Francis Mankiewicz
1944 - 1993Good Riddance
Francis Mankiewicz
Charlotte Laurier, Marie Tifo
Set in a small rural town in the Quebec Laurentians, Michelle lives in an isolated house with her mentally-challenged brother Guy and her 13 year old daughter Manon. Together the three of them survive by running a small firewood business and performing other odd jobs. Michelle is frustrated with living in poverty and being the center of several people who demand her affection; her brother is like a second child who lives in his own world, his romantic obsession with their wealthy client Madame Viau-Vachon being an exercise in futility. Maurice, the local police chief, is her lover and Gaetan, a mechanic and family friend, would like to be. Most demanding of all is her daughter, who has an unhealthy emotional dependence on her. Precocious and uninterested in school, Manon is jealous of her Mother's suitors and angry at being left home to do chores and care for Guy. When an event occurs that threatens the emotional dynamic between Manon and her mother...
Good Riddance
Le violon de Gaston
André Melançon
Claude Jolicoeur, Monique Larocque
This short fiction film about a young boy torn between conflicting loyalties is resolved with humour and wisdom. Sunday, 2 o'clock, is zero hour for Gaston. He must be in two places at once: performing at a music recital and playing hockey with his teammates. What is Gaston to do?
Gaston's Recital
Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and Joanne Thatcher
Francis Mankiewicz
Kate Nelligan, Kenneth Welsh
Narcissistic Saskatchewan Tory politician Colin Thatcher is engaged in a bitter divorce from his wife Jo-Ann. When a series of court rulings over the divorce go against him, Thatcher decides a more drastic solution is needed - murder! A series of attempts on Jo-Ann's life follow, most of which don't succeed. Finally one does, and the arrogant Thatcher believes he is above the law and immune to prosecution. But his arrogance proves to be his undoing, as Crown Counsel Serge Kujawa builds a case against this psychopathic monster for 1st-degree murder - charging that Thatcher hired someone to kill his wife. The true story of one of the most disturbing stories of murder-for-hire in Canada. - IMDb
Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and Joanne Thatcher
Les portes tournantes
Francis Mankiewicz
Monique Spaziani, Gabriel Arcand
A quiet painter, separated from his wife for a year, receives a suitcase in the mail from his mother, whom he hasn't seen since infancy. He believes she abandoned him to his wealthy, paternal grandparents. The suitcase contains mementos and a diary, a long letter to him, written over the years, with details of her youth, her first job as a pianist at a cinema, the coming of talkies, her marriage, and how he came to live with his grandparents. As he reads through the materials and her story comes to life, his son Antoine, who's about 10 or 12, tries to break through his father's silence and sorrow by taking matters into his own hands.
The Revolving Doors
Une journée à la Pointe Pelée
Francis Mankiewicz
Located in Ontario, Point Pelée National Park attracts birds in its long grasses, and brilliant Monarch butterflies on its trees. Wooden walkways through the marsh facilitate access for numerous visitors. A film without words. - NFB
Une journée à la Pointe Pelée