Louis Hemon's literary bestseller has been a cornerstone of Québecoise culture since its publication in 1914, and Maria Chapdelaine, one of their most enduring heroines. Director Gilles Carle (The True Nature of Bernadette, The Great Chess Movie, etc.) has brought the Great Canadian Novel to the screen in a film of lyrical beauty which captures both the archetypal significance and the historical details of this turn-of-the-century rural tale. Maria (Carole Laure) is a farmer's daughter who doggedly refuses to be married off, first to a timid neighbor, then to a wealthy, Americanized urbanite, favoring instead her fated love for a handsome woodsman, Paradis (Nick Mancuso). Maria's mother, convinced that this romance is the curse behind a killing draught, finally prevails, with tragic results. Maria Chapdeleine, filmed on location in the woodlands north of Montreal on painstakingly reconstructed sets, is a portrait of the harsh conditions which formed the culture and attitudes of a determined people.