Film Screenings / Programs / Retrospectives
DENYS ARCAND’S CRIME TRILOGY
July 3 – July 10
July 3-10, 2024
This past April, Anthology presented a series entitled “Quebec-Core,” which unearthed a variety of cinematic gems – most virtually unknown south of the border – made in Quebec, primarily in the 1970s-80s. One of the revelations of that series was Denys Arcand’s DIRTY MONEY (1972), a shockingly coal-dark crime film from a filmmaker better known for his comparatively crowd-pleasing later films (THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE, JESUS OF MONTREAL, THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS). A bracingly unsentimental chronicle of greed and betrayal that’s reminiscent of Jean-Pierre Melville in its minimalist approach to genre and impressive stylistic command, yet deeply rooted in the landscapes and temperament of provincial Quebec, DIRTY MONEY is an under-recognized neo-noir classic. It was also the first in an informal trilogy of crime films that marked the beginning of Arcand’s fiction filmmaking career (following a series of short documentaries). Together with RÉJEANNE PADOVANI (1973), which centers on a group of corrupt politicians and mafiosi, and GINA (1975), which depicts the bloody developments that ensue when an exotic dancer is sent to a hotel in rural Quebec in winter, this trilogy represents a high-water mark both for Canadian crime cinema and for post-modern international genre revisionism. In collaboration with film distributor Canadian International Pictures, we’re thrilled to present a revival engagement of all three films!
Co-presented with the Délégation générale du Québec à New York / Québec Government Office in New York.
Special thanks to David Marriott (Canadian International Pictures); Jean-Pierre Dion & Taylor Gaines (Québec Government Office in New York); Luke Rathborne; and Sean Price Williams.
Denys Arcand
DIRTY MONEY / LA MAUDITE GALETTE
1972, 100 min, 35mm-to-DCP. In French with English subtitles.
After a raucous visit from the wealthy Uncle Arthur, working class Montreal couple Roland and Berthe are left feeling slighted by his meager gift of $500. Hungry for more, Berthe hatches a plan to descend on Uncle Arthur’s remote country house and steal his small fortune with the help of her delinquent brother and cousin. When the robbery spirals out of control, allegiances shift, blood is spilled, and mysterious lodger Ernest takes center stage in a harrowing battle for Arthur’s stolen cash. Loosely inspired by the B-movies of the 1940s, while anticipating BLOOD SIMPLE and other neo-noirs of the ’80s, DIRTY MONEY is an unforgettable blend of pastiche and provocation. Shot through with pitch black humor and grounded by a cavalcade of memorable performances, Arcand’s fiction debut announced the arrival of a major Canadian filmmaking talent.
Wed, July 3 at 6:45, Fri, July 5 at 9:00, Sat, July 6 at 4:30, Sun, July 7 at 4:30, Tues, July 9 at 6:45, and Wed, July 10 at 9:00.
Denys Arcand
RÉJEANNE PADOVANI
1973, 94 min, 35mm-to-DCP. In French with English subtitles.Montreal mafioso Vincent Padovani has spent years building a diversified crime empire fronted by “legitimate” business interests and sustained through illicit political connections. Having secured a much-publicized government contract for his thriving construction company, Vincent is throwing an opulent private dinner to thank his many co-conspirators, including the Mayor of Montreal and a host of other highly placed powerbrokers. But when the evening is thrown wildly off course – by press at the door, a looming construction protest, and the sudden reappearance of Padovani’s estranged wife Réjeanne (DIRTY MONEY’s Luce Guilbeault) – the mob enforcers and corrupt cops that serve Vincent are called into action for a long and bloody night’s work. Powered by an all-star Québécois cast – many playing thinly veiled versions of real-life politicians and gangsters – RÉJEANNE PADOVANI is a grand, gloriously acidic indictment of the pervasive corruption that infiltrated all corners of 1970s Quebec. Mixing the upstairs-downstairs satire of THE RULES OF THE GAME with the mafia intrigue of THE GODFATHER, this is one of Canada’s sharpest and most incriminating cinematic self-portraits.
Wed, July 3 at 9:00, Sat, July 6 at 6:45, Sun, July 7 at 6:45, Mon, July 8 at 9:00, and Wed, July 10 at 6:45.
Denys Arcand
GINA
1975, 95 min, 35mm-to-DCP. In French with English subtitles.
After being sent to rural Quebec to perform at a seedy motel, exotic dancer Gina (Céline Lomez) establishes a friendship with a group of visiting documentary filmmakers and becomes aware of a lecherous Ski-Doo gang hiding out on an abandoned ship. Keenly aware of one another’s presence, Gina and the gang develop an antagonistic relationship that eventually leads to a horrific assault. But what these ski-masked snow deviants don’t realize is that Gina works for some of Montreal’s most dangerous criminals, and they’re on their way to exact an ugly revenge. Improbably fusing labor politics with an explosive exploitation narrative, GINA has a conviction and assurance that resists easy categorization. Part frigid hangout movie, part vicious revenge saga, this is a one-of-a-kind powerhouse that builds to a gruesome climax and the greatest snowmobile chase in movie history.
Fri, July 5 at 6:45, Sat, July 6 at 9:00, Sun, July 7 at 9:00, Mon, July 8 at 6:45, and Tues, July 9 at 9:00.
