24 Hours or More

Since The Cat in the Bag, Gilles Groulx had become accustomed to constantly nourishing the action of his fictional characters with current events (through newspapers, magazines, radio and television). But when Radio-Canada refused to give him access to archives (although they were public) during the editing of Between You and You All, he felt the need to capture Quebec's social and political activity himself, in a way that was radically different from the mass media.

By giving voice to workers, housewives, farmers, hippies, felquists, poets, unionists, natives, Black Panther activists, etc., Groulx did not stop at presenting things. He drew conclusions. He took a stand. Something unimaginable in a noble federal institution that claimed to show the truth - objectively - to the taxpayers who funded it...

Thus, through an impressive kaleidoscopic montage-collage and a few punchy texts (the last two shots of the film are in a way an allegory of this approach), Groulx rereads and reconnects the different events he recorded "day by day". Then he concludes his film by stating bluntly: "In this society, we believe that we must question the established system."

The NFB commissioner's response was equally blunt: "It would be inexcusable for the NFB to distribute a film that advocates the complete rejection of the current political and economic system in Canada." In fact, the film was banned for 6 years and lost much of its impact upon release.

However, even today, it still resonates with its revolt...

Richard Brouillette
Filmmaker, producer, chicken farmer, and accountant