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Orders (BLU-RAY)

Orders (BLU-RAY)

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50th anniversary special edition

Following the shocking kidnapping of two prominent political figures in October 1970, Canada’s federal government invokes the War Measures Act, an extreme law that strips citizens of their most fundamental human rights. Over the course of several weeks, 450 unsuspecting Québécois are abruptly ripped from their families and imprisoned without formal charges or explanations. Told through the eyes of five prisoners subjected to abuse and humiliation that borders on torture, Orders is an unsettling and unforgettable immersion in one of the most dystopian chapters in Canadian history.

The sophomore narrative feature from master cinematographer and filmmaker Michel Brault (a formative influence on director Denis Villeneuve), this unflinching prison drama explores the most egregious injustices perpetrated during the historic October Crisis. Drawn from extensive testimonials and told in the cinéma direct language Brault helped pioneer, Orders is a masterpiece of Québécois cinema that delivers a vision no less infuriating and impactful half a century after it won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival.

directed by: Michel Brault
starring: Hélène Loiselle, Jean Lapointe, Guy Provost, Claude Gauthier, Louise Forestier
1974 / 108 min / 1.66:1 / French DTS-HD MA 2.0

Additional info:

  • Region A Blu-ray
  • Scanned and restored from the 35mm original camera negative by Éléphant - mémoire du cinéma québécois with sections from the 35mm internegative and interpositive
  • New audio commentary featuring filmmaker/professor Frédérick Pelletier and author/professor Gabrielle Tremblay
  • Images of Immediacy (2024, 25 min.) – New interview with author/professor André Loiselle
  • Love at First Sight (2024, 17 min.) – New interview with sound recordist Serge Beauchemin
  • A Peaceful Nation: The Road to October 1970 (2024, 18 min.) – New interview with film historian/professor Sylvain Garel
  • Filming the FLQ (2024, 17 min.) – Garel on felquism in cinema
  • In the Shadow of Kafka (2024, 18 min.) – New interview with author/professor Angelos Koutsourakis
  • The October Crisis: 50 Years On-Screen (2020, 13 min.) – Interviews with filmmaker Mathieu Denis, actress Louise Forestier, actor Claude Gauthier, and filmmaker Félix Rose
  • Michel Brault Lives Again at Cannes Classics (2015, 13 min.) – Interviews with director Michel Brault, actors Claude Gauthier, and Jean Lapointe
  • On Screen! (2008, 48 min.) – Documentary about the making of Orders
  • Les raquetteurs (1958, 15 min.) – Groundbreaking documentary short co-directed by Brault and Gilles Groulx
  • Trailers for four films directed or co-directed by Brault: Pour la suite du monde (1963), Between the Sea and Fresh Water (1967), Acadia Acadia?!? (1971), and Orders (1974)
  • Booklet featuring a new essay by filmmaker Denis Côté
  • Reversible cover artwork
  • English SDH subtitles