Entry tags:

canadiana, trivia

Canadian Traditions #21
Maple Syrup Porn. A popular boom of sex films at a critical time in the history of Quebec and Canadian cinema. The following is from Canuxploitation:

In 1968, the Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC) was established, a crown corporation which offered loans and financing to Canadian film productions. A year earlier, Quebec's rigid censorship bureau closed shop, replaced by a more conventional system. Stepping in at this critical point were directors Denis Héroux and Claude Fournier, who knew that when you added up free love and free government money, the result could be a successful mix of comedy, nationalism, and nudity.

Héroux made Valérie, Quebec's first "nudie" film, in 1968. Valérie runs away from the Catholic orphanage to the bright lights of Montreal, and the film goes on to detail her exploits as a topless dancer and a high-class prostitute before she falls in love and settles down with a Montreal artist. Valérie was made for under $100,000, some of which was provided by the CFDC after Héroux had already started filming. A commercial smash, Valérie went on to huge box offices in both Quebec and France. Because Valérie returns to the Catholic role of the housewife after her indiscretions, this film is often seen as a simple morality tale.

Claude Fournier directly exploited this concept when he made Deux Femmes en Or for $218,000. It is estimated that this film was seen by 2 million Quebec residents, pulling in a staggering box office of $4 million. Deux Femmes en Or tells the tale of two bored suburban housewives yearning for freedom through sex, seducing a wide variety of handymen and delivery boys. In an odd turn, they are arrested for murder when the local pet shop owner dies during a liaison, but to their delight, the judge decides to let them off. This film, which steps up the nationalism of Valérie by making jokes at the expense of English-Canada, features nude appearances by several local Quebec stars, and even a cameo by Pierre Trudeau at a decidedly Canadian Roughriders vs. Rough Riders football game.

Picking up on this cinematic trend, industry rag Variety started referring to these films as "maple syrup porn." However, an article by Andre Loiselle titled "Subtly Subversive or Simply Stupid: Notes on Popular Quebec Cinema" reveals that in Quebec these films had much more colourful names, including "films de fesses" (butt movies), "films de cul" (ass movies) or "films cochons" (pig movies).

Despite what some saw as the morally objectionable content of Valérie, Deux Femmes en Or and the films that succeeded them, these films play an essential part in the history of Canadian film. Héroux and Fournier managed to draw millions of Francophones in to theatres to watch home-grown entertainment. Not only has this never been achieved in English Canada, but it set the stage for Quebec's popular film successes which continue to this day. Singlehandedly, these pig movies built the commercial backbone of contemporary Quebec popular cinema.

The soundtracks from these films are highly sought as well. They're often a blend of samples and sounds from popular music, but blended together into funky riffs and jazzy rhythms. They fell firmly out of the American mold of porn music. These soundtracks can sell for thousands and thousands of dollars. Here is how one reviewer describes the soundtrack from The Initiation: "Without question one of the best Quebecois 'maple syrup porn' soundtracks, it is a beautiful (and funky) listen. Jazz-heads dig this for the sublime 'Pauvre Amour' while scat-aficionados justly consider 'Psychedelic Party' a Holy Grail track. There's also sweet French beat and funk. Dancefloor material; headphone candy; serious listening gratification."

Some other Maple Syrup Porn titles: