Funkytown (film)

Funkytown
Directed byDaniel Roby
Written bySteve Galluccio
Produced bySimon Trottier
André Rouleau
StarringPatrick Huard
Justin Chatwin
Sarah Mutch
Paul Doucet
Raymond Bouchard
François Létourneau
Romina D'Ugo
CinematographyRonald Plante
Edited byYvann Thibaudeau
Music byJean Robitaille
Production
companies
Distributed byRemstar Films
Release dates
  • March 4, 2011 (2011-03-04) (Canada)
  • October 2, 2012 (2012-10-02) (United States)
Running time
132 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguagesEnglish
French
BudgetCAD $7.2 million

Funkytown is a 2011 Canadian drama film directed by Daniel Roby and written by Steve Galluccio.[1] starring Patrick Huard, Justin Chatwin, Paul Doucet, Sarah Mutch and Raymond Bouchard.

Plot summary

Set in Montreal during the disco era, the film revolves around the Starlight, a fictionalized version of Montreal's famed Lime Light discothèque. It depicts this world starting in 1976, when Montreal was considered one of the world's top nightclub destinations, through to 1980, when the fashion for disco was about to experience a sharp decline. By the early 1980s political issues such as Quebec's 1980 independence referendum had fractured and polarized the city, and Montreal had also begun to experience a decade of economic decline. By then, it had ceased to be the largest city in Canada, and had ceased as well to be Canada's financial and industrial centre.[2]

Cast

Production

In June 2009, it was announced that Patrick Huard had been cast to play the lead role in the film, Justin Chatwin, Paul Doucet, Sarah Mutch, Raymond Bouchard, François Létourneau and Geneviève Brouillette being also cast in supporting roles, with Daniel Roby directing from a screenplay by Steve Galluccio. Principal photography took place between June 9, 2009, and August 8, 2009, in Montreal.[3] Some scenes of the film were in fact shot inside, outside and in the surroundings of the building which had housed the Lime Light, at 1258 Stanley Street. It now houses the premium strip club "Chez Parée" and the dance club "La Boom".[4]

Language

Like the 2006 film Bon Cop, Bad Cop, the film features dialogue in both English and French. For French audiences the English dialogue is subtitled, while for English audiences the French dialogue is subtitled.

The film has faced some controversy for its mixture of languages, with one journalist for La Presse accusing it of being essentially an English film with only token dialogue in French, rather than a truly bilingual film.[5]

Release

Funkytown opened in a limited release in Canada on March 4, 2011.[6] In the United States, the film was released straight-to-DVD on October 2, 2012.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b "Quebec filmmakers take viewers to Funkytown of '70s Montreal". Vancouver Sun, March 4, 2011.
  2. ^ [1] Lederman, Lew. "Some Effects on Investment of the Election in Quebec of the Parti Québécois". Canadian Insights and Perspectives (Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada) April 18, 2002.
  3. ^ Seguin, Denis (June 9, 2009). "Patrick Huard takes the lead in disco-era Canadian drama Funkytown". Screen International. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  4. ^ Kelly, Brendan "Disco's stayin' alive: Steve Galluccio's latest feature, Funkytown, puts Montreal back into The Limelight to celebrate the city's dance-crazy heyday of the 1970s" The Gazette (Montreal) 15 June 2009. pg. A.22
  5. ^ "'Funkytown' explores the dark heart of disco in English and French". Winnipeg Free Press, March 1, 2011.
  6. ^ Quill, Greg (March 4, 2011). "The mayor of Funkytown". The Star. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  7. ^ "Win Funkytown on DVD". MovieWeb. October 1, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2020.