Wild Run: The Legend

Wild Run: The Legend
Film poster
FrenchChasse-Galerie: La Légende
Directed byJean-Philippe Duval
Written byGuillaume Vigneault
Produced byChristian Larouche
Réal Chabot
StarringCaroline Dhavernas
Francis Ducharme
François Papineau
Vincent-Guillaume Otis
CinematographyMario Janelle
Edited byMyriam Poirier
Music byJorane
Production
companies
Christal Films
Film du Boulevard
Release date
  • 26 February 2016 (2016-02-26)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageFrench
Budget$7 million

Wild Run: The Legend (French: Chasse-Galerie: La Légende) is a 2016 Canadian fantasy film directed by Jean-Philippe Duval and starring Caroline Dhavernas, Francis Ducharme and François Papineau. The film's screenplay is written by Guillaume Vigneault, based on the French Canadian legend of Chasse-galerie.

Plot

On New Year's Eve, 1863, Theodore Gilbert meets Jack Murphy, a suave man, while Theodore fears his pregnant wife may die during delivery. Murphy offers a solution, and Theodore dies. In 1888 in L'Ascension, Quebec, lumberjack Jos Lebel is in a romantic relationship with Theodore's grown daughter Liza Gilbert. Jos and a group of lumberjacks then set out to work in the Quebec wilderness. The group is eager to spend the holiday with their loved ones, when they meet Murphy, who is really the Devil. The men make a Faustian deal with Murphy to return home, employing a flying canoe.

Cast

Production

A 1906 depiction of the Chasse-galerie legend by Henri Julien.

The legend of Chasse-galerie was an oral tradition in Quebec for years before Honoré Beaugrand wrote a book on the subject, with Guillaume Vigneault's screenplay marking the first feature film adaptation.[1] Jean-Philippe Duval became the director after agreeing to make a third film, following his Matroni and Me (Matroni et moi) and Through the Mist (Dédé, à travers les brumes).[2] The budget was $7 million.[3]

With a fascination in history, Duval approached the production from a historically realistic perspective, encouraged by the success of the 2015 film The Revenant.[4] Challenges arose in post-production, one of the reasons the planned December 2015 release was cancelled.[5]

Reception

The film was released in Quebec on 26 February 2016.[6] It debuted fourth at the Quebec box office, grossing $140,289 in its first weekend.[7] For Halloween 2016, Alliance Francaise screened Wild Run: The Legend in Toronto.[8] Les Films Séville also released it on DVD on 7 June 2016.[9]

Reviews were generally positive.[5] Brendan Kelly, writing for The Montreal Gazette, gave it two and a half stars, comparing the realism to the TV series Les Pays d'en haut, but said that the depiction of the Devil subtracted from the seriousness.[1] In La Presse, Marc-André Lussier [fr] awarded it three and a half stars, saying the realism had great impact and made the winter setting feel real, and crediting Dhavernas and Ducharme for chemistry.[2] Quebec fantasy writer Bryan Perro championed the belated adaptation, saying it was important for contemporary Quebec to reconnect with its heritage.[10] Le Devoir's André Lavoie praised the film's visuals, aside from the fairy tale segments.[11] Isabelle Laramée gave it three stars in Journal Metro, citing the artistic direction and cinematography.[3]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Prix Iris 4 June 2017 Best Art Direction Jean Babin Nominated [12][13]
Best Costume Design Francesca Chamberland Won
Best Makeup Nicole Lapierre Nominated
Best Hairstyling Marie-France Cardinal and Véronique-Anne Leblan Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b Kelly, Brendan (25 February 2016). "Movie review: Chasse-Galerie updates classic Québécois oral legend". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b Lussier, Marc-André (26 February 2016). "Chasse-galerie, la légende: la part du diable ***1/2". La Presse (in French). Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  3. ^ a b Laramée, Isabelle (29 February 2016). ""Chasse-Galerie": au-delà de la légende". Journal Metro (in French). Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  4. ^ Couture, Philippe (14 March 2016). "Chasse-Galerie: L'art De Défolkloriser Le Bûcheron". Voir (in French). Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  5. ^ a b Demers, Maxime (29 February 2016). "Déception pour Chasse-Galerie". Le Journal de Montréal (in French). Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  6. ^ Roy, Marie-Josée (16 February 2016). "'Chasse-Galerie : la légende' : une sortie à l'ombre de Claude Jutra". The Huffington Post (in French). Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  7. ^ Duguay, Denise (29 February 2016). "Box-office Quebec and beyond: Deadpool is alive and Chasse-Galerie debuts at No. 4". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  8. ^ Anderson, Jason (28 October 2016). "Toronto comes alive with these Halloween movie screenings". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  9. ^ "The Wild Run: The Legend". Tribute. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  10. ^ Bélanger, Cédric (20 February 2016). "La chasse-galerie, une légende importante pour le Québec". Le Journal de Montréal (in French). Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  11. ^ Lavoie, André (5 March 2016). "Chasse-galerie (La légende)". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  12. ^ Boutros, Magdaline (5 April 2017). "Gala Québec cinéma: Juste la fin du monde et Two Lovers and a Bear en tête". La Presse. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  13. ^ Lauzon, Yan (1 June 2017). "Gala des artisans Québec cinéma: Xavier Dolan amorce sa récolte". Le Journal de Montreal (in French). Retrieved 2 June 2017.