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The Cinema of Robert Lepage: The Poetics of
Memory
By Aleksandar Dundjerovic
175 pages, Wallflower Press, £14.99 pbk
Does Robert Lepage deserve an in-depth study of is cinematic work? A
relative newcomer to the world of film, Lepage has, to date, directed four
films: Le Confessionnal (1995), Le Polygraphe (1996), Nô (1998) and
Possible Worlds (2000). Though not as prolific as some of the directors
featured in Wallflower’s Directors’ Cuts series on the salient directors of World
Cinema, and better known for his work in theatre, Lepage has, nonetheless,
emerged as an auteur with crossover appeal, simultaneously resisting and coopting the more commercial elements of the film industry. This publication by
Aleksandar Dundjerovic, the first book-length study of Lepage’s cinema, is an
introduction to the cinematic work of Lepage, and an analysis of his unique
place in contemporary creativity. However, the true value of this book relies in
the way it shows the crossovers between modern dance, theatre and film, and
how one creative process can have an impact on different media.
Dundjerovic explains that, as a theatre director himself, he is intrigued by
Lepage’s experimental synthesis of theatrical and cinematic styles, resulting
in plays which are enjoyable to cinema audiences and films that are attractive
to theatre audiences as well as the usual cinema-goers. In other words,
Lepage cares about the audience as well as the critics. In fact, judging from
the mixed reviews of his films so candidly acknowledged in this publication,
Lepage appears to value the audience and their enjoyment highly, while not
caring particularly what the critics write. Entertainment value actually matters
to Lepage (the sauna scene in Le Confessionnal is more South Park than arthouse and none the worse for it).
This appreciation of the audience is reflected in the book. Lepage’s own
comments – gentle, unassuming and often downright funny – are a constant
feature of the text. The book ends with Dundjerovic’s in-depth interview with
Lepage, providing a generous resource for further commentators. The
appended interview also serves as a reference point to Lepage’s creative
process, highlighting his method of work. Undergraduates and film-goers alike
will be encouraged by Dundjerovic’s unbiased coverage of Lepage’s failures
as well as successes. Even more encouraging (to me, anyway) are the
accounts of Lepage’s knacks for turning obstacles and limitations to his
advantage.
Lepage’s status as an outsider is inseparable from any examination of his
work. A Francophone Quebecois formed by the tumultuous events of regional
dissent in the 1960s and 1970s, Lepage as a film-maker emerged from a
cultural context dominated by the politics of language and identity. In this
context, there was (and still is) considerable pressure for regional cinema to
reflect the past of a relatively small community for the appreciation of that
same community. Lepage succeeded in moving his film narrative beyond this
geopolitical limitations and opening up the reading of local cultural references
to a global interpretation without abandoning his Quebecois heritage. His films
incorporate issues of marginalisation, but always within a framework of
themes at once both personal and universal. In this way, Dundjerovic
emphasises, Lepage is creating a style of cinema with remarkably wide
appeal. Everyone is allowed to have their own unique reading of a Lepage
film: I (Irish and Catholic) see remarkable parallels with post-independence
Irish literature as well as a dynamic departure from the influence of French
cultural colonialism; a friend of mine sees an instance of references to gay
cinema, and yet another points out similarities with South Park and an Alanis
Morrissette video – all of this within one film.
However, the book is not all fun and games: there is some substantial film and
theatre theory to grapple with, and it is tempting to skip through this to the
more interesting and intriguing analysis of Lepage’s films. As an illustration of
theories in practice, the book is valuable to students of film and theatre; as an
example of new theories emerging from new practice, it is inspiring. Though it
would be helpful to see the films in question, Dundjerovic succeeds in relating
material to the general readership. Ultimately, the essential appeal of Lepage
is his cinematic polyvalence and the richness of his imagery. The author
succeeds in capturing this spirit. It is only to regret that the quality of the visual
images in the book is not such that they can clearly point to Lepage’s
cinematic/theatrical visual expressiveness.
Ita O’Keeffe
Ita O’Keeffe is an independent media critic, personal development trainer and
obsessive heavy metal fan. She gained a FIRST HONOURS B.A. degree in
English and Sociology at University College Cork, Ireland and subsequently a
Masters in Sociology of Religion focusing on the representation of Catholicism
in the contemporary Irish cinema. For about 5 minutes in the early 1990s she
fronted the punk/folk band PWA (Paddies With Attitude), who inevitably fell
apart due to artistic differences (or something like that). For the past dozen
years she was heavily involved in Liverpool Fledgling community theatre
project and environmental activism, by night, while pursuing an
unconventional academic career by day at Liverpool Hope University College
(from which she escaped unharmed). Other publications include the reports
Village People: Community Care on a Housing Association Estate and States
of Independence: the Supply of Specialist Disability Equipment in Liverpool,
as well as It’s Not Like Frasier: Experiences of NHS Psychotherapy. She is
currently working on a film project about immigrant life in Liverpool.