| Louis 19, King of the Airwaves | |
|---|---|
| French | Louis 19, le roi des ondes |
| Directed by | Michel Poulette |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Daniel Jobin |
| Edited by | Denis Papillon |
| Music by | Jean-Marie Benoît |
| Distributed by | Malofilm |
Release date |
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Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | French |
| Box office | C$1.8 million (Canada) [1] |
Louis 19, King of the Airwaves ( French: Louis 19, le roi des ondes) is a Canadian comedy film, released in April 1994. [2]
The film stars Martin Drainville as Louis Jobin, a television fanatic who wins a contest to be on television. Unbeknownst to him, however, his prize is to become a reality show: he is followed around by a cameraman 24 hours a day for three months, and when his life doesn't make for compelling viewing, the show's producers decide to manipulate his life to make the show more exciting. [3]
The film was directed by Michel Poulette, and written by Poulette, Sylvie Bouchard, Michel Michaud and Émile Gaudreault. It won the Golden Reel Award as the year's top-grossing film in Canada.
Cast
- Martin Drainville : Louis Jobin
- Zenhu Han : Sam Ying
- Chantal Fontaine : la reporter
- Gilbert Lachance : Remi
- Jean L'Italien : Roger
- Dominique Michel : Aline Jobin
- Alexandra Boulianne : une chanteuse de la chorale
- Mireille Thibault : une chanteuse de la chorale
- Sylvie Bouchard : une chanteuse de la chorale
- Yves Jacques : Michel Gobeil
- Carol Jones : une gardienne de sécurité
- Patricia Tulasne : Charlotte Dubreuil
- Marcela Seguel : Marie-Laurence Despins
- Stephanie Laplante : scripte télé
- Pierre Paquin : réalisateur télé
- Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge : le technicien de la régie
- Agathe de La Fontaine : Julie Leduc
- Marie-Claude Robitaille: Guylaine
- Sonia Laplante: Josée
- Benoît Brière: Caméraman
Release
The film opened on 34 screens in Quebec on April 1, 1994. [4]
Reception
The film grossed $194,732 in its opening weekend [4] It went on to win the Golden Reel Award for the year's top-grossing film in Canada, [5] even though it was only released in Quebec, with a gross of C$1.8 million. [1]
Awards
The film won the Claude Jutra Award for the best feature film by a first-time Canadian film director. [6] It was also a nominee for Best Motion Picture, [7] but lost to Exotica.
Remake
The 1999 American film EDtv was an adaptation of Louis 19. [8]
References
- ^ a b Kelly, Brendan (November 2, 1994). "'Louis 19' takes Canada's B.O. crown". Daily Variety . p. 14.
- ^ "In new Quebec comedy, the joke's on paying public". Montreal Gazette, April 2, 1994.
- ^ "Film Review: Louis 19". The Globe and Mail, April 22, 1994.
- ^ a b Klady, Leonard (April 11, 1994). "'Major' minor; 'Spirits' down; 'Jimmy' dead". Variety. p. 12.
- ^ "Quebec comedy wins box office prize". Toronto Star. November 2, 1994.
- ^ "Quebec director wins Jutra award". The Globe and Mail, November 4, 1994.
- ^ "Exotica snaps up 13 Genie nominations". Hamilton Spectator, October 20, 1994.
- ^ "EDtv a fun, fluffy Truman Show". Montreal Gazette, March 26, 1999.
