Louis Cyr is certainly part of the collective imagination and legends of Quebec. The strongest man in the world, just imagine. A man born into a large and poor family in 1863 in Saint-Cybrien-de-Naperville, never before had such glory and talents noticed only after his emigration to the United States in 1878.
It would be easy to say that while Louis Sayre raised Kuntar, the film dedicated to him by Daniel Ruby in 2013 evokes the same enthusiasm.
Plain or not, the saying remains true and the audience elected Louis Cyr, the strongest man in the world King of the box office that year, he proved it among other things (plus Iris Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor for Antoine Bertrand!).
Why this enthusiasm then? Because other than the expected biographical story, Daniel Ruby (white skinAnd Funky City…) First of all, it emphasizes all the good one can already think of from his sense of place in the landscape. The camera on the shoulder is subtle, but always moving to ensure the rhythm, ellipses that avoid dead time, illuminated shooting, original framing, but without falling into the free kick…it’s all there.
Even better, this energetic and attentive display serves a true symbolic purpose, as powerful as it is rich.
For what we can easily read behind every material achievement of Louis Cyr is the vengeance of all French Canadians against those who subjugated and exploited them.
Besides his own standing as a strongman, Louis Sayer ensures the standing of an entire people in the world and that’s exactly what Ruby depicts: an entire people with their chin raised and standing straight.
Of course, we may regret that the second part of the film, which focuses more on the relationships between Cyr and his daughter, has abandoned a bit of this strong mythical dimension. Toutefois, cela n’empêche pas le public de se laisser porter par le souffle de ce film patriotique au sens noble du terme ni de penser qu’Antoine Bertrand, aussi attachant que charismatique dans le rôle, était véritablet l dehomme posture.
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Trailer (Source: YouTube).
