During his childhood, Richard Desjardins was lulled by the music of Frédéric Chopin, which his mother often played on the piano. In a touching documentary film presented on Friday at the Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC), the poet, singer and director pays tribute to this virtuoso pianist who has always fascinated and moved him.
“Chopin helped me live my life the way I wanted,” says Richard Desjardins at the opening of Chip Chip – Chopin by Desjardins, an hour-long film that takes us on a journey from Warsaw (the city where Chopin was born in 1810). ) in Paris (where he died 39 years later).
Following in the footsteps of Chip Chip – nickname given to him by the writer George Sand, who was his lover for nine years – Desjardins recounts the important moments of his life, but also meets several specialists who talk to him in particular about the influence, that the enigmatic Polish pianist and composer had on current music.
In his film, the director also hypothesizes that Chopin’s music could be one of the origins of jazz.
“Chopin is a secret for all musicians,” explains Richard Desjardins in an interview.
“One reason he hasn’t had the popularity he could have had is because his music is extremely difficult to play. There is no amateur who attempts Chopin. The first two or three pages are fine, he’s luring you into his trap. But after that he embarrasses you!
“I recently presented the film to some friends in Rouyn and at least two people asked me: When you film the pianist (Charles Richard-Hamelin) playing Chopin, is it at real speed? Because damn it!”
A different tone
Those familiar with the cinematic work of Richard Desjardins will be surprised to discover the different tone the filmmaker adopts in this new film. Chip Chip – Desjardins’ Chopin actually has nothing to do with Desjardins’ committed documentaries (such as L’ERROR BORÉALE and Trou Story), which particularly denounced the mismanagement of our natural resources.
“My friends who saw the film told me: It’s nice to see a documentary where you’re not stuck in Tabarnak from start to finish! the Abitibian artist says with a laugh.
“In the documentaries I made with Robert Monderie, we were confronted with industry and government silence. It’s much harder to pin down. The margin for error is enormous and there is quite a lot of tension when making a film like this. The documentary about Chopin, on the other hand, was like entertainment, a fantasy.”
Chip Chip – Chopin by Desjardins will be presented on Friday October 13th at 5:30 p.m. at the Cinéma Impérial in the presence of the director and pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin. The film will also be broadcast on ICI Télé on Saturday, October 14th at 10:30 p.m.