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{{short description|1975 film}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = Eliza's Horoscope
| name = Eliza's Horoscope
| image =
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| caption =
| director = Gordon Sheppard
| director = Gordon Sheppard
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| writer = Gordon Sheppard
| writer = Gordon Sheppard
| narrator =
| narrator =
| starring = Elizabeth Moorman<br />[[Tommy Lee Jones]]<br />Rose Quong<br />[[Lila Kedrova]]<br />Pierre Byland<br />{{ill|Marcel Sabourin|fr}}<br />[[Alanis Obomsawin]]
| starring = {{ubl|Elizabeth Moorman|[[Tommy Lee Jones]]|[[Rose Quong]]|[[Lila Kedrova]]|Pierre Byland|[[Marcel Sabourin]]|[[Alanis Obomsawin]]}}
| music = Elmo Peeler
| music = Elmo Peeler
| cinematography = [[Jean Boffety]]<br />[[Michel Brault]]<br />Paul van der Linden
| cinematography = {{ubl|[[Jean Boffety]]|[[Michel Brault]]|[[Paul Van der Linden]]}}
| editing = Gordon Sheppard
| editing = Gordon Sheppard
| distributor = Akoom (Quebec)
| distributor = Akoom (Quebec)
| released = September 1975, Stratford International Film Festival; May 1976, Montreal
| released = {{Film date|1975|09||Stratford International Film Festival|1976|05||Montreal}}
| runtime = 121 minutes
| runtime = 121 minutes
| country = [[Canada]]
| country = [[Canada]]
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| budget = $1,400,000 (estimated)
| budget = $1,400,000 (estimated)
| gross =
| gross =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
}}
}}


'''''Eliza's Horoscope''''' is a 1975 Canadian feature from Gordon Sheppard, one of the most enigmatic features made in Canada.
'''''Eliza's Horoscope''''' is a 1975 Canadian feature from Gordon Sheppard, one of the most enigmatic features made in Canada.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}


==Background==
==Background==
Gordon Sheppard (1937・2006) began his career with the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] in 1960 as a writer and interviewer on public affairs programs such as "The Lively Arts." In 1965 he was appointed to the Secretary of State as a special consultant on a proposal to create the Canadian Film Development Corporation (later [[Telefilm Canada]]). Leaving government service, Sheppard began work on his flawed masterpiece, the splendid ''Eliza's Horoscope'',<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sheppard|first1=Gordon|title=The Making of Eliza's Horoscope|url=https://sites.google.com/site/bisson/themakingofelizas_horoscope|accessdate=June 22, 2017}}</ref> an ingenious, exotic feature that he began in 1970 and would take four years to complete (which explains why there are three cinematographers on the film).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Morris|first1=Peter|title=The Film Companion|url=https://archive.org/details/filmcompanion0000morr/page/270|url-access=registration|date=1984|publisher=Irwin Publishing|location=Toronto|isbn=0 7725 1505 0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/filmcompanion0000morr/page/270 270・271]}}</ref>
Gordon Sheppard (1937–2006) began his career with the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] in 1960 as a writer and interviewer on public affairs programs such as "The Lively Arts." His 1962 film about [[Hugh Hefner]], ''The Most'', was praised by [[Roger Ebert]] as "a great documentary short."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |title=Hugh Hefner: Just a typical Methodist kid |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/hugh-hefner-just-a-typical-methodist-kid |website=rogerebert.com |access-date=26 June 2022 |date=6 August 1967}}</ref> In 1965 he was appointed to the Secretary of State as a special consultant on a proposal to create the Canadian Film Development Corporation (later [[Telefilm Canada]]). Leaving government service, Sheppard began work on his flawed masterpiece, which was originally titled ''Susan's Horoscope.''<ref name="The Making">{{cite web |last1=Sheppard |first1=Gordon |title=The Making of Eliza's Horoscope |url=https://sites.google.com/site/bisson/themakingofelizas_horoscope |access-date=26 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007033712/https://sites.google.com/site/bisson/themakingofelizas_horoscope |archive-date=7 October 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref> After drafting a script, he approached Hefner for financial support. Hefner invited him to the Chicago Playboy Club to discuss the idea, and though he ultimately wasn't interested, this visit led to Sheppard meeting Elizabeth Moorman, who was working as a [[Playboy Bunny]] at the Chicago club at the time.<ref name="The Making" /> Sheppard convinced Moorman to join him in Montreal and renamed the project ''Eliza's Horoscope'' after her. A ten-minute film was shot in 1969, but the feature was not completed until 1974 (which explains why there are three cinematographers on the film).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Morris|first1=Peter|title=The Film Companion|url=https://archive.org/details/filmcompanion0000morr/page/270|url-access=registration|date=1984|publisher=Irwin Publishing|location=Toronto|isbn=0-7725-1505-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/filmcompanion0000morr/page/270 270–271]}}</ref>


