Minuit, le soir
Encyclopedia
Minuit, le soir is an award-winning, character-driven Quebec
television show. Set and shot in Montreal
, the 30-minute show revolves around the lives of three bouncers
, both in private and at work. The show is notable for its portrayal of the daily hardships facing each of the principal characters. Gritty cinematography and fast-paced direction are also key elements of the show's style. All the show's episodes were directed by Daniel Grou (aka Podz).
Aired by public broadcaster Radio-Canada
, the show achieved critical acclaim in local media
and among viewers, reaching on average 1.3 million people during its first season. Minuit, le soir eventually won 17 Gémeaux Awards for its three seasons, the local equivalent of the American
Emmys, the Geminis in other Canadian
provinces or the British Academy Television Awards
.
The title of the show evokes the bouncers' work cycle and the fact they work at night. Although title screens and promotional logos do not include the comma between minuit and le, it does appears officially in the show's title.
Minuit, le soir is set to finish its run at the end of the 13-episode 2007 season, which started on 11 January 2007.
bouncers
at The Manhattan, a fictional bar set in downtown Montreal
. At first, all three seem successful: they enjoy working together and feel comfortable, achieving the rough-and-tough persona of the stereotypical bouncer. In an unexpected move, their aging boss sells his bar to an up-and-coming Italian-Canadian
nightclub owner, after more than some insistence on her part.
Citing better standards she fires all three main protagonists. She intends on increasing the appeal of the bar by employing inexperienced yet good-looking young men to fill their positions. Nonetheless, one of the terminated bouncers successfully convinces the new owner to reinstate all three employees, showing their love for the job and indispensable experience. After reassembling her team of bouncers, the new owner renames the bar to Le Sas (The Airlock
) and assigns the doormen to her other nightclubs in the city, including Le Joystick, a gay BDSM venue.
Minuit, le soir follows the characters working and off the job. The three bouncers are usually shown together being that they are coworkers and lifelong friends. The venues include the various bars, a park where the men procrastinate and their respective apartments.
The show evolves quite rapidly, both visually and story-wise, given its half-hour format combined to a dramatic plot. The camera is at times nervous, at times fluid and often transitions through tracking shots of the city.
Music is a central part of the show. In the club scenes, pounding house
, mostly written by Mathieu Desaulniers and DJ Kal, prevails. In the key moments, a haunting cello-based score (http://minuitlesoir.com) written by Nicolas Maranda
(http://myspace.com/nicolasmaranda) often takes over. The team won the 2007 Gémeaux award for their efforts. The music also promotes local artists by playing their songs during club scenes, like Hypnofonia (http://myspace.com/hypnofonia) and Marco G (his claim of winning the Gémeaux award is based on that fact and is of course, not true).
2005 (first season)
2006 (second season)
2007 (third season)
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....
television show. Set and shot in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, the 30-minute show revolves around the lives of three bouncers
Bouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
, both in private and at work. The show is notable for its portrayal of the daily hardships facing each of the principal characters. Gritty cinematography and fast-paced direction are also key elements of the show's style. All the show's episodes were directed by Daniel Grou (aka Podz).
Aired by public broadcaster Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
, the show achieved critical acclaim in local media
and among viewers, reaching on average 1.3 million people during its first season. Minuit, le soir eventually won 17 Gémeaux Awards for its three seasons, the local equivalent of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Emmys, the Geminis in other Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
provinces or the British Academy Television Awards
British Academy Television Awards
The British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . They have been awarded annually since 1954, and are analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States.-Background:...
.
The title of the show evokes the bouncers' work cycle and the fact they work at night. Although title screens and promotional logos do not include the comma between minuit and le, it does appears officially in the show's title.
Minuit, le soir is set to finish its run at the end of the 13-episode 2007 season, which started on 11 January 2007.
Plot
Minuit, le soir is a series about three nightclubNightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
bouncers
Bouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
at The Manhattan, a fictional bar set in downtown Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. At first, all three seem successful: they enjoy working together and feel comfortable, achieving the rough-and-tough persona of the stereotypical bouncer. In an unexpected move, their aging boss sells his bar to an up-and-coming Italian-Canadian
Italian-Canadian
An Italian Canadian is a Canadian of Italian descent or heritage. According to the 2006 census of Canada, 1,445,335 Canadians consider themselves to be of Italian origin. The Italian-Canadian population climbed by more than 12% and half have combined Italian origins along with another ethnic...
nightclub owner, after more than some insistence on her part.
Citing better standards she fires all three main protagonists. She intends on increasing the appeal of the bar by employing inexperienced yet good-looking young men to fill their positions. Nonetheless, one of the terminated bouncers successfully convinces the new owner to reinstate all three employees, showing their love for the job and indispensable experience. After reassembling her team of bouncers, the new owner renames the bar to Le Sas (The Airlock
Airlock
An airlock is a device which permits the passage of people and objects between a pressure vessel and its surroundings while minimizing the change of pressure in the vessel and loss of air from it...
