''Matusalem'' is a 1993 Canadian children's adventure film, directed by
Roger Cantin Roger Cantin (born December 29, 1949) is a Canadian screenwriter and film director from Quebec, best known as a director of children's films. He began his career as co-writer with his wife Danyèle Patenaude of the screenplay for the 1984 film ''The ...
. The film stars
Marc Labrèche
Marc Labrèche (born November 20, 1960, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian actor, comedian and host.
Background
The son of Quebec comedian Gaetan Labrèche, Marc Labrèche had an interest in stage acting from his childhood. His career began i ...
as Philippe de Beauchesne, a long-dead 18th-century
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...
who returns to earth as a
ghost
In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
every 50 years to enlist human assistance in completing the quest that will free his soul, and
Émile Proulx-Cloutier
Émile Proulx-Cloutier (born 1983) is a Canadians, Canadian actor and musician. He is most noted for his performance in the film ''We Are the Others (film), We Are the Others (Nous sommes les autres)'', for which he received a Canadian Screen Awar ...
as Olivier, a young boy who volunteers for the quest; however, Olivier himself is captured by another group of pirates, and Philippe must join with Olivier's other friends to save him.
The film was promoted in part through a commercial tie-in with
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
, the first Canadian film ever sponsored by the fast food chain.
The film received six
Genie Award
The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculptor ...
nominations at the
15th Genie Awards
The 15th Genie Awards were held on December 7, 1994 to honour Canadian films released in 1993. Actor Graham Greene hosted the ceremony.
Building on the success of its Genie specials of the last two years, the academy and the CBC produced two show ...
in 1994, for
Best Original Screenplay
The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...
(Cantin),
Best Art Direction/Production Design (
Vianney Gauthier),
Best Costume Design (
Francesca Chamberland
Francesca Chamberland is a Canadian costume designer. She began her career working in the wardrobe department on films including ''Some Girls'' (1988) and '' In Love and War'' (1996), eventually becoming wardrobe master for the 1997 film '' In the ...
),
Best Overall Sound (Louis Hone, Dominique Chartrand, Jacques Drouin and
Hans Peter Strobl),
Best Sound Editing (Michel B. Bordeleau, Diane Boucher, Natalie Fleurant and Jérôme Décarie) and
Best Original Score (
Milan Kymlicka
Milan Kymlicka (Czech: Milan Kymlička; 15 May 1936 – 9 October 2008) was a Czech-Canadian arranger, composer and conductor. He was known for his composition of film and television scores, including those for the animated television series '' R ...
).
A sequel film, ''
Matusalem II'', was released in 1997.
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 0107531
1993 films
Canadian children's adventure films
Films directed by Roger Cantin
Canadian ghost films
French-language Canadian films
1990s Canadian films