Blues Brothers - Le Devoir

The Quebec referendum presents a golden opportunity for a documentary. Even
so, this theme is fraught with obstacles, the most ominous of which is
juggling the enormous amount of information served up by the media, at the
time. Here lies the challenge: bring this beaten-to-death, troubling chapter
back to life, with a fresh perspective. Anglo Blues does just that.

Paule Des Rivières - Le Devoir

Lyle Stewart, a young writer at the cultural magazine Hour, recounts how he
blew his top with a force that took him by surprise when he learned that his
better half was planning to vote YES in the 1995 referendum. In the fallout,
she throws in his face that she finally voted NO for him, and betrayed her
friends and family, betrayed "her own." His reaction: "What do you mean
you're 'a traitor to your family'? Who am I?"
"I didn't think our relationship would be affected by the referendum," he
tells the camera, as if still shocked that it did. As with many such
couples, him Anglophone, her Francophone, or vice versa, post-referendum
discussions are banned. It is the price they pay for harmony. The vote gave
rise to feelings of guilt and treachery, and a complex sense of belonging
that remains all but clear.
"This makes me sick. Stop the interview," pleads Roxane Majeau, saddened by
"a political situation that only stirs up trouble in families." Her husband,
Rick Blue, is also part of the documentary Anglo Blues in a double capacity:
as half of a mixed marriage and as a comedian. The songs and political
satires of Blue and Bowser, his companion, have allowed the Anglophone
clientele of Montreal bars to keep venting their feelings long after the
referendum; excerpts from their performances punctuate this excellent
documentary. The satiric lines add another dimension to Anglo Blues. But
Blue, nonetheless, perfectly represents the stubborn Anglophone who would
only venture into certain Montreal neighborhoods with a Berlitz French
dictionary under his arm.

A good story
Toronto director, Paul Jay, co-founder of a production company specializing
in documentary films, was, as any good filmmaker, "looking for a good story."
But he was also prone to an intense frustration in the months that followed
the referendum.
"I am deeply frustrated by the political debate around the relationship
between Quebec and the rest of Canada. In the heat of political rhetoric,
ordinary people suddenly disappear," he said. Those tempted to dismiss this
film, with a tired wave of the hand "oh no, not another post-referendum
show" would miss out on something. This is no ordinary broadcast. The
director admits that, at first, he wanted to "show all types of so-called
representative couples, well-off, not so well-off, city and rural," but
during the filming, and so much the better for us, he chose only those
people with something to say. "We decided to let history follow its course."
Wonderful idea, and it gives us an hour's worth of honest testimonies,
often very emotional and deeply touching. Jay offers us a chance to listen,
and save our ideas for political solutions for another time. The film's tone
and the interraction between the couples is initially quite tense, but it
eases up as we progress towards the certain serenity which captures the
filmmaker's emotional journey through the experience of shooting the film.

Bridges are built
Paul Jay set out to "expose the obstinate character of each side." But as
the shooting progressed, the exchange between couples was more civilized
than he'd expected. He discovered that bridges are being built.
Paul Jay, an English Torontonian married to a Montreal Francophone, admits
to learning a lot. "I hadn't realized how distinct the Anglophone and the
Francophone communities are ... the strength of Quebec Francophones'
national psychology that is truly their own, and totally different from the
identity in English Canada. It's not only a question of language, even if
language is at the center of the debate.
"I think it grows out of living in a relatively homogeneous society for so
long. Because all the elements that constitute a national identity -
tradition, customs, religion, family life, folklore etc, - are present in
Quebec, just as in any other nation. I don't see why it is easier for us to
admit to an Italian identity."
Josh Freed and Jacques Godbout, both writers, occasionally join the film's
debate, and if we understand the message, represent the "people who are
willing to talk" on either side of the political spectrum. But even without
this exchange from these two more official spokesmen, the movie would most
certainly hold its own, crowded as it is with sequences far more original in
character.
Anglo Blues does not bother itself with weighty political or historical
statements -- these are beside the point. The film relives the political
events through the words of the characters themselves. Jay, however, could
not resist including the sadly notorious Parizeau's phrase pertaining to
money and the ethnic vote on October 30th. "We couldn't omit that, because
of its enormous impact," stresses the filmmaker, during a telephone interview.
The French version lasts one hour and the English runs a full hour and a
half. Radio-Canada felt that Francophone viewers couldn't take much more
than 60 minutes of sub-titled English. The director gave his approval, but
CTV broadcast the full version.