8 – Direct Cinema and Cinema Vérité

By: Alexandre, Sarah and Sydney

Introduction

This week we watched Pour la suite du monde (105 mins) a Canadian documentary directed by Pierre Perrault and Michel Brault, released in 1962. The film brings us to the island of l’Isle-aux-Coudres in the province of Quebec, where the local residents re-enact the traditional Beluga whale hunt. In order to do this, the residents had to ask the elders of the island for information on how to catch the whales. They had to use an old technique that required planting wooden poles through the river when the tides were low enough for them to walk around in the cold water. Outside of class, we watched another film directed by Pierre Perrault which also takes place on l’Isle-aux-Coudres. This documentary demonstrates the use of boats by the islanders. We get to see the navigators and how the new technology is affecting their work. In this film they sail old wooden boats that are almost thirty years old which are now too expensive to maintain and are getting rapidly replaced by iron boats.

Part 1 - Pour la suite du monde

Pour la suite du monde is a documentary film released in 1962 that takes us to l’Isle-aux-Coudres in Quebec. The film is about reviving an old tradition that has not been practiced for many years: whale hunting. Pierre Perrault the director had a mission: to film the inhabitants of the island as they reconstructed the tradition, as their ancestors use to do it decades before. While trying to do so, they face many challenges. These challenges include finding knowledge on how to catch the whales. Leopold Tremblay, featured in the film, asks his father questions about the hunt. He then goes to see Abel Harvey who is still old, but younger than his father. He had participated in hunts before, and agrees to help them to revive the tradition.

One of the hardest challenges they faced was planting the poles. These poles are the traps that stop the whales from advancing any further. To plant these they had to go out in the cold waters of the river and force the poles deep into the ground. Most of the men doing this were 40 to 50 years of age, which made this task very difficult. After their hard work they successfully caught a whale. Towards the end they go on a trip to New York to sell the whale. Even though they only caught one whale they succeeded in reviving the tradition just like their ancestors used to do it.

This week in class we talked about direct cinema and cinema vérité. These are two types of documentaries that are similar but with small differences. Direct cinema is when the film maker is in ‘’Observational Mode’’. He tries to be as much as possible invisible in the film with little or no interaction with the subjects of the film. He records the events as they happen. On the other hand, cinema vérité is more concentrated on interviews, where the filmmaker interacts with the people and asks questions. He tries to precipitate the events he wants to record, unlike direct cinema. Pour la suite du monde is a perfect example of a direct cinema documentary. Pierre Perrault films the islanders as they organise their hunt, doing his best to feel invisible and to film everything as it happens. The advantage of direct cinema is that you can get sucked into the film and believe that you are actually there seeing everything that happens in front of you.

We also talked about cinema de la parole. This happens when the words spoken in the film link to what the images are saying. We witness many conversations of islanders discussing issues and debating on subjects: for example, when they discuss their beliefs about the moon or argue the origins of the whale hunt. The documentary was filmed because the islanders wanted to continue the tradition. They wanted to show their children how it was done in the past. The title Pour la suite du monde means: for others to come. This documentary did not just show the children of that time how the whale hunting was done. We can still see today how it was like in those days and how it has changed through the years. Pierre Perrault’s film helps us understand how life was in those times and how we have advanced from them.  

Part 2 - Les voitures d’eau

Les Voitures d’eau, also known as The River Schooners, focuses on the lives of the community on l’Isle-aux-Coudres, a small island in the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. Here, the citizens speak a sixteenth century French dialect which their ancestors brought to Canada long ago. Living in the old ways, the people soon realized that compared to new technology, their ways of life seem to be outdated. They replaced their home-made wooden boats with iron boats made by a big outside company, but every one of them is still in danger of being put out of business. This is when the plot begins to sink in: during a major strike, with no one working, the people are caught between the union and the government.

The film was written and directed by Pierre Perrault and was released in 1968. The lightweight equipment used by the filmmakers allowed them to get close to the people of L’Isle-aux-Coudres during the filming. This gives them the advantage of catching events off guard and unplanned. It also gives the viewers the effect that there is no camera: It is as if we are there with the people during that time, running with them, and interacting with them.

There are two types of documentaries; direct cinema and cinéma vérité, the difference being “the acknowledgement of the presence of the filmmaker”. In the case of Les Voitures d’eau, it is direct cinema: less of an interactive mode and much more observational. The use of lightweight equipment is also an advantage to capture their North American traditions. The film makers do not precipitate the events, which are not expected. Occurrences in the film are unplanned. Therefore the filmmakers present themselves unobtrusively to the citizens of the island and to the audience. Once the film is finished there is very little editing. This film was not about portraying truth, but showing the viewer more about the lives and personal moments of the “characters” in the film.

Direct cinema is a short video that discusses the origins and philosophy of direct cinema. It also explains the benefits of filming in this way, which is what Pierre Perrault was taking advantage of. It gives an idea of what was going through Perrault’s head when he was trying to decide what kind of documentary to make.

Part 3 - A personal reflection on the two films

In the two films Pour la suite du monde and Les Voitures d’eau, the residents of l’Isle-aux-Coudres say that they follow traditions they learned from their ancestors, and pass those traditions to the next generation.  They are also concerned that the old ways are ending, even though not all the old traditions are good – such as their poor education or the poverty that many grew up in. 

In Pour la suite du monde, they set out to catch a beluga whale. Yet even this hunt was not the real thing. It was set up to imitate (or perhaps to honour) what their ancestors did – but in the end, it was only a copy of the original. Still, the islanders show us the importance of a community: learning together, working together, and even playing together. Perhaps we have lost too many traditions in our modern society. We have technology and modern comforts, but we no longer have the same sense of community. Although the films were made in the 1960s, the islanders were living in an even older world. By showing us their much older way of living, the films are trying to tell us how a community can stick together. 

Technology has become part of our lives. The film shows that the islanders have accepted some of the changes that have taken place around them. We must also learn to adapt so we can live on this planet. It’s OK to hold onto old traditions but one must learn to balance technology and ancient practices. The islanders were also fighting to keep their traditions including their particular dialect, their songs, and their stories, with some success and some failures. To lose any old dialect, old music, or old tales is a shame, and some have already died out. Documentary films let our generation see traditions that were abandoned long ago. Even though these traditions have died out, film can help keep the memories alive. The films show us that it is important to remember the old ways, and to teach the future generation of what life was once like.

In Les Voitures d’eau, the islanders talk about how the iron boats (made elsewhere) have taken away their business of making wooden boats. Then they complain that the big ships have taken business away from their small boats. Finally, at the end of the film, they comment on the last of the sailing ships. Do they realise that it was their small boats with diesel engines that put the sailing ships out of business? So the people of the island have been responsible for some of the changes as well. 

Today, the web site for l’Isle aux Coudres shows one way they have adapted: by transforming themselves into a tourist attraction, complete with bicycling, winter sports, and other activities. There are hotels and restaurants, some even offering WiFi  The old boats are gone, so at least the islanders can show their memories and a few relics instead. 

Tourism web site for l'Isle aux Coudres
http://www.tourismeisleauxcoudres.com/history_and_heritage.aspx

Conclusion

We feel that by watching both films, we received a greater understanding of the older generation’s view on life and changes in their world. They try to battle it, but at the end they realise whether they like it or not that they have to compromise with the world. It’s OK to not like certain changes, but one must learn to adapt to them. Every day we learn how to adapt to the changes that are happening around us, and by doing so, learn how to keep our ways of life. It all comes back to a question of balance.