Paying Tribute to
Roger Racine csc
Photos by Anne Kmetyko
Roger Racine csc.
R
oger Racine csc may be one of the oldest members of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers – and the former chair of its Montreal chapter – but few may be aware of his work as a director. In fact, Racine’s first feature, The Butler’s Night Off, put actor William Shatner in his first film role but was never released. Recently, Bruno Philip csc discovered another of Racine’s forgotten feature films and teamed up with the Cinémathèque québécoise in Montreal this summer to screen the film for the first time in North America, as well as to pay tribute to Racine, who is now in his 90s. Ribo ou “Le Soleil sauvage,” a love story set in a polygamous village in the heart of Cameroon, was shot on location in 1975 on 35 mm film. “I discovered the film through talking with [Racine’s son] Christian,” who run’s Racine’s production company Cinéfilms & Vidéo, Philip explains. “I said we should pay homage, because there was not a real homage being paid to Roger in Quebec.” According to Philippe Lavallette csc, who attended the June 5 event, Racine is “exactly in the middle of the history of film in this country. He’s historically very important. I find that he has never had true recognition, and I think this is very nice tonight.” Besides Philip and Lavallette, Pierre Letarte csc, Roger Moride csc and associate member Yorgos Giannelis were just a few of the CSC members in
22 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2014
