Bit Of Canadian Video History: LE DIABLE EST PARMI NOUS (1972-French Canadian)

[CMG]

A little bit of Canadian video history on the 'CIC' label.

Filmed in Montreal in French. Starring Daniel Pilon, Danielle Ouimet, Louise Marleau and Rose-Rey Duzil as 'The Grandmother'. Directed by Jean Beaudin.

As best as I can tell this movie only had a VHS release in Canada and nowhere else. No DVD or Blu-Ray release to date that I've noted. The tape pictured is not a 'stock shot' -- it's my CIC release I bought years ago.

The 1973-release Canadian movie "The Pyx" -- which is better known and was also filmed in Montreal -- has a similar theme about a devil cult. I know "The Pyx" was issued on tape and DVD, but I'm not sure about a Blu-Ray?

They would make a great Double-Feature, I think.

[Animatic33]

You should email Canadian International Pictures, see if they're aware of existing prints and whether it's something they'd want to work on.
https://www.canadian-international.com/ - email address is at the bottom of the page.

I know VS and Severin both have put out a number of Canadian made films, it worth checking with them too.

[Deadend45]

There are a lot Canadian films and TV shows not on BD.

[CMG]

Thanks for the info and the 'link' to Canadian Intl. Pictures.

Few more old-time snaps to check out if you're of a mind to.

I liked various Canadian movies of the late '60s, '70s and early '80s.

THE LOVE BLACKMAILER (1966) is a seedy lil' black-and-white Canadian exploitation movie. Something Weird Video had put it out and I bought a copy of it circa 2010/2011.

[CMG]

♠Bump♠ for LE DIABLE EST PARMI NOUS/THE POSSESSION OF VIRGINIA and THE PYX.

[ba56]

A nice print screened in Montreal at Fantasia a couple of years ago, so it's available. I wouldn't be surprised to hear it's in CIP's pipeline.

https://www.mqup.ca/blog/john-dunnin...sia-film-fest/

Snippet from Fantasia's site that year persists on the McGill-Queens University Press for John Dunning's memoir (recommended for those who enjoy a bit of Canadian film history).

To celebrate the launch of the late John Dunning’s autobiography You’re Not Dead Until You’re Forgotten, we are proud to present a rare 35mm copy of this film co-produced by Dunning and Yrene Nold. Though it once circulated on VHS, it has never had a DVD release or undergone restoration. There remain, in fact, few existing copies of the movie. Le diable est parmi nous (The Possession of Virginia) is a strange, surrealist, paranoid film.

Horror was not a genre often explored in Quebec cinema. While English Canada produced a number of notable works of horror, Quebec generally demurred — and so Le diable est parmi nous is a true curiosity. Our films dealing with esoteric conspiracies and pacts with the devil are all too rare. A soundtrack blending funk, disco, pop, atmospherics and classical music, care of François Cousineau, is definitive of its era. Toss in some nightmarish visions, howl-worthy dialogue, and one of Quebec’s first on-screen gore murders, and you’ve got a vital piece of local film history.

And here's ÉLÉPHANT's info on it.

https://www.elephantcinema.quebec/fi...rmi-nous_12577

[CMG]

I thank you for providing the 'link'.

I noted the date via the link is July 16, 2014 so it's been awhile since LE DIABLE EST PARMI NOUS/THE POSSESSION OF VIRGINIA screened. (I think the English translation is "The Devil Walks Among Us" or "The Devil Is Among Us").

There has never been an uncut, English-dubbed version released to homevideo.

ASTRAL VIDEO released an English-dubbed Tv print edited for content and time constraints while CIC Video released the uncut French-spoken original. And the title is mis-spelled on the Canadian Tv print utilized by Astral. It comes onscreen as "THE POSESSION (sic) OF VIRGINIA". And the opening credits are very much shortened on the TV version compared to the French original. It's way too late now to find out, but I'd be very curious to know how Astral got hold of a Canadian Tv print of "The Possession of Virginia".

The English-dubbed TV print and the original French version have different endings, too, I might add.

The Canadian television print ends with an ominous voiceover with no end credits or music. It states "You've all come to the Black Mass that I provide (slight pause) let no one be a Stranger!" And it's over; the screen goes black.

The French original ends with a disclaimer (in French) and then the end credits roll with the music.

[The Screaming Feces]

Canadian International Pictures is a godsend, as many Canadian films, English and French, were often slapped onto DVD from muddy VHS transfers (if they were released on DVD at all). They've released a wonderful variety of filsm from different eras and genres (and in OAR)!

I've heard of LE DIABLE EST PARMI NOUS/THE POSSESSION OF VIRGINIA, but haven't seen it, so I do hope CIP or some other label acquires it and allows us to see it. Being a Canadian and a Canadian film fan can be a test of one's patience!

[CMG]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video pix. I wanted to mention those snapshots are not 'stock' shots I cribbed from elsewhere on the Internet; the tapes pictured are all from my video collection. I like those "1980s-era" Astrals very much so I set out to round up a bunch of them. I've got some 225 in all.

Video Trivia ♦Nugget♦: The 1971 Canadian suspense film THE REINCARNATE was released in the U.S. by "MAGNUM Entertainment" in a large box in the mid-1980s; not sure about a Canadian VHS issue of "The Reincarnate", though? I've not seen a genuine Canuck video release of "The Reincarnate", in any case. Stars Jack Creley.

[CMG]

I picked up a Canadian tape of a coming-of-age movie in the recent past.

It's RIP-OFF (1971), which was titled VIRGIN TERRITORY for its 1987 VHS release on the Marathon Video label.

I don't think RIP-OFF/VIRGIN TERRITORY has been released on disc. I've not seen a digital disc release so far, in any case.