- Amanita Pestilens
"Amanita Pestilens" is a
1963 Canadian film produced byF. R. Crawley , directed byRené Bonnière . It was "the first Canadian feature film to be shot in both English and French with the same set of actors" [http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-68-1406-9000/arts_entertainment/film_industry/clip3] and which included an early career performance byGeneviève Bujold along with performances by Jacques Labrecque and Huguette Oligny. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056824/] This was also the first time a Canadian feature film was produced in colour.Plot
The plot concerns a
Montreal suburbanite who becomes obsessed with his award-winning lawn which has been infested with a ground fungus. His neighbour across the street identifies the species as "Amanita pestilens" (not a real species, although "Amanita " is a real genus). Themushrooms prove impossible to eradicate, and the homeowner directs all his efforts to getting rid of them, to the exclusion of all else. His obsession very nearly destroys his life and leads to a deadly confrontation with his neighbour. A surprise ending, however, gives the viewer hope that the main character will see the error of his ways.Release
Although there is no known video release, the film was shown on Moviepix (Mpix) on
May 10 1998 . [ [http://www.eyeweekly.com/eye/issue/issue_05.07.98/film/moviola.php Toronto movies city arts music clubs food style fun classifieds EYE WEEKLY ] ]References
External links
*imdb title|0056824
*cite web | url=http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-68-1406-9000/arts_entertainment/film_industry/clip3 | publisher=CBC Archives | title=Why is this picture not being shown? | date=4 January 1965 | work=The Sixties | accessdate=2007-06-27
*cite web | url=http://filmreferencelibrary.ca/index.asp?layid=46&csid1=153&navid=46 | title=F.R. Crawley | publisher=Canadian Film Encyclopedia | date=5 April 2004 | accessdate=2007-06-27
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