.gif)
Aurore (film)
Encyclopedia
Aurore is a 2005
Quebec
biographical drama
movie that was directed by Luc Dionne
and produced by Denise Robert
and Daniel Louis. The movie is a remake of Jean-Yves Bigras
's 1952 movie La petite Aurore: l'enfant martyre
. (English trans. Little Aurore: The Child Martyr)
. The main character, Aurore Gagnon
, was born in 1909 to Marie-Anne Caron and Telesphore Gagnon as the second child of the couple. During the first nine years of her life, Aurore enjoys a happy life.
Then, during the fall of 1917, Aurore's mother develops tuberculosis
. She is brought to hospital for several months and doctors conclude she will never recover. Plans are made to give custody of Aurore and her sister Marie-Jeanne to Telesphore and his late wife's cousin, Marie-Anne (often simply referred to as Telesphore's cousin in the movie), with whom he had fallen in love. During a visit to Marie-Anne before she goes into hospital, Aurore's mother finds one of Marie-Anne's children locked inside a wooden structure. This alerts her that Marie-Anne might not treat Telesphore's children well. At the same time, Aurore sees her father kissing Marie-Anne; the girl criticizes her father for not caring enough about his ill wife.
Aurore's mother dies in 1918, and Telesphore and Marie-Anne marry immediately after the funeral. This is the start of an unhappier, more difficult life for Aurore, as her stepmother and father begin at once to mistreat her. When two of Marie-Anne's children die, some villagers blame her for their deaths.
The situation soon becomes worse for Aurore. During Father Leduc's visit to her school, he asks her a question about religion and she tells him to lower his voice. Immediately, Telesphore and Marie-Anne are notified and the mistreatment becomes more and more brutal. Marie-Anne carries out most of the abuse by slapping Aurore, striking her feet with a 2X4 with nails, and burning her with a burning steel hook. Her father also abuses her by slapping her and striking her with an axe handle. She is also locked in an isolated room with little food. After the attack with the nails, Oreus, the peace judge of the town, forces her parents to send Aurore to hospital and suspects that she has been beaten. When Exilda Lemay (played by Francine Ruel), discovers Aurore with severe wounds all over her body, she immediately alerts Oreus about the situation. Oreus goes to Quebec to discuss the issue with a crown attorney.
When the peace judge and several others, including doctors, arrive at Aurore's home, it is too late: she collapsed on the stairs and was attacked again by Marie-Anne with a 2X4. Doctors are unable to save Aurore, who passes away from blood poisoning.
After Aurore's funeral, the couple is arrested for Aurore's death. Telesphore is sentenced to life in prison for manslaughter
. His cousin and wife Marie-Anne is initially sentenced to death by hanging
for second degree murder. She is then given a life sentence, but health issues force her to leave the jail, and she later dies from breast and brain cancer. Father Leduc, whom Oreus blames for his lack of action on the case, kills himself with explosives.
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
biographical drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
movie that was directed by Luc Dionne
Luc Dionne
Luc Dionne is an award winning screenwriter and director born in Quebec in 1960. Luc's work is largely directed towards the French speaking market. However, many within the industry accredit Dionne's successful Omerta series as being an inspiration for David Chase's hit series The...
and produced by Denise Robert
Denise Robert
Denise Robert is a Canadian film producer, co-founder and President of Cinémaginaire with Daniel Louis. She is currently married to Denys Arcand and she has produced many of his films. Robert has won many awards, including four Genie Awards. She was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture...
and Daniel Louis. The movie is a remake of Jean-Yves Bigras
Jean-Yves Bigras
Jean-Yves Bigras was a Canadian film director and film editor, considered a pioneer in Quebec Cinema. Bigras studied first at the University of Ottawa and then at Queen's University. From 1939 to 1942 he served in World War II as part of the RCAF...
's 1952 movie La petite Aurore: l'enfant martyre
La Petite Aurore: l'enfant martyre (film)
La petite Aurore: l'enfant martyre is a French 1952 Quebec biographical drama movie that was directed by Jean-Yves Bigras and produced by Renaissance Films Distribution and Warner Bros....
. (English trans. Little Aurore: The Child Martyr)
Main cast
- Aurore Gagnon (10 years old) by Marianne FortierMarianne FortierMarianne Fortier grew up in Quebec City, Canada.Her breakthrough came with a leading role in the film Aurore, for which she fought off 11,000 other candidates...
- Télesphore Gagnon by Serge PostigoSerge PostigoSerge Postigo is a Quebec actor originally from France.-Background:Born in France, he moved in the province of Quebec during his childhood. He also lived in the Netherlands, Spain and Belgium for a short period. Immediately after his arrival, Postigo developed a strong interest in the theater...
