{{Short description|Canadian director and cinematographer (1938–2019)}} {{Infobox person | image = | image_size = | name = Jean-Claude Labrecque | birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|06|19}} | birth_place = [[Quebec City]], [[Quebec]], Canada | death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|5|31|1938|06|19}} | death_place = [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], Canada | other_names = | occupation = [[Film director]]<br>[[Cinematographer]]<br>[[Film editor]] | years_active = [[1963 in film|1963]] – 2019 }}
'''Jean-Claude Labrecque''', {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|CQ}} (June 19, 1938 – May 31, 2019) was a [[Film director|director]] and [[cinematographer]] who learned the basics of filmmaking at the [[National Film Board of Canada]].
==Career== Jean-Claude Labrecque was born in Quebec City, Quebec, and trained as a camera assistant at the NFB. As a cinematographer, he shot many of the early key films of [[Claude Jutra]] (''[[À tout prendre]]''), [[Michel Brault]] (''[[Between Salt and Sweet Water|Entre la mer et l’eau douce]]''), [[Gilles Carle]] (''[[La vie heureuse de Léopold Z]]''), [[Gilles Groulx]] (''[[The Cat in the Bag|Le Chat dans le sac]]'') and [[Don Owen (filmmaker)|Don Owen]] (''[[Notes for a Film About Donna and Gail]]'', ''[[The Ernie Game]]''). He turned to directing in 1965 with ''[[60 Cycles]]'', about a long-distance bike race on the North Shore of the [[St. Lawrence River]], which has been described as a virtual encyclopedia of camera techniques. It won 22 international awards and was nominated for a [[BAFTA]]. He left the NFB in 1967 to set-up his own production company, although he continued to freelance with the Board.
Throughout his lengthy career, Jean-Claude Labrecque’s interests focused on matters of concern to the Québécois people, whether in sports, culture or politics. His better-known films include ''La Visite du Général de Gaulle au Québec'' (where he captured on film the infamous 'Vive le Québec libre!’ outburst by French President [[Charles de Gaulle]]), ''Games of the XXI Olympiad'' and his second feature, ''Les Vautours'', an eloquent and charming personal meditation on the birth of a generation, considered by critics to be his best film. More recently he has served as [[Bernard Émond]]’s cameraman on such critically acclaimed films as ''[[The Woman Who Drinks]] (La Femme qui boit)'', ''[[The Novena]] (La Neuvaine)'' and ''[[Summit Circle]] (Contre toute espérance)''. Among his many awards and citations, he won two [[Canadian Film Awards]], in 1964 and 1970, and the Prix Jutra for best documentary in 2003. He has lectured on filmmaking at [[Université du Québec à Montréal]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Alioff|first1=Maurie|title=Delinquent Days: An Interview with a Quebec icon, Cinematographer/Director/Scenarist Jean-Claude Labrecque csc|journal=Canadian Cinematographer|date=2009|volume=1|issue=6|pages=6–11}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Morris|first1=Peter|title=The Film Companion|url=https://archive.org/details/filmcompanion0000morr|url-access=registration|date=1984|publisher=Irwin Publishing|location=Toronto|isbn=0-7725-1505-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/filmcompanion0000morr/page/179 179–180]}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Dorland|first1=Michael|title=The Filmmaker as Mnemosyne|journal=Cinema Canada|date=1984|issue=103|pages=7–10}}</ref>
==Filmography==
===Fiction=== *''[[The Wise Guys (1972 film)|The Wise Guys]] (Les Smattes)'' – 1972 *''[[The Vultures (1975 film)|The Vultures]] (Les vautours)'' – 1975 *''[[The Coffin Affair]] (L'Affaire Coffin)'' – 1979 *''[[The Years of Dreams and Revolt]] (Les Années de rêves)'' – 1984 *''Aéroport: Court-circuit'' – TV movie, 1984 *''[[Brother André (film)|Brother André]] (Le Frère André)'' – 1987 *''Bonjour Monsieur Gauguin'' – 1988
