It was May 25, 2003, exactly 20 years ago. It was in no way staged and nothing planned. Marie-Josée Croze found out live on the set of the live talk show Christiane Charette where she was without knowing what to expect that she had just been awarded the Best Female Actress award for his performance at the Cannes Film Festival film Les Invasions barbares by Denys Arcand.
It is the Radio Canada Archives Instagram account that today reminds us of this little piece of history of Quebec culture, totally spontaneous and full of emotions, unforgettable for those who saw it live. . Recall these touching memories by watching the excerpt below.
In this 2003 capsule, as the Cannes Film Festival drew to a close and awards were being presented at the same time, we see Christiane Charette interviewing Michèle Richard and then interrupting herself by announcing that she was being “thrown papers.” Completely destabilized, the moderator then reads on her box that Denys Arcand has just received the award for best screenplay for his “Barbarian Invasions” in Cannes. “And the interpretation price to…”, Christiane Charette announces without finishing her sentence. Then the camera lands on the stunned Marie-Josée Croze, who asks, “Me? », gesture of support, frowning.
The program “Christiane Charette en direct” was then broadcast live from the Bar Chez Roger in the Rosemont district of Montreal. Evidently, the euphoria immediately won over the on-site help. The jubilee Marie-Josée Croze, sitting next to the filmmaker Bernard Émond and Patrick Huard, does not seem to know how to react until the latter gently leads her to an interview “on the spot” in front of Christiane Charette.
“I don’t believe it, honestly I don’t believe it… Are you sure about that?” ventured the actress, still stunned.
Marie-Josée Croze mentions in the video that she is not present in Cannes with the rest of the Barbarian Invasions team – specifically director Denys Arcand, his wife, producer Denise Robert and co-stars Rémy Girard and Stéphane Rousseau, some of whom were also at the time Honors in Cannes for her acting performance were expected, but ultimately – for “economic reasons” – went empty-handed. Several other actors from the team, including Dominique Michel, Louise Portal, Pierre Curzi, Mitsou, Johanne-Marie Tremblay and Gaston Lepage, had been at the festival on the Croisette a few days earlier for the presentation of the feature film, but returned to Montreal almost immediately.
This year, the Palme d’Or at the 56th Cannes Film Festival was awarded to Gus van Sant’s film Elephant. A few months later, on February 29, 2004, The Barbarian Invasions won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. The work was also awarded three Césars of French cinema. In Quebec, the production received several Jutra awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Marie-Josée Croze) and Most Successful Film Abroad.
In Les Invasions Barbares, Marie-Josée Croze played Nathalie, daughter of Diane (Louise Portal), a drug-impaired young woman who alleviated the suffering of the dying Rémy (Rémy Girard) by injecting him with heroin and sharing good times with him. After Remy’s peaceful death, by the end of the story, his character would eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel. No one imagined that this supporting role would bring such recognition to the actress.
Since her triumph in Cannes, Marie-Josée Croze – who is currently starring in early-career reruns of Chambres en ville on Unis TV – has settled in France, where she is continuing her career. In Quebec, she became known in the 1990s in addition to Chambres en ville in the series Montréal PQ, Urgence and Le masque and in the film La Florida.
Remember that Denys Arcand will offer us a new work, Testament, which will be released in cinemas in October. This singer plays a leading role in it. The filmmaker also recently proudly introduced us to his big boy.