- Marie-Anne Houde by Hélène Bourgeois-Leclerc
- Marie-Anne Caron by Stéphanie LapointeStéphanie LapointeStéphanie Lapointe is a Quebec singer, song writer, television and movie actress and humanitarian activist. She is best known as the winner of the second season of Star Académie, the Quebec version of Fame Academy....
- Oreus Mailhot by Rémy GirardRémy GirardRémy Girard is a Canadian actor and former television host from Quebec.-Acting career:He played the role of Rémy, the main character, who is dying of terminal cancer, in the Canadian film Les Invasions barbares by director Denys Arcand. This film was awarded the 2003 Academy Award for best...
- Bishop Leduc by Yves JacquesYves JacquesYves Jacques is a Québécois actor.- Biography :Since 2001, he has toured the world in two shows by Robert Lepage, La face cachée de la lune and Le Projet Andersen, where he played all the roles....
- Marie-Jeanne Gagnon by Sarah-Jeanne LabrosseSarah-Jeanne LabrosseSarah-Jeanne Labrosse is a Canadian actress.- Filmographie :* 1997 : Le Volcan tranquille * 2003 : Summer with the Ghosts : Caroline* 2004 : 15/Love : Sunny Capuduca...
Secondary Cast
- Aurore Gagnon (6 years old) by Alice Morel-Michaud
- Arzélie Caron by Monique Spazini
- Nérée Caron by Michel ForgetMichel Forget-Background:Forget had a long acting career in which he participated in several films and television series and which were popular among the general public across the province.In 1986, Michel Forget drove a boat from Paris-Montreal...
- Exilda Lemay by Francine Ruel
- Adjutor Gagnon by Michel BarretteMichel BarretteMichel Barrette is a television and movie actor, television and radio host and stand-up comedian. He played in various roles in Quebec movies and television shows since 1982.-Profile:...
- Alphonse Chandonnet by Gaston Lepage
- Arcadius Lemay by Luc Senay
Synopsis
The movie itself is based on a true story and was filmed in the small community of Sainte-Philomène-de-Fortierville south of Trois-RivièresTrois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...
. The main character, Aurore Gagnon
Aurore Gagnon
Aurore Gagnon , was a victim of child abuse. She died of exhaustion and blood poisoning from some 52 wounds inflicted by her stepmother, Marie-Anne Houde, and her father, Télesphore Gagnon...
, was born in 1909 to Marie-Anne Caron and Telesphore Gagnon as the second child of the couple. During the first nine years of her life, Aurore enjoys a happy life.
Then, during the fall of 1917, Aurore's mother develops tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. She is brought to hospital for several months and doctors conclude she will never recover. Plans are made to give custody of Aurore and her sister Marie-Jeanne to Telesphore and his late wife's cousin, Marie-Anne (often simply referred to as Telesphore's cousin in the movie), with whom he had fallen in love. During a visit to Marie-Anne before she goes into hospital, Aurore's mother finds one of Marie-Anne's children locked inside a wooden structure. This alerts her that Marie-Anne might not treat Telesphore's children well. At the same time, Aurore sees her father kissing Marie-Anne; the girl criticizes her father for not caring enough about his ill wife.
Aurore's mother dies in 1918, and Telesphore and Marie-Anne marry immediately after the funeral. This is the start of an unhappier, more difficult life for Aurore, as her stepmother and father begin at once to mistreat her. When two of Marie-Anne's children die, some villagers blame her for their deaths.
The situation soon becomes worse for Aurore. During Father Leduc's visit to her school, he asks her a question about religion and she tells him to lower his voice. Immediately, Telesphore and Marie-Anne are notified and the mistreatment becomes more and more brutal. Marie-Anne carries out most of the abuse by slapping Aurore, striking her feet with a 2X4 with nails, and burning her with a burning steel hook. Her father also abuses her by slapping her and striking her with an axe handle. She is also locked in an isolated room with little food. After the attack with the nails, Oreus, the peace judge of the town, forces her parents to send Aurore to hospital and suspects that she has been beaten. When Exilda Lemay (played by Francine Ruel), discovers Aurore with severe wounds all over her body, she immediately alerts Oreus about the situation. Oreus goes to Quebec to discuss the issue with a crown attorney.
When the peace judge and several others, including doctors, arrive at Aurore's home, it is too late: she collapsed on the stairs and was attacked again by Marie-Anne with a 2X4. Doctors are unable to save Aurore, who passes away from blood poisoning.
After Aurore's funeral, the couple is arrested for Aurore's death. Telesphore is sentenced to life in prison for manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
. His cousin and wife Marie-Anne is initially sentenced to death by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
for second degree murder. She is then given a life sentence, but health issues force her to leave the jail, and she later dies from breast and brain cancer. Father Leduc, whom Oreus blames for his lack of action on the case, kills himself with explosives.