Séraphin: Heart of Stone
Séraphin: Heart of Stone
| 29 November 2002 (USA)
Séraphin: Heart of Stone Trailers

The story takes place during the colonization of the Laurentian region in Quebec towards the end of the 19th century (approx. 1885-90), near Sainte-Adèle. An unscrupulous man, Séraphin Poudrier, dominates the small community using his wealth. Mayor of the village, he will marry Donalda Laloge, after her father, unable to repay his debt, gives her to him in marriage. Donalda, a gentle and submissive woman who was promised to the handsome Alexis Labranche, rather, he will live his life according to the wishes of this petty and contemptuous miser, but will never let his situation get him down.

Reviews
ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
goaltenderinterference The review on the DVD proclaimed that this film was "Quebec's Titanic". That was about right: a film using sentimentality and a historical setting to distract from a weak plot and wooden characters.The premise of the film is that pre-1960s Quebec was a miserable, oppressive place where the Church and the wealthy controlled the peasants like some sort of Catholic Iran; this allows the wealthy bad guy to brtualize the poor hero and heroine with impunity. No doubt, this had some historical accuracy (certainly in the minds of Quebec film-makers), but it isn't very interesting to watch the main characters flail about helplessly, unable to overcome their lot in life, while some bad guy manipulates them.Compare this film to the much better "Louis Cyr", where a man growing up in the same time period and subject to the same low status overcomes his obstacles and becomes an inspiration for generations.The actors are some of the best that Quebec has, but each main character in Seraphin was so unidimensional that it almost felt like a parody. The rich bad guy is obsessed with money to the point where I confused him with Scrooge McDuck - he literally died with gold coins in his hand. The heroic lumberjack is so heroic that at one point he starts cutting wood in doubletime to pay off the rich bad guy. The damsel in distress is so distressed that I had to ask how a human being can reach adulthood without a backbone -- the one redeeming feature of Titanic was that the heroine took some control over her situation and tried, at the very least, to not die, something that Karine Vanasse's character wasn't up to attempting.If our cable was working, I wouldn't have watched it to the end.
larraine-2 Another wonderful drama out of Quebec - not enough recognition is given to the caliber of acting in this movie. Roy Dupuis of course is well known for his dramatic talent but Karine Vanasse also did a very credible job for one so young and inexperienced.Without giving away any plot detail, here is another classic example of a man without soul. What goes around comes around and the moral in the story is not belaboured but left to the watchers intelligence.Beautiful scenery and a good depiction of the hardship that the early Quebec settlers endured.Once again, this is a movie well worth seeing and you won't be wasting your money on it.
neubilder This had the potential to be a gripping and tragic tale but fell flat. Character development is weak, many scenes are pointless. What should have been a sad and tragic tale merely had me shaking my head wondering what the director was thinking. There is no sufficiently convincing case for Donalda to marry Seraphin; What, so her spineless father can keep his general store running? Once married to Seraphin, she for some reason feels compelled to remain true to this deplorable monster. The problem is, there is no convincing case made as to why she feels so bound to him - most of the town is on her side and sees her marriage to him as wrong in the first place. Pierre Lebeau's role as the utterly detestable Seraphin is convincing however, which makes the supporting roles that much more absurd.
clerk___37 Un Homme et Son Peche is not an uncommon film. The plot follows the exploits of a rural Quebec village at the turn of the century. This movie has been made before, in fact this film is based on a TV show which itself is based on a radio play.What is unique about this film is its attention to details. The sets are impressive, built for the film. The cinemagraphy captures the natural beauty of Northern Quebec perfectly. Its as though you could touch the screen and feel the characters world.The acting is not bad. I'm not a big fan of Roy Dupuis, but he did manage to make me feel genuine emotion for his character.This film has become a phenomenon in Quebec, likely to become the Provinces highest grossing domestic film ever. I think this film will be remembered more as a force than for its story, but that's ok as long as it is remembered at all