Oscar
Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre
2016
| 12 min 08 s
Prizes and awards
Synopsis
Mixing animated sequences and archival footage, Oscar is a touching portrait of virtuoso pianist Oscar Peterson at the twilight of an exceptional career, as he wistfully meditates on the price of fame and the impacts of the artist’s life on family life.
From the young prodigy’s beginnings in Little Burgundy to his triumphs on the international scene, this animated documentary by Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre explores the profound solitude of an artist constantly on tour. Set to the tunes of Peterson’s sometimes catchy, sometimes melancholy-tinged compositions, the film tells a heartfelt story about a life in jazz.
Biography of Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson is one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. Born in Montreal in 1925, young Oscar was encouraged by his father to develop his dazzling technique. Oscar expressed profound admiration for virtuoso Art Tatum—one of his early influences, who he discovered while listening to a record of what he thought were two pianists playing. It’s an amusing anecdote, considering that many of the biggest names in American jazz that Oscar later accompanied in life (including Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong) would soon be calling him the “man with four hands.”
It was thanks to the exposure he gained from his radio performances while still a teenager that Oscar was invited by impresario Norman Granz to leave his hometown and move on to bigger and better things. Granz was in a cab on his way to the airport when a song of Oscar playing live from the Alberta Lounge came on the air. Granz had the cabbie made a quick detour, and a handshake later history was made. Granz added Peterson to the legendary Jazz series playbill at the Philharmonic. He also made him the leader of a famous trio and the official pianist of the different record labels he founded.
From the 1950s to his death in 2007, Peterson recorded countless albums, both as lead artist and accompanist, making him one of the most prolific and popular pianists in the history of jazz—with an impressive list of prestigious awards to prove it.
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Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre: Oscar, beyond the legend
Since the founding of her production company MJSTP Films in 2004, filmmaker Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre has established herself through a body of work that is both coherent and personal – at the crossroads of documentary, fiction and animated film. Her first film, McLaren’s Negatives, sheds light on artist and NFB animation pioneer Norman McLaren. The film has been presented at over 150 festivals around the world and garnered some twenty prestigious distinctions, including the Jutra for best animated film in 2007. Following the release of her film Jutra (2014), which was co-produced by the NFB and focuses on the Quebec filmmaker’s life and career, Saint-Pierre set out to create a portrait of Montreal pianist and composer Oscar Peterson with Oscar, her most recent film, also co-produced by the NFB.
By a fortunate turn of events, it was while watching Begone Dull Care (1949) by Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart that she had her first contact with the music and legend of Oscar Peterson. To create their film, designated as a “Masterwork” by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada, McLaren and Lambart painted and scratched directly on celluloid to the sounds of Peterson’s music, an innovative technique designed in the Animation Studio founded by McLaren. “[The duo] animated the film after the music was recorded,” says Saint-Pierre. “It’s a musical and visual symbiosis that I found overwhelming.”
A pianist and ardent jazz enthusiast herself, Saint-Pierre studied the path taken by the “Brown Bomber of Boogie-Woogie,” a native son of Little Burgundy. As she worked on the film, her own perception of the jazzman evolved. “I discovered the man behind the virtuoso, so yes, my vision changed. I became interested in understanding how a great communicator like Oscar Peterson, who was loved and idolized by everyone, could remain almost completely unknown by those close to him.”
Charmed by the quintessential album Night Train, Saint-Pierre makes no secret of her admiration for Peterson. As with McLaren and Jutra previously, it was a case of “artistic love at first sight.” The filmmaker admits being touched by “[the] decision he made to put his career before his personal life. Almost all of the film’s narration, done by Oscar Peterson, was recorded at the end of his life. It provides a glimpse into the choices he made. You have to view the film to find out what he thinks about his life choices.”
The second part of this short film evokes the pianist’s solitude that grew out of the sacrifices he made because he wanted to pursue an international career. Though she is moved by the candid confessions of a melancholic Peterson, the filmmaker disagrees with the common belief that solitude and sacrifice are sine qua non conditions for life as a creator. “Without reducing the situation to a masculine-feminine binary, I think it’s representative of the period and societal stereotypes. It was conceivable for a man to go off to pursue a career and leave his family behind. He was expected be a provider at all costs.”
Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre willingly acknowledges that, as was the case with Begone Dull Care, Peterson’s music – his melodies and rhythms – greatly influenced the film’s form and aesthetics. “I’ve always loved jazz, especially because of the freedom it gives musicians to improvise. I tried to reproduce the chronological evolution of the graphic styles of the various eras. But the music was added to the sequences to heighten the emotions I wanted to suggest. It came after the images.”
Other parallels could no doubt be made between jazz and Saint-Pierre’s way of making animated films, because we sense that she allowed herself the freedom to improvise according to the archival excerpts she incorporated into her film. “I choose the character and after that the archives work their magic, depending on what I find along the way. A film is an entity in itself. You have to give it a chance to blossom during the production process. I don’t believe in holding hard and fast to storylines.”
