René Bonnière

René Gabriel Bonnière (born 10 March 1928) is a Canadian film director and editor, originally from France. He has had a prolific career, working in television and film in both French and English productions.

René Bonnière
Born1928 (age 94–95)
Lyon, France
NationalityCanadian
Occupation(s)film director and editor
Years active1956–current
SpouseClaude Bonnière

Biography

Bonnière was born in Lyon, France.[1] He first began his film career in France as a director for the French army, working alongside Henri Colpi and composer Georges Delerue. He then worked as an assistant to filmmaking pioneer Marcel L'Herbier.[2]

He emigrated from France in May 1955, arriving in New York City with his wife, Claude, on the SS Flandre.[3] Bonnière spent six months working at a bank on Wall Street before looking north for a return to the film industry. He contacted filmmaker F. R. Crawley and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB); Crawley met him in New York and invited him to move to Canada.[2]

From 1956 to 1971, Bonnière worked for Crawley Films, directing dozens of films. His first works were Beaver Dam (short), Maîtres artisans du Canada and The Legend of the Raven. He also collaborated with Pierre Perrault, considered one of Canada's finest filmmakers.[2]

In 1963, he directed Amanita Pestilens, the first Canadian film in colour and the first to be shot simultaneously in English and French.[4]

In a profile on Bonnière, Cinémathèque québécoise notes that his work for Crawley helped bridge the gap between Canada's French- and English-language films.[2]

He also worked for the NFB, producing several documentaries, many about Canada's indigenous communities.[5][6]

Personal life

Bonnière is married to artist Claude Bonnière, who won a 1982 Daytime Emmy Award for art direction for the ABC Afterschool Special, My Mother Was Never a Kid.[7]

Filmography

Bonnière has worked as a director and editor in both television and film.[8][9]

Television

Films
  • Winter Crossing at l'Isle-aux-Coudres (La Traversée d'hiver à l'Île aux Coudres), 1960
  • White-Whale Hunters of Anse-aux-Basques, 1960
  • Turlutte (La riviere du Gouffre), 1960
  • Three Seasons (La Pitoune), 1960
  • Soiree at St. Hilarion (En Revenant de St-Hilarion), 1960
  • On the Sea (Les Goelettes), 1960
  • The Land of Jacques Cartier (Toutesisles), 1960
  • Ka Ke Ki Ku, 1960
  • Canadian Diamonds (Les Diamants du Canada), 1960
  • Winter Sealing at La Tabatiere (L'anse Tabatiere), 1963
  • Whalehead (Tete-a-le-baleine), 1963
  • The Jean Richard (Le Jean Richard), 1963
  • Attiuk, 1963
  • Amanita Pestilens, 1963
  • Les Annanacks, 1964
  • The Discoverers, 1972
  • Hamlet, 1973
  • A Sense of Place (Une Place au Monde), 1976
  • Twelve and a Half Cents, 1977
  • The War Is Over (Elle est Finie, la Guerre), 1978
  • Voice of the Fugitive (Frontière de la Liberté), 1978
  • Dream Man, 1995
  • Au Pays de Neufve-France, Volumes I-IV, 1997

References
  1. Roberts, Jerry (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. p. 56. ISBN 9780810863781.
  2. Lafleur, Guillaume. "René Bonnière à Crawley Films : quelques repères" (in French). Cinémathèque québécoise.
  3. Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, NY, 1897–1957
  4. "The History of the Canadian Film Industry". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  5. David Clandfield, Pierre Perrault (2004). Pierre Perrault and the Poetic Documentary. p. 222. ISBN 0968913237.
  6. Pike, David L. (2012). Canadian Cinema Since the 1980s: At the Heart of the World. University of Toronto Press. p. 150. ISBN 9781442698321.
  7. "Claude Bonnière, une artiste internationale". La Dépêche du Midi (in French). 20 October 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  8. "Rene Bonniere: Filmography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  9. "Rene Bonniere Biography". FilmReference.com. Retrieved 9 April 2015.

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