Séraphin: Heart of Stone
Séraphin: Heart of Stone
| 29 November 2002 (USA)
Séraphin: Heart of Stone Trailers

The story takes place during the colonization of the Laurentian region in Quebec towards the end of the 19th century (approx. 1885-90), near Sainte-Adèle. An unscrupulous man, Séraphin Poudrier, dominates the small community using his wealth. Mayor of the village, he will marry Donalda Laloge, after her father, unable to repay his debt, gives her to him in marriage. Donalda, a gentle and submissive woman who was promised to the handsome Alexis Labranche, rather, he will live his life according to the wishes of this petty and contemptuous miser, but will never let his situation get him down.

Reviews
larraine-2

Another wonderful drama out of Quebec - not enough recognition is given to the caliber of acting in this movie. Roy Dupuis of course is well known for his dramatic talent but Karine Vanasse also did a very credible job for one so young and inexperienced.Without giving away any plot detail, here is another classic example of a man without soul. What goes around comes around and the moral in the story is not belaboured but left to the watchers intelligence.Beautiful scenery and a good depiction of the hardship that the early Quebec settlers endured.Once again, this is a movie well worth seeing and you won't be wasting your money on it.

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neubilder

This had the potential to be a gripping and tragic tale but fell flat. Character development is weak, many scenes are pointless. What should have been a sad and tragic tale merely had me shaking my head wondering what the director was thinking. There is no sufficiently convincing case for Donalda to marry Seraphin; What, so her spineless father can keep his general store running? Once married to Seraphin, she for some reason feels compelled to remain true to this deplorable monster. The problem is, there is no convincing case made as to why she feels so bound to him - most of the town is on her side and sees her marriage to him as wrong in the first place. Pierre Lebeau's role as the utterly detestable Seraphin is convincing however, which makes the supporting roles that much more absurd.

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otaku_ariane

The reason why «Un homme et son péché» got so much attention from the public and the medias was that the original story is a classic here in Québec. The movie is not truly a masterpiece, but it's still good to watch.The story was changed: there is a lot more sexuality in this version and, unfortunately, some things do not make sense because all the references to the importance of religion at that time in Québec are gone.I believe the dialogues sometimes sounded very fake, but it also depended of the actor. I think the girl that did Simone could really take some more acting courses (but it's only a small role) and Karine Vanasse also is not as superb as some said. I even found it difficult at some moments to understand what emotions she was trying to project.The music was beautiful and the scenery magnificent!I'd like to comment some of the actors performance: Lebeau was great, Seraphin really made me sick and it was the kind of performance that after, in each movie I see the guy, I see Seraphin, his greatest role (like when you see Audrey Tautou and you think «Amélie!»). Roy Dupuis's performance was better in this movie than in any one I saw before, he did quite a good job [for once]. Also some characters like the one Benoit Briere incarnates and also the priest were very convincing. And finally, I believe if Vanasse works a bit more, she'll end up being a quite good actress (hey, she's very young, so she has time to learn).The ending scene with the double-meaning scream of Seraphin «C'est moé qui brûle!!!» also brings a lot of emotion and some depth.

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clerk___37

Un Homme et Son Peche is not an uncommon film. The plot follows the exploits of a rural Quebec village at the turn of the century. This movie has been made before, in fact this film is based on a TV show which itself is based on a radio play.What is unique about this film is its attention to details. The sets are impressive, built for the film. The cinemagraphy captures the natural beauty of Northern Quebec perfectly. Its as though you could touch the screen and feel the characters world.The acting is not bad. I'm not a big fan of Roy Dupuis, but he did manage to make me feel genuine emotion for his character.This film has become a phenomenon in Quebec, likely to become the Provinces highest grossing domestic film ever. I think this film will be remembered more as a force than for its story, but that's ok as long as it is remembered at all

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