==Synopsis==
==Synopsis==
The central character is a young girl (Elizabeth Moorman, a former [[Playboy Bunny]]), who learns from an astrologer that she will meet a rich husband and proceeds to look for one. She rooms with an older hooker ([[Lila Kedrova]], the veteran Russian-born actress who had won an Oscar for ''[[Zorba the Greek]]'') in a rundown Montreal apartment where a young man of mixed indigenous and European heritage ([[Tommy Lee Jones]] in one of his first screen appearances) falls for her. Later he is killed trying to blow up a bridge as a form of protest. Heavily allegorical and densely symbolic,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pratley|first1=Gerald|title=Torn Sprockets: The Uncertain Projection of the Canadian Film|date=1987|publisher=Associated University Presses|location=Cranbury, NJ|isbn=0874131944|page=223}}</ref> ''Eliza's Horoscope'' is a psychedelic film left over from the 1960s closer to [[Bob Rafelson]]’s ''[[Head (film)|Head]]'' than [[Federico Fellini]]’s ''[[Juliet of the Spirits]]''. [[Richard Manuel]], formerly of the legendary Canadian group [[The Band]], appears as a background extra in the film.
The central character is an eighteen-year-old woman named Eliza (Elizabeth Moorman), who learns from an astrologer that she will meet a rich husband and proceeds to look for one. She rooms with an older prostitute ([[Lila Kedrova]], the veteran Russian-born actress who had won an Oscar for ''[[Zorba the Greek]]'') in a rundown Montreal apartment where a young man of mixed indigenous and European heritage ([[Tommy Lee Jones]] in one of his first screen appearances) falls for her. Later he is killed trying to blow up a bridge as a form of protest. Heavily allegorical and densely symbolic,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pratley|first1=Gerald|authorlink=Gerald Pratley|title=Torn Sprockets: The Uncertain Projection of the Canadian Film|date=1987|publisher=Associated University Presses|location=Cranbury, NJ|isbn=0874131944|page=223}}</ref> ''Eliza's Horoscope'' is a psychedelic film left over from the 1960s closer to [[Bob Rafelson]]’s ''[[Head (film)|Head]]'' than [[Federico Fellini]]’s ''[[Juliet of the Spirits]]''. [[Richard Manuel]], formerly of the legendary Canadian group [[The Band]], appears as a background extra in the film.


==Awards==
==Awards==
[[Canadian Film Awards]] Supporting Actress (Kedrova), Cinematography (van der Linden), Art Direction, Overall Sound, Special Award
[[Canadian Film Awards]] Supporting Actress (Kedrova), Cinematography (van der Linden), Art Direction, Overall Sound, Special Award


