Carol Lore has just published a memoir with VLB, which she has given a very beautiful title: I never go too far from home.
Carol was a good friend for decades. I met her in 1970 when my wife Aimée Denis cast her in two one-hour dramas. Fugitive etc. Farewell to the lilyfrom the series Maple leaf which she produced for Radio-Canada and French television. This was also done at Aimee's request when she was viewing the “bursts” (raw footage) Fugitive that Gilles Karl, who worked with us at Onyx Films, fell madly in love with Carol. He made her his muse.
Carol, who was only 22 years old, was distinguished by rare beauty. She still exists, despite her 77 years, which she is very far from, but which she does not hide. Since I was a big fan of Gilles Carle, he and Carole played an important role in my life. It was my friendship with them that encouraged me to take up the feature film. Fantasticwhich also revealed the enormous talent of Lewis Fury. He then formed an alliance with Carol that continues to this day.
Fantastic opened the Cannes Film Festival in 1980. Thanks to Carole’s stubbornness, who imposed it on director Gilles Jacob. Despite his determination to promote the film in Paris and Montreal, Fantastic had only modest success. It was a disaster for Aimée Denis and me. The film, co-produced with a French businessman who reneged on his commitments, lost us a million (4 million in today's dollars).
Maria Chapdelaine
After this embarrassment, I became a little angry with Carol, who had nothing to do with it other than convincing me to produce the film. I subsequently opposed her playing Marie Chapdelaine in a script I had just completed for co-production with France. I pretended that she was no longer old enough to play this role.
Nothing happened. Gilles Karl always saw her in his soup, and Harold Greenberg (“Insidious”) was sure that she was the dream actress who would play Maria and bring the film financial success. I was the first one to pout in Montreal and my relationship with Carol got even worse. But the bridges were not completely destroyed.
Fatal chronicle
This is my column from Thursday November 13, 2014 in Magazine which ignited the gunpowder. I wrote there that the four feature films that Carol directed (Marie's sonse, CQ2, Capture etc. Love Project) without even attracting 12,000 spectators, I saw only his charm and legendary stubbornness, capable of convincing Telefilm and SODEC to continue financing his projects. Since then, every time I pass the couple, Carol looks away and Lewis smiles at me discreetly.
My judgment was too harsh. With eight albums, starring roles in 38 feature films and seven television shows, writing and directing four feature films, and a Grand Prix at the Académie Charles-Cros, Carole is undoubtedly one of our biggest stars and can't be denied anything.
So today I honorably correct my 2014 comments. Therefore, I can read his memoir novel with peace of mind. I never go too far from home!