Just as music lovers past and present are dazzled by the legendary pianist’s dexterity, film buffs will appreciate Saint-Pierre’s ability to give each of her works its own visual identity. “It’s really important for me to refrain from making the same film visually, over and over. That’s something I inherited from Norman McLaren’s approach. For Oscar, I wanted to recreate an atmosphere conducive to jazz. That’s why most of the film takes place at night.”
After watching Oscar, audiences will applaud the filmmaker’s style. The poetry of the images. The virtuosity. And the swing. Essentially, the form and substance…
Promotional Materials
Team
Marie-Josée Saint- Pierre
Filmmaker and Producer
Biography
Photo
Photo : Lou Cognée
Marie-Josée Saint- Pierre
Filmmaker and Gaspésie native Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre is the founder of the independent production company MJSTP Films Inc., which she founded in 2004 to produce her own animated documentary films. Her original creations revolve around two major themes; notably, motherhood, which she tackles in Post-Partum (2004), Passages (2008) and Femelles (2012), and artistic creation, which is at the heart of McLaren’s Negatives (2006), The Sapporo Project (2009), Jutra (2014), Flocons (2014) and most recently, Oscar (2016). Saint-Pierre’s work has garnered more than 55 international awards over the course of her career. Jutra was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and won three prestigious Canadian awards (a Gemini, a Jutra and a Canadian Screen Award). Saint-Pierre is a graduate of Concordia University and is currently pursuing her PhD in artistic studies and practices at UQAM. Oscar is MJSTP Film’s second co-production with the NFB.
Jocelyne Perrier
Producer (MJSTP Films)
Biography
Photo
Photo : Diane Ayotte
Jocelyne Perrier
Producer Jocelyne Perrier has over 25 years’ experience in film and television, working notably for TVOntario, private firms and her own company. Over the years, she has helped develop shorts and features in addition to helping research, write, adapt and secure funding for various projects.
She has been working with the National Film Board of Canada since 2007, starting as a content analyst for the French Program and line producer for the Animation and Youth Studio. She is now working in animated films. Her career highlights include being part of the production team for Mark Osborne’s The Little Prince (Onyx Films/Orange Studio/Kaibou Production, 2015) and line producer for the Quebec portion of the France/Canada co-production Louise en hiver, a film by Jean-François Laguionie (JPL Films/Productions Unité centrale, 2016). Together with Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre, she recently produced Oscar, a short from MJSTP Films in co-production with the NFB (Marc Bertrand). Jocelyne is currently working as line producer for animated shorts for the NFB as well as Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s feature Ville Neuve (Productions Unité centrale).
Marc Bertrand
Producer (NFB)
Biography
Photo
Photo : NFB
Marc Bertrand
Marc Bertrand joined the French Animation Studio as a producer in 1998 and has since produced more than 100 films, including such notable successes as the award-winning series Science Please! (2001), and Noël Noël (2003) by Nicola Lemay, which won Gémeaux Awards for Best Animated Series or Film in 2002 and 2004 respectively. He also co-produced with Marcel Jean the Norman McLaren Master’s Edition (2006), an award-winning DVD box set featuring digitally restored masterpieces by McLaren, a pioneer in the fusion of music and animation. Bertrand’s interest in new technology has led him to become involved in working on 3D films. In 2008, he coproduced Facing Champlain: A Work in 3 Dimensions, directed by Jean-François Pouliot, and produced Private Eyes, a new 3D film by Nicola Lemay.
Among his other productions are acclaimed films such as Imprints (2004) by Jacques Drouin and works by Theodore Ushev: Tower Bawher (2006), Drux Flux (2009) and Lipsett Diaries (2010), winner of a Genie for Best Animated Short and a Special Mention at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Bertrand has worked on numerous productions, including the Studio GDS/NFB co-production Romance (2011) by renowned Swiss animator Georges Schwizgebel, winner of the 2012 Genie Award. In 2011, he produced Sunday (2011) by Patrick Doyon, which earned an Oscar® nomination and won the 2012 Jutra Award for Best Animated Film.
In 2013, Marc became an AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences) member and completed the co-production Hollow Land (Michèle and Uri Kranot) and Gloria Victoria (T. Ushev), which won the FIPRESCI award in Annecy 2013.
In 2014, it was another of Marc’s production, No fish where to go, that received the same honor. The same year, the film Jutra (Marie-Josée St-Pierre, a co-production with MJSP Film) was selected at the Fortnight of directors in Cannes and in February 2015 won a Jutra, a Gemeaux and a Canadian Screen Award for best short animated film. In 2016, his production of Théodore Ushev’s Vaysha the Blind won both the Jury Prise and de Children Jury prize in Annecy and in 2017 the film was nominated for an Oscar® in for the Best Short Animated film category.
Images
Photo : © Archives de la Ville de Montréal.
Photo : © Archives de la Ville de Montréal.
