Canada | V.O. French | 1949 | 90 min | DCP | B & W | Fiction
A tiny Quebec community is thrown into an uproar when a tall young Texan named Bill arrives to claim a farm he has inherited. Bill's inability to speak French, and his apparent unwillingness to learn the language, foments plenty of ill will in the community. The story is resolved with an abundance of warmth and humor, sometimes hokey, sometimes hilarious.
| Director | René Delacroix, Jean-Yves Bigras |
| Music | Maurice Blackburn |
| Cinematographer | Jean Bachelet |
| Screenplay | Jean Palardy |
| Cast | Yves Henry, Ginette Letondal, Juliette Béliveau, Maurice Gauvin, Paul Guèvremont |
| Production | PRODUCTION RENAISSANCE |
| Distribution | ÉLÉPHANT, MÉMOIRE DU CINÉMA QUÉBÉCOIS |
René Delacroix (1900 - 1976), was a French director who arrived in Montréal in 1944. In 1949, he directed Le Gros Bill, a film that established his reputation in Quebec’s burgeoning film industry. He subsequently produced several films including Gratien Gélinas’s 1952 adaptation of his play, Tit-coq.
Jean-Yves Bigras (1919 - 1966) is considered a pioneer of Quebec film. He was one of the first French Canadians hired as an editor for the NFB, where he worked until 1948. In René Delacroix’s film Le Gros Bill, he directed the fight and log-driving scenes. Next, he directed three films, including the popular film La petite Aurore l’enfant martyre (1951) before becoming a director for Radio-Canada in 1953.
