Le Métif enragé

Vividly capturing a raucous night at the Festival du Voyageur in St. Boniface, Le Métif enragé (1983) follows poet George Morrissette as he takes the stage to participate in a fiddle competition — the legendary concours de violon that serves as the centerpiece of the event — only to rile up the crowd by punctuating his performance with a poem about Métis identity and Franco-Manitoban life.

The film, a collaboration between Morrissette and Winnipeg Film Group luminary Leon Johnson, vibrates with energy, channeling all the electricity in the room that evening. The audience, primed for music, dance, and celebration, is confronted by the mischievous Morrissette, who pushes them to reflect on who they are and what they have experienced.

In the end, Morrissette is pulled off the stage to a chorus of hoots and hollers from the crowd. One by one, other performers — young and old — take their turn, playing their tunes to the joy of everyone in the room, who dance, clap, and stomp their feet in time with the music. The wry smile on Morrissette’s face as he rejoins the audience suggests that all is not lost: the warmth of the community surrounds him, and the people take to the floor to dance the night away.

The film’s magic resides in Johnson’s immersion within the crowd, his handheld camera giving the viewer a true sense of being there. Through the haze of cigarette smoke — it is the 1980s, after all — what jumps out is the red, perfectly rendered by the 16 mm film stock. From Morrissette’s red shirt to the traditional Métis sash, from the iconic red toque of the Festival logo to the plaid that fills the room, this red is the Red of the river — and of the Red River Métis — whose warmth and vitality radiate through these scenes.

Andrew Burke
Professor · Department of English
University of Winnipeg