
the field.
Paul Stuewe
See also Film in the United States; Television.332 Film in Canada The Nineties in America