Those Damned Savages | |
---|---|
French | Les maudits sauvages |
Directed by | Jean Pierre Lefebvre |
Written by | Jean Pierre Lefebvre |
Starring | Rachel Cailhier Pierre Dufresne Nicole Filion Luc Granger |
Cinematography | Jean-Claude Labrecque |
Edited by | Marguerite Duparc |
Music by | Walter Boudreau |
Production company | Cinak |
Distributed by | Faroun Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 116 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | French |
Those Damned Savages (French: Les maudits sauvages) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Jean Pierre Lefebvre and released in 1971.[1] A satirical critique of colonialism, the film explores its thesis that racist attitudes toward First Nations have not changed through a narrative that places various real historical figures from the 17th century in modern-day Montreal.[2]
The film stars Rachel Cailhier as Tékacouita, a young Mohawk woman in New France who is taken to the city by coureur de bois Thomas Hébert (Pierre Dufresne) to work as a domestic servant, after being forcibly separated from her fiancé. In Montreal, Thomas forces Tékacouita to work as a go-go dancer in a nightclub, where she repeatedly deals with attempted sexual assault and other modern problems until her fiancé arrives to save her.[3]
The film's cast also includes Nicole Filion as Jeanne Mance, Luc Granger as abbé Frelaté and Marcel Sabourin as Jean Talon.[3]
The film premiered in the Directors' Fortnight program at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival.[4]