Marc A. Cormier

Francophiles often ask, what are some great French movies one would suggest? Here is a small selection I put together whilst answering such a question somewhere else on the vast web.

Here are some favourites among classics.

• 1930 - 1940
  • La Grande Illusion (1937) - Greatest movie, epic about WW 1, European change, the end of aristocracy and French POW. Movie was pillaged by Hollywood and hated by Adolf Hitler. By Renoir with Jean Gabin, Erich von Stroheim, Pierre Fresnay
  • Pépé le moko (1937) - An allegory of France-Algeria relations as seen through the personal relations of Gabin and an Algerian woman

  Read the rest of this entry »

Read the rest of this entry »

Why Congo Matters

You can recognize a Congolese expatriate quite easily: ask them to count to a hundred in French.

Being a former Belgian colony, they will not say “soixante, soixante-dix, quatre-vingt, quatre-vingt-dix” as they do elsewhere in Francophone Africa, but “soixante, septante, octante et nonante”. Trivial you may think, but knowledge of Congo matters and that starts with history and its relationship with Belgium.

Read the rest of this entry »

This is a sincere appeal to help locate a church bell that was taken as a war prize in 1793 from Saint-Pierre, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon to Nova Scotia. This appeal was fist published in 1999 on various usenet forums.

When was this BELL taken?

It was taken by British troops from Halifax under Wentworth, Olgivie and King when they attacked Saint-Pierre in May of 1793. The islands were subsequently occupied and the entire population deported by 1794. “The island of St Peter’s with that of Miquelon was taken from the French Republic the beginning of this War by the Alligator, Frigate, and a detachment of three hundred men under the command of General Olgivie, from Halifax. … A number of the Inhabitants, Prisoners of War, have been sent to Nova Scotia.” - Aaron Thomas 1794.

Why was this BELL taken?

It was a war prize. Before deporting the population most possessions were destroyed. “The whole of the Inhabitans are to be sent away in a month’s time, and then the Town is to be burtn down and everything destroy’d, after which the English Soldiers will evacuate the place. ” - Aaron Thomas.

Read the rest of this entry »

I have noticed over time that those selling French coins, French furniture and French antiques tend to get their “Louis” mixed up! History can be confusing and French history is no exception, most notably the correct succession of French kings.

So here are a few pointers.

First of all, yes there were a lot of French Kings named Louis [Wikipedia: List of French Monarchs]. Most famous were Saint-Louis (actually Louis IX [Wikipedia]), Louis XIV the sun king and Louis XVI who was guillotined during the French Revolution. Louis XV for his part is better known for having reigned between Louis XIV and Louis XVI and losing Québec. Read the rest of this entry »

By John Daly

I have often wondered why people when planting trees or shrubs rely for seedlings almost exclusively on the commercial nurseries when we have so many varieties of lovely wild trees in Cape Breton that can be had for only a little trouble of digging them up and transplanting. Then, too, they possess the advantage of being acclimated and will withstand the rigors of our winters much better than most imported trees and will bloom for generations, whereas many nursery shrubs and trees have a very ephemeral life, more especially if the plantation happens to be near the sea and is exposed to the cold, salty winds of the spring and fall.
Read the rest of this entry »

The oldest North American Basque colony is located in the most unusual of places on this continent. To get there is almost as difficult for today’s modern traveller as it was for the Basque whalers and cod fishermen of the XVIth century.

Located fewer than twelve miles to the south of the Island of Newfoundland, in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon is home to a unique mix of French citizens. The unofficial flag of the islands, which is often seen next to the tricolour, contains three symbols of French regionalism. Above the Norman standard, the Breton Gwan ha Du is the Ikurriña in all its splendour.

Read the rest of this entry »

The White Bird (L’Oiseau Blanc or The White Dove) was a French biplane which disappeared in 1927, during an attempt to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight between Paris and New York. The aircraft was flown by French aviation World War I heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli, who were attempting to win the USD $25,000 Orteig Prize for the flight, but the plane disappeared after its May 8 takeoff from Paris. Two weeks later, Charles Lindbergh successfully made the New York–Paris journey and claimed the prize, flying The Spirit of St. Louis. - Source: Wikipedia

An expedition is currently in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon searching for the remnants of the White Bird.