A man of the people and a cab driver, Jean Carignan is first and foremost one of the world's greatest violinists. Under his fingers, the reels or "rigodons" appear as complex and erudite music, calling for a virtuosity worthy of Paganini; a musical genre transmitted "by ear" and still popular, whose "greats" are called Skinner, Coleman, and Allard. Jean Carignan performs a considerable repertoire and delivers the fruit of his research in Ireland and Scotland, which has made him an internationally recognized specialist in Celtic music. This film is also a love story between a poor child and his fiddle, and a unique social testimony to a heroic era.
Director | Bernard Gosselin |
Actor | Jean-Philippe Desrochers |
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In Jean Carignan, violoneux, Bernard Gosselin, a close collaborator of Pierre Perrault and an emblematic figure in Quebec’s Direct Cinema movement, lets the man (1916-1988) tell his story, in a language that wonderfully illustrates the genius of popular speech. But the filmmaker, whose work was characterized by a great interest in the world of workers and craftsmen, films above all this virtuoso of the bow playing his instrument. The musician rubbed and struck the strings of his violin with all the fervor that enlivened him, just like his masters, whom Carignan proudly described as "tavern boys. The self-taught fiddler, who received a very limited formal education, had an encyclopedic knowledge of the traditional Celtic repertoire, a major influence on the music of the region.
A contemporary of the important documentary series Le son des Français d'Amérique (André Gladu and Michel Brault, 1974), Jean Carignan, violoneux bears witness to a time when popular culture - the songs and music of the common masses - was transmitted from one person to another during vigils held in the humble homes of a still very rural Quebec, not yet spoiled by a certain modernity.
Jean-Philippe Desrochers
Critic
In Jean Carignan, violoneux, Bernard Gosselin, a close collaborator of Pierre Perrault and an emblematic figure in Quebec’s Direct Cinema movement, lets the man (1916-1988) tell his story, in a language that wonderfully illustrates the genius of popular speech. But the filmmaker, whose work was characterized by a great interest in the world of workers and craftsmen, films above all this virtuoso of the bow playing his instrument. The musician rubbed and struck the strings of his violin with all the fervor that enlivened him, just like his masters, whom Carignan proudly described as "tavern boys. The self-taught fiddler, who received a very limited formal education, had an encyclopedic knowledge of the traditional Celtic repertoire, a major influence on the music of the region.
A contemporary of the important documentary series Le son des Français d'Amérique (André Gladu and Michel Brault, 1974), Jean Carignan, violoneux bears witness to a time when popular culture - the songs and music of the common masses - was transmitted from one person to another during vigils held in the humble homes of a still very rural Quebec, not yet spoiled by a certain modernity.
Jean-Philippe Desrochers
Critic
Français