===Documentaries=== *''Lewis Mumford on the City, Part 6: The City and the Future'' (Short film Co-Directed with various, 1963) *''[[60 Cycles]]'' (Short film, 1965) *''Intermède'' (Short film, 1966) *''La visite du général de Gaulle au Québec'' (Short film, 1967) *''La vie'' (Short film Co-Directed with Jean-Louis Frund, 1968) *''La guerre des pianos'' (Short film Co-Directed with Jean Dansereau, 1969) *''Hiver en froid mineur'' (Short film, 1969) *''Les canots de glace'' (Short film, 1969) *''Essai à la mille'' (Short film, 1970) *''La nuit de la poésie 27 mars 1970'' (Co-Directed with Jean-Pierre Masse, 1970) *''Canada the Land'' (Short film Co-Directed with Rex Tasker, 1971) *''Images de la Gaspésie'' (Short film, 1972) *''Hochelaga'' (Short film, 1972) *''Université du Québec'' (Short film, 1972) *''Les notes de la vie'' (Short film, 1973) *''L'entreprise de toute une vie'' (Episode of ''Relation Pedagogique'' series co-directed with [[Jacques Gagné]], 1973) *''Claude Gauvreau – poète'' (Short film, 1974) *''Québec fête juin '75'' (Co-Directed with [[Claude Jutra]], 1976) *''On s'pratique... c'est pour les Olympiques'' (Short film, 1976) *''[[Games of the XXI Olympiad (film)|Games of the XXI Olympiad]] (Jeux de la XXIe olympiade)'' (Co-Directed with [[Jean Beaudin]], [[Marcel Carrière]] and Georges Dufaux, 1977) *''Claude Gauvreau'' (Short film, 1977) *''Gaston Miron'' (Short film, 1977) *''Gatien Lapointe'' (Short film, 1977) *''Jean-Guy Pilon'' (Short film, 1977) *''Michèle Lalonde'' (Short film, 1977) *''Nicole Brossard'' (Short film Co-Directed with Jean-Pierre Masse, 1977) *''Paul Chamberland'' (Short film Co-Directed with Jean-Pierre Masse, 1977) *''Suzanne Paradis'' (Short film, 1977) *''Yves Préfontaine'' (Short film Co-Directed with Jean-Pierre Masse, 1977) *''Panneau réclame'' (Short film Co-Directed with Jean-Pierre Masse, 1977) *''...26 fois de suite!'' (Short film, 1978) *''Les montagnais'' (Short film, 1979) *''Le dernier des coureurs des bois'' (Short film, 1979) *''La nuit de la poésie 28 mars 1980'' (Co-Directed with Jean-Pierre Masse, 1980) *''Paroles du Québec'' (1980) *''Marie Uguay'' (Short film, 1982) *''Les amis de la cinématheque'' (1988) *''L'histoire des trois'' (1990) *''La nuit de la poésie 15 mars 1991'' (Co-Directed with Jean-Pierre Masse, 1991) *''67 bis, boulevard Lannes'' (Short film, 1991) *''[[André Mathieu, musicien]]'' (1993) *''Le sorcier'' (Documentary TV series, 1994) *''Parents malgré tout'' (Documentary TV series, 1996) *''Le roman de l'homme'' (Documentary TV series, 1997) *''L'aventure des compagnons de St-Laurent'' (1997) *''Nos récits de voyage'' (Short film, 1997) *''Portager le rêve'' (Short film Co-Directed with André Gladu, 1998) *''Anticosti - Au temps des Menier'' (Short film, 1999) *''Le RIN'' (2002) *''Un théâtre dans la cité: Le TNM'' (Short film Co-Directed with Yves Desgagnés, 2002) *''[[À hauteur d'homme]]'' (2003) *''Le grand dérangement de Saint-Paulin Dalibaire'' (Short film, 2004) *''Le chemin d'eau de la Basse-Côte-Nord'' (2005) *''[[Forever Quebec]] (Infiniment Québec)'' (Short film, 2008) *''Félix'' (Short film, 2008)
==Awards and honours== * Winner of the [[Prix Albert-Tessier]] for an outstanding career in Québec cinema. * Winner of the Prix Hommage at the 2008 edition of the Jutras * Knight of the [[National Order of Quebec]] in 2009 * Member of the [[Order of Canada]] in 2009 "for his contributions to the development of film as a director of documentaries and fictional films, and as a renowned director of photography here in Canada and abroad".
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=0479682|name=Jean-Claude Labrecque}} * [http://legacy.tiff.net/canadianfilmencyclopedia/content/bios/jean-claude-labrecque Canadian Film Encyclopedia biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910130155/http://legacy.tiff.net/canadianfilmencyclopedia/content/bios/jean-claude-labrecque |date=2015-09-10 }} * [http://www.prixduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/recherche/desclaureat.php?noLaureat=34 Prix du Quebec biography (in French)] * [https://www.nfb.ca/explore-all-directors/jean-claude-labrecque Films by Jean-Claude Labrecque], National Film Board of Canada
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Labrecque, Jean-Claude}} [[Category:1938 births]] [[Category:2019 deaths]] [[Category:Knights of the National Order of Quebec]] [[Category:Film directors from Quebec City]] [[Category:Members of the Order of Canada]] [[Category:National Film Board of Canada people]] [[Category:Canadian cinematographers]] [[Category:Best Cinematography Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners]] [[Category:Prix Albert-Tessier winners]]