MON ONCLE ANTOINE (1971) 
- Run Time: 110 min.
- Rating: PG
- Director: Claude Jutra
- Writer(s): Claude Jutra and Clement Perron
- Producer(s): Marc Beaudet
- Star(s): Jacques Gagnon, Jean Duceppe, Lionel Villeneuve, Claude Jutra
Stills
Plot Summary
A small asbestos-mining town in Quebec of the 1940s is the setting for this legendary bittersweet slice-of-life comedy. Orphaned 14-year-old Benoit (Gagnon) arrives to live with a foster family and becomes a part of the exploits of village life, both comic and tragic. In the f ilm’s set piece, Benoit goes with his uncle Antoine (Duceppe) to collect the remains of a young lad, who must be buried despite an unrelenting snowstorm. Gagnon gives a hauntingly realistic portrayal of a young boy discovering life’s funny and tragic turns.
Often chosen as the f inest Canadian f ilm of all time, Mon Oncle Antoine won eight Canadian Film Awards, including Best Film, Director and Actor.
“In the loneliness and grandeur of the midnight journey of Benoit and Antoine, there is a haunting beauty.” — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
About the Director
Claude Jutra
Internationally renowned Quebec filmmaker Jutra joined the NFB in 1954. He directed many features, including Kamouraska, Surfacing and By Design. Quebec’s film awards —the “Jutras”— are named in his honour, as is the Genies’ annual Claude Jutra Award for best feature by a first-time film director.