The Cat in the Bag

The Cat in the Bag
FrenchLe chat dans le sac
Directed byGilles Groulx
Written byGilles Groulx
Produced byJacques Bobet
StarringClaude Godbout [fr]
Barbara Ulrich
Pierre Maheu [fr]
Jean V. Dufresne
Paul-Marie Lapointe [fr]
Jean-Paul Bernier
Manon Blain
André Leblanc
Véronique Vilbert
CinematographyJean-Claude Labrecque
Edited byGilles Groulx
Music byJohn Coltrane
Production
company
Distributed byPathé Contemporary Films
Impact Films (US, subtitled)
Release date
  • 1964 (1964)
Running time
74 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageFrench
Budget$45,982[1]

The Cat in the Bag (French: Le chat dans le sac) is a 1964 drama film by Gilles Groulx, which played a seminal role in the development of Quebec cinema. The film's themes, improvisational style, hand-held camera work and evocative music signalled the emergence of a new generation of Quebec films and filmmakers.[2][3]

The film mixes Direct Cinema documentary techniques and distancing devices similar to those employed by Jean-Luc Godard to tell the story of a young man's struggles to come to terms with his place in Quebec society and Quebec's place in Canada. The protagonist, a journalist played by Claude Godbout [fr], struggles with the question of whether to change society or accept it the way it is. An American girl, an actress who runs a theater, does not share the troubles and struggles between the two. Claude leaves Montreal for the Quebec countryside to reflect on his life, and with the distance between them, their love fades.[3][4]

  1. ^ Evans 1991, p. 94.
  2. ^ "Le Chat Dans Le Sac (1964)". Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  3. ^ a b Loiselle, Andre (June–September 2004). "Le Chat dans le sac". Take One. Canadian Independent Film & Television Publishing Association.[dead link]
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cfe was invoked but never defined (see the help page).