Québec Productions

Québec Productions was founded by the radio producer Paul L’Anglais and a financier, René Germain, and did not conceal its commercial ambitions. It built a studio in Saint-Hyacinthe and its first film, La forteresse/Whispering City (Fedor Ozep, 1947), shot in French and English using foreign professionals, was initially intended for the entire North American market. The film was a failure, however, and L’Anglais was forced to return to the local market with the formulae he was familiar with, particularly adaptations of popular radio serials. The company then had a string of successes: Un homme et son péché (Paul Gury, 1949), Le curé du village (Paul Gury, 1949) and Séraphin (Paul Gury, 1950). Still with an eye to the international market, L’Anglais co-produced with France the film Son copain (Jean Devaivre, 1950), whose production quality matched that of French films of the day.

As film production slowed and the arrival of television was imminent, L’Anglais left Québec Productions, where he was replaced by Richard Jarvis. The company produced a film based on an original script, Le rossignol et les cloches (René Delacroix, 1951), and then closed its doors. Its studio was then leased for the production of a few English-language films.

Un homme et son péché and Le curé du village, both adapted from popular radio serials, were by far the most interesting and successful films produced by Québec Productions. Their scripts were written by well-regarded authors, Claude-Henri Grignon and Robert Choquette, who knew how to craft a character and tell a story. The actors were quite at ease in front of the camera and overall their quality is quite acceptable. In addition, these films delved into the heart of Quebec culture and society.

To learn more

• Pierre Véronneau, Cinéma de l’époque duplessiste (Montreal : La Cinémathèque québécoise, 1979).