The Deserter (2008 film)
| The Deserter | |
|---|---|
| French | Le déserteur |
| Directed by | Simon Lavoie |
| Written by | Simon Lavoie (play) |
| Produced by | Simon Lavoie |
| Starring | Émile Proulx-Cloutier Raymond Cloutier Danielle Proulx Viviane Audet Benoît Gouin Gilles Renaud |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 min |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | French |
The Deserter (French: Le déserteur) is a 2008 Quebec feature film directed by Simon Lavoie. The film stars Émile Proulx-Cloutier, Raymond Cloutier, Danielle Proulx, Viviane Audet, Benoît Gouin and Gilles Renaud.[1][2]
It tells the story of Georges Guénette, a deserter from the Canadian Army during World War II, who was shot and killed by members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Background
[edit]Georges Guénette was a deserter from the Canadian Army and, like many French Canadians during World War II, an opponent of the war and conscription.
In May 1944, a few months after Guénette deserted from the army, four Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers found Guenette in his father's farmhouse, in St-Lambert-de-Lévis (near Quebec City). He jumped out of a window and ran across the fields. Guénette fell, wounded "by a ricocheting bullet," and died without the last rites of the church.[3]
Two RCMP officers were later charged with manslaughter in Guénette's death, and the shooting was an issue in the 1944 Quebec general election.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Kellt, Brendan (October 23, 2008). "Review: Le Deserteur". The Gazette. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
- ^ Demers, Maxime (December 19, 2007). "Georges Guénette, déserteur". Le Journal de Montréal (in French).
- ^ Time, Monday, May 22, 1944 ([1])
- ^ "The Week in Quebec". The Coaticook Observer. November 17, 1944. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
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