Photo : © Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Credits
A FILM BY
MARIE-JOSÉE SAINT-PIERRE
ANIMATION AND COMPOSITING
EHSAN GHARIB
ANIMATION AND DRAWINGS
BRIGITTE ARCHAMBAULT
EDITING
OANA SUTEU KHINTIRIAN
COPYRIGHT CLEARANCE
SYLVIA MEZEI
SOUND DESIGN
OLIVIER CALVERT
ADDITIONAL VOICE
MARK CAMACHO
VOICE DIRECTION
FRANÇOIS GODIN
FOLEY
LISE WEDLOCK
RECORDING
GEOFFREY MITCHELL
SOUND MIX
SERGE BOIVIN
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
PIERRE PLOUFFE
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
MICHÈLE LABELLE
TECHNICAL COORDINATOR
DANIEL LORD
ONLINE EDITING
SERGE VERREAULT
ADMINISTRATOR
DIANE RÉGIMBALD
ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
DIANE AYOTTE
KARINE DESMEULES
ACCOUNTING
BENOIT GAUTHIER INC.
LEGAL ADVISERS
LUSSIER & KHOUZAM
STOCK SHOTS
ORIGINAL INTERVIEWS AND FOOTAGE FROM OSCAR PETERSON: KEEPING THE GROOVE ALIVE
‒ GAPC ENTERTAINMENT
CBC STILL PHOTO COLLECTION
CBC LICENSING
DANY GIGNOUX
ANDRÉ LE COZ
WITH THE COURTESY OF JANINE LE COZ
ARNOLD VAN KAMPEN
GETTY IMAGES MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES / DAVID REDFERN
CANADIAN PACIFIC ARCHIVES (IMAGES A.21390 TO A.21399)
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA
CBC, INTERVIEWS BY JEFF DAVIS AND PETER GZOWSKI
© BETTMANN / CORBIS
ARCHIVES DE MONTRÉAL
NFB/ONF
CBC/RADIO-CANADA
GETTY IMAGES
GAPC ENTERTAINMENT
MUSIC
DAISY’S DREAM / OSCAR PETERSON (TOMI MUSIC COMPANY)
PERFORMED BY THE OSCAR PETERSON TRIO
COURTESY OF THE VERVE MUSIC GROUP,
UNDER LICENSE FROM UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA INC.
WHEN SUMMER COMES / OSCAR PETERSON (TOMI MUSIC COMPANY)
PERFORMED BY OSCAR PETERSON
COURTESY OF REGAL RECORDINGS LTD,
A NIGHT IN VIENNA, INTERNATIONAL VERSION
HYMN TO FREEDOM / OSCAR PETERSON (TOMI MUSIC COMPANY)
PERFORMED BY OSCAR PETERSON
COURTESY OF REGAL RECORDINGS LTD,
A NIGHT IN VIENNA, INTERNATIONAL VERSION
MARCH PAST / OSCAR PETERSON (TOMI MUSIC COMPANY)
PERFORMED BY THE OSCAR PETERSON TRIO
COURTESY OF THE VERVE MUSIC GROUP,
UNDER LICENSE FROM UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA INC.
A LITTLE JAZZ EXERCISE / OSCAR PETERSON (TOMI MUSIC COMPANY)
PERFORMED BY THE OSCAR PETERSON TRIO
WITH KIND PERMISSION OF EDEL GERMANY GMBH OP /
RUSSELL GARCIA & OSCAR PETERSON (TOMI MUSIC COMPANY)
PERFORMED BY THE OSCAR PETERSON TRIO
COURTESY OF THE VERVE MUSIC GROUP,
UNDER LICENSE FROM UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA INC.
PLACE ST-HENRI / OSCAR PETERSON (TOMI MUSIC COMPANY)
PERFORMED BY THE OSCAR PETERSON TRIO
COURTESY OF THE VERVE MUSIC GROUP,
UNDER LICENSE FROM UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA INC.
NIGHTTIME / OSCAR PETERSON (TOMI MUSIC COMPANY)
PERFORMED BY OSCAR PETERSON
COURTESY OF REGAL RECORDINGS LTD,
A NIGHT IN VIENNA, INTERNATIONAL VERSION
TIGER RAG / E. EDWARDS, D. LA ROCCA, H. RAGAS, A. SBARBARO, L. SHIELDS
(EMI ENTERTAINMENT WORLD INC.)
PERFORMED BY ART TATUM
COURTESY OF SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT CANADA INC.
A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO
KELLY PETERSON
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
JULIE ROY (NFB)
PRODUCERS
MARC BERTRAND (NFB)
JOCELYNE PERRIER
MARIE-JOSÉE SAINT-PIERRE
OSCAR
A COPRODUCTION


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About the NFB
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) produces groundbreaking animation at its studios in Montreal and at NFB centres across Canada, as well as via international co-productions with many of the world’s leading auteur animators. The NFB is a leader in developing new approaches to stereoscopic 3D animation and animated content for new platforms. The NFB has created over 13,000 productions and won over 7,000 awards, with NFB animation accounting for 7 of the NFB’s 12 Oscars, as well as 6 grand prizes at France’s Annecy International Animated Film Festival, 4 Palmes d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and 2 Golden Bears at Berlinale. To access this award-winning content and discover the work of NFB animators, visit NFB.ca, download its apps for mobile devices or visit NFB Pause.