) and assigns the doormen to her other nightclubs in the city, including Le Joystick, a gay BDSM venue.
Minuit, le soir follows the characters working and off the job. The three bouncers are usually shown together being that they are coworkers and lifelong friends. The venues include the various bars, a park where the men procrastinate and their respective apartments.
The show evolves quite rapidly, both visually and story-wise, given its half-hour format combined to a dramatic plot. The camera is at times nervous, at times fluid and often transitions through tracking shots of the city.
Music is a central part of the show. In the club scenes, pounding house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
, mostly written by Mathieu Desaulniers and DJ Kal, prevails. In the key moments, a haunting cello-based score (http://minuitlesoir.com) written by Nicolas Maranda
Nicolas Maranda
Nicolas Maranda is a Canadian singer/songwriter, composer, musician and record producer based in Montreal. His compositional style is eclectic, blending acoustic, electric and electronic elements into distinct soundscapes. His compositions have appeared on record, in television series and feature...
(http://myspace.com/nicolasmaranda) often takes over. The team won the 2007 Gémeaux award for their efforts. The music also promotes local artists by playing their songs during club scenes, like Hypnofonia (http://myspace.com/hypnofonia) and Marco G (his claim of winning the Gémeaux award is based on that fact and is of course, not true).
Principals
- Marc Forest (Claude LegaultClaude Legault-Biography:Legault was a star of the Ligue Nationale d'Improvisation and has since appeared regularly on television, stage and film. He is currently part of the cast of the T.V. series 450 chemin du Golf and Annie et ses Hommes and he was part of Le retour...
): Forest is a tough doorman who initially handles the nightclub's unwanteds. He is revealed as a sensitive man concerned with his friends, the bar's customers and—eventually—his new boss, Fanny. An ongoing quirk of the show, Marc seems to be unable to keep his pets alive; they all die in rather weird circumstances and he buries them in his backyard. He also cannot keep a woman overnight and he uses noisy tapes to scare them away after they've had sex. - Gaétan Langlois (Julien PoulinJulien PoulinJulien Poulin is an actor, film director, screenwriter, film producer, and composer in Quebec, Canada. He has portrayed numerous roles in several popular Quebec films and series...
): Gaétan is the eldest of the bouncers, a simple and honest man in his fifties. Concerned with his image in a world of beauty and youthfulness, Gaétan tries to fit in. He, for example, removes his glasses while working, a clear negligence considering the importance of eyesight in his profession. During the first season, Gaétan reveals to his friends he is illiterate -- an issue unveiled on screen by morphing all the letters in Gaétan's view with unintelligible symbols. He also falls in love with a high-class escortCall girlA call girl or female escort is a sex worker who is not visible to the general public; nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by an escort agency...
, many times his junior. - Louis Bergeron (Louis Champagne): Louis is the third member of the team of bouncers and the funny guy among them. Concerned with his weight, he also has trouble keeping a stable relationship. He breaks up with his girlfriend Sylviane during the first season, notably because of a costume fetishSexual fetishismSexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...
. Louis also works for the city's public works during in the daytime. He portrays a widespread cliché among the Québécois that Montréal public workers (the cols bleus, literally blue collars) never actually work. His remarks concerning working hours, unionism and attendance often provoke laughter among his friends—and the audience. - Fanny Campagnolo (Julie Perreault): Fanny is the nightclub owner. Born and raised in an Italian-CanadianItalian-CanadianAn Italian Canadian is a Canadian of Italian descent or heritage. According to the 2006 census of Canada, 1,445,335 Canadians consider themselves to be of Italian origin. The Italian-Canadian population climbed by more than 12% and half have combined Italian origins along with another ethnic...
family, she initially buys one of her bars from her father, in whose steps she evolves. Somewhat naïve, she makes various business and personal decisions that deeply affect her self-esteem and resolve.
Supporting
- Yan (Stéphane Gagnon) and Stevie (Henri Prado), the younger bouncers
- Brigitte (Julie Le Breton), the escort
- Sylviane (France Parent), Louis's ex-girlfriend
- James (James Gill), the bartender
- Paolo Campagnolo (Dino Tavarone), Fanny's father
Awards
Minuit, le soir won a total of 17 Gémeaux Awards :2005 (first season)
- Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Claude Legault
- Best Editing for a Series
2006 (second season)
- Best Drama Series
- Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Claude Legault
- Best Directing for a Drama Series
- Best Writing for a Drama Series
- Best Editing for a Series
- Best Cinematography for a Series
- Best Art Direction for All Categories
- Jean-Besré Award
2007 (third season)
- Best Drama Series
- Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Julien Poulin
- Best Directing for a Drama Series
- Best Writing for a Drama Series
- Best Editing for a Series
- Best Sound for a Series
- Best Original Music Score for a Series