It was also a nominee for [[Canadian Screen Award for Best Motion Picture|Best Feature Film]], but did not win.<ref>{{cite news|title=Best-film showdown: 11 vie for all-Canadian honours |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18703453/|newspaper=[[Ottawa Journal]]|date=October 3, 1975|page=39|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = March 28, 2018 }} {{free access}}</ref>
It was also a nominee for [[Canadian Screen Award for Best Motion Picture|Best Feature Film]], but did not win.<ref>{{cite news|title=Best-film showdown: 11 vie for all-Canadian honours |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18703453/|newspaper=[[Ottawa Journal]]|date=October 3, 1975|page=39|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = March 28, 2018 }} {{free access}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:Canadian avant-garde and experimental films]]
[[Category:Canadian avant-garde and experimental films]]
[[Category:Canadian drama films]]
[[Category:Canadian drama films]]
[[Category:Canadian films]]
[[Category:English-language Canadian films]]
[[Category:1970s Canadian films]]





Latest revision as of 18:33, 30 May 2024

Eliza's Horoscope
Directed byGordon Sheppard
Written byGordon Sheppard
Produced byGordon Sheppard
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byGordon Sheppard
Music byElmo Peeler
Distributed byAkoom (Quebec)
Release dates
  • September 1975 (1975-09) (Stratford International Film Festival)
  • May 1976 (1976-05) (Montreal)
Running time
121 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,400,000 (estimated)

Eliza's Horoscope is a 1975 Canadian feature from Gordon Sheppard, one of the most enigmatic features made in Canada.[citation needed]

Background

[edit]

Gordon Sheppard (1937–2006) began his career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1960 as a writer and interviewer on public affairs programs such as "The Lively Arts." His 1962 film about Hugh Hefner, The Most, was praised by Roger Ebert as "a great documentary short."[1] In 1965 he was appointed to the Secretary of State as a special consultant on a proposal to create the Canadian Film Development Corporation (later Telefilm Canada). Leaving government service, Sheppard began work on his flawed masterpiece, which was originally titled Susan's Horoscope.[2] After drafting a script, he approached Hefner for financial support. Hefner invited him to the Chicago Playboy Club to discuss the idea, and though he ultimately wasn't interested, this visit led to Sheppard meeting Elizabeth Moorman, who was working as a Playboy Bunny at the Chicago club at the time.[2] Sheppard convinced Moorman to join him in Montreal and renamed the project Eliza's Horoscope after her. A ten-minute film was shot in 1969, but the feature was not completed until 1974 (which explains why there are three cinematographers on the film).[3]

Synopsis

[edit]

The central character is an eighteen-year-old woman named Eliza (Elizabeth Moorman), who learns from an astrologer that she will meet a rich husband and proceeds to look for one. She rooms with an older prostitute (Lila Kedrova, the veteran Russian-born actress who had won an Oscar for Zorba the Greek) in a rundown Montreal apartment where a young man of mixed indigenous and European heritage (Tommy Lee Jones in one of his first screen appearances) falls for her. Later he is killed trying to blow up a bridge as a form of protest. Heavily allegorical and densely symbolic,[4] Eliza's Horoscope is a psychedelic film left over from the 1960s – closer to Bob Rafelson’s Head than Federico Fellini’s Juliet of the Spirits. Richard Manuel, formerly of the legendary Canadian group The Band, appears as a background extra in the film.

Awards

[edit]

Canadian Film Awards – Supporting Actress (Kedrova), Cinematography (van der Linden), Art Direction, Overall Sound, Special Award

It was also a nominee for Best Feature Film, but did not win.[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Ebert, Roger (6 August 1967). "Hugh Hefner: Just a typical Methodist kid". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b Sheppard, Gordon. "The Making of Eliza's Horoscope". Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  3. ^ Morris, Peter (1984). The Film Companion. Toronto: Irwin Publishing. pp. 270–271. ISBN 0-7725-1505-0.
  4. ^ Pratley, Gerald (1987). Torn Sprockets: The Uncertain Projection of the Canadian Film. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Presses. p. 223. ISBN 0874131944.
  5. ^ "Best-film showdown: 11 vie for all-Canadian honours". Ottawa Journal. October 3, 1975. p. 39. Retrieved March 28, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
[edit]