Decades before Celine Dion achieved international stardom from her humble roots in Quebec, there was Alys Robi. Born Alice Robitaille, she was the daughter of Napoleon Robitaille, a local hero in his own right as a boxer, who managed his little child prodigy's career in their home town of Quebec City.
Performing between boxing matches, or passing the hat on Quebec City's Dufferin Terrace, soon proved too small potatoes for Alice. She decided to strike out on her own in Montreal, the metropolis of French Canada and quite the entertainment capital at the time. (Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin performed there, as well as legendary stripper Lili St. Cyr.) Rechristening herself Alys Robi, Alice had her sights set even higher: Hollywood and the world. She skyrocketed to fame and fortune with her sultry, sexy voice and Latin rhythms, crooning such tunes as "Tico Tico", "Amor Amor", "Brazil", and "Besame Mucho".
But Alys Robi's career was tragically cut short by increasingly frequent bouts of manic depression, leading to her internment and, in 1952, a lobotomy that was then the only known "cure" for her condition.
"Ma vie en Cinemascope" beautifully recaptures the glamour of Alys Robi's career, as well as the historical and cultural environment of the era. Quebecers will recognize the names of such luminaries of the vaudeville stage as Olivier Guimond, Rose Ouellet and Juliette Petrie. Roger Lemelin, the author of "La Famille Plouffe", is shown as a young cub reporter. Camilien Houde is feted as the mayor of Montreal who opposed conscription during World War II.
The Catholic Church is portrayed less than sympathetically, since its religious ran the horrendous and horrifying insane asylums that housed, not only the mentally ill, but orphans unwanted anywhere else. The Church is also blamed for the sexual repression that blighted the lives of women such as Alys Robi, causing guilt and frigidity, as well as the impossibility of divorce that kept Alys from achieving happiness with the married men she loved.
While the details will be of particular interest to those living in Quebec and the rest of French Canada, non-Francophone viewers are sure to be mesmerized by Pascale Bussieres's passionate performance -- and she sings most impressively in her own voice.
The remainder of the cast, while solid, pales in comparison to the lovely and talented Pascale Bussieres. It is her movie all the way, and she carries it effortlessly and flawlessly.
"Ma vie en Cinemascope" is directed by Denise Filiatrault, herself a great name in the annals of Quebec culture as a comic actress and now filmmaker. She has given us a gem of a film that is as beautiful to watch as it is to hear.
Performing between boxing matches, or passing the hat on Quebec City's Dufferin Terrace, soon proved too small potatoes for Alice. She decided to strike out on her own in Montreal, the metropolis of French Canada and quite the entertainment capital at the time. (Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin performed there, as well as legendary stripper Lili St. Cyr.) Rechristening herself Alys Robi, Alice had her sights set even higher: Hollywood and the world. She skyrocketed to fame and fortune with her sultry, sexy voice and Latin rhythms, crooning such tunes as "Tico Tico", "Amor Amor", "Brazil", and "Besame Mucho".
But Alys Robi's career was tragically cut short by increasingly frequent bouts of manic depression, leading to her internment and, in 1952, a lobotomy that was then the only known "cure" for her condition.
"Ma vie en Cinemascope" beautifully recaptures the glamour of Alys Robi's career, as well as the historical and cultural environment of the era. Quebecers will recognize the names of such luminaries of the vaudeville stage as Olivier Guimond, Rose Ouellet and Juliette Petrie. Roger Lemelin, the author of "La Famille Plouffe", is shown as a young cub reporter. Camilien Houde is feted as the mayor of Montreal who opposed conscription during World War II.
The Catholic Church is portrayed less than sympathetically, since its religious ran the horrendous and horrifying insane asylums that housed, not only the mentally ill, but orphans unwanted anywhere else. The Church is also blamed for the sexual repression that blighted the lives of women such as Alys Robi, causing guilt and frigidity, as well as the impossibility of divorce that kept Alys from achieving happiness with the married men she loved.
While the details will be of particular interest to those living in Quebec and the rest of French Canada, non-Francophone viewers are sure to be mesmerized by Pascale Bussieres's passionate performance -- and she sings most impressively in her own voice.
The remainder of the cast, while solid, pales in comparison to the lovely and talented Pascale Bussieres. It is her movie all the way, and she carries it effortlessly and flawlessly.
"Ma vie en Cinemascope" is directed by Denise Filiatrault, herself a great name in the annals of Quebec culture as a comic actress and now filmmaker. She has given us a gem of a film that is as beautiful to watch as it is to hear.
