Great Montrealers – Part 3 | Mtl375

Great Montrealers – Part 3

Montreal 375 Starring – This remarkable island of the St. Lawrence has produced more than its share of movers and global agitators.

Norma Shearer

Born in Montreal in 1902, Norma Shearer was a model before signing a contract with MGM at the age of eighteen. His desire to be in show business was cultivated at the age of nine years after seeing a live performance Vaudeville. His father Andrew was in the construction industry, which allowed Shearer to grow in relative privileges.

Nominated six times for an Oscar, Shearer won Best Actress at the 1931 Oscars for her role in The Divorce. Other films appeared in A Free Soul, Escape, Now Traveling, and . Minor.

Shearer's resume included scenes of a strong will as well as characters in works adapted to the screen of William Shakespeare, Noel Coward and Eugene O & # 39; Neill. Shearer retired in 1942 and died in 1983. Her contribution to film has been recognized with a place on the Canada Walk of Fame and a commemorative stamp of Canada Post.

Claude Jutra

The allegations of last year that Claude Jutra was a pedophile throw a big veil over the province because he was considered a favorite Aboriginal son and probably the seminal filmmaker of Quebec. The news has even renamed the annual Quebec film award, formerly known as The Jutra Awards.

Despite the unsavory news, Jutra is still considered one of the greatest filmmakers in the city and country. His 1971 film My Uncle Antoine is considered by many to be the best Canadian film ever made.

Jutra makes documentary films for the NFB and collaborates with Norman McLaren on A Chairy Tale . He has also written and performed in several television shows for CBC before embarking on the feature film. His production of 1963 On All Things was made for $ 60,000. This film, with The Cat in the Bag, of the following year, won the Montreal native international success

. Jutra, diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in the early 1980s, disappeared in November 1986 and his drowned body was found in the St. Lawrence River near Quebec City in April . On his person was a note stating: "I am Claude Jutra."

Denys Arcand

Although his films are not as well known in the English-speaking community of Quebec as they should be, Denys Arcand is probably the most One of the best directors, screenwriters and producers to have ever left Canada and Quebec.

As Arcand is already recognized as one of the best Canadian filmmakers of his generation, he is also the only one to have won an Oscar for best foreign film ( The Barbarian Invasions in 2004). Aside from two other nominations for the best foreign image ( The Decline of the American Empire in 1986, and Jesus of Montreal in 1989), and another for the better original screenplay in 2004, Arcand has also won several awards at the Cannes Film Festival.

Born and raised in a small village south of Quebec City, Arcand grew up in a devout Catholic family. After moving the family to Montreal, Arcand was pursuing a master's degree in history when he was interested in filmmaking. In 1963, he joined the National Film Board of Canada, after which he immediately began producing and directing several documentaries in French, including One is Cotton – a feature-length documentary so much controversy in the Quebec textile industry that it has been put aside and has not been seen for years.

In 1982, Arcand realized Comfort and indifference, a stylistic break with the usual documentary form. This project illustrates his ambition to write and direct films about Quebec and its identity as a French society in English-speaking North America.

The Molson Family

L & # 39; The history of the Molsons and Montreal is inextricably linked. The achievements of this family, including the establishment of one of Canada's oldest businesses, date back to the late 18th century, when John Molson built his brewery along the St. Lawrence River. The family has expanded its investments to include steamboats, a lumberyard and even a bank. The company grew and changed its name over the decades and diversified in the late 1960s in the areas of retail, chemistry and sports and entertainment. Leading philanthropists, they have contributed to the expansion of the Concordia Business School, which today bears the name of the family's founder.

Molson and Miller Beer, an American company, formed an alliance in 1993. The company then sold some of its non-brewing companies and merged with the American giant Coors. The current generation of Molsons, Andrew and Geoff, sit on the company's board of directors and co-owner of the Montreal Canadiens as well as entertainment promoter Evenko, the Bell Center and Spectra

The Bronfman Family

The Bronfmans are one of the most prominent families, not only in Montreal and the Jewish community in general, but around the world in business, philanthropy, entertainment, arts and sports . The Bronfman Empire was born from the leadership of Samuel Bronfman in the world's largest alcoholic beverage distilling company, Seagram & # 39; s. Samuel's wife, Saidye, was best known for the arts center that bore her name. His son Edgar Bronfman took the leadership of Seagram & s 39; s and became president of the World Jewish Congress, while his son Charles, also president of Seagram & # 39; s, is owner of the Montreal Expos and continues to s & 39; deeply involved in philanthropy involving Montreal's Jewish community and Israel. Samuel's daughter, Phyllis Lambert, founded the Canadian Center for Architecture. Edgar Bronfman Jr. introduced Seagram into the entertainment industry, buying 80% of Universal Studios and Polygram Records in the late 1990s, which are now part of Universal Music. The last generation of the family, including Stephen Bronfman, son of Charles, perpetuates the importance of the family in business and philanthropy.