“Les Batteux” by Marcien Ferland

Les Batteux is an audacious attempt by Marcien Ferland to create a medium for displaying his undeniable musical talents. The show, which this book attempts to document, relied heavily on the musicianship and showmanship of the author, but the script lacks literary impact. To anyone unacquainted with the production of the “comédie lyrique”, the script is tedious. Les Batteux introduces themes that are potentially volatile but which fail to develop beyond the initial spark, leaving the reader baffled and dissatisfied.

We arrive on the scene in the outskirts of St. Boniface in 1916 with migrant harvesters who have come to work for “la famille Fillion”, representative of a French-Canadian prairie family of the time. We spend a brief period with the harvesters in the community and during this time we learn about the community’s everyday problems and its struggle to maintain French language rights. When the train leaves, we are on it with the harvesters and leave without a backward glance or reluctance. In effect, we have been mere observers.

Of his many talents, certainly Ferland’s musical abilities come to the fore. Music and song are used not only to entertain the audience, but to educate it as well. Through song, the audience learns of the deep love of the land the characters experience, the tenderness of a mother for her children, the broken political promises that threaten the community’s peaceful existence. The lyrics are there for the reading but lack the emotional impact of the musical accompaniment. Another vehicle which the author uses is film, but while the content of the two filmstrips is briefly described in the text, the reader cannot be affected by such non-literary suggestions. Onstage applause also plays an integral part in the development of the live production. Applause called for from onstage characters is a particularly strong force in manipulating the theatre audience’s opinion; clearly, stage directions cannot so manipulate a reader.

The characters created by the author seldom leave the pastoral canvas upon which they have been painted. They all share the same glowing health, “joie de vivre”, and extreme goodness, and they rarely rise above “bread and butter” talk. Because the two-dimensional characters fail to develop beyond our initial acquaintance with them, it is even difficult to feel animosity toward the antagonists (government officials, the school inspector), who also suffer from clichéd presentation. Some characters are evidently introduced merely to complete the pastoral picture, rather than to contribute to the unfolding of events.

The redeeming quality of the script is M. Ferland’s ability to capture the essence of family life in a French-Canadian home. He often evokes nostalgia and myth, as when the family is led through the rituals of the evening prayers. The members are gathered in the kitchen; Germaine, “Mother Fillion”, rapidly and with an air of great authority, invokes one saint after another in a never-ending litany, while the others automatically respond with a barely audible “pray-for-us”. They are so conditioned to the reply that when Germaine calls out one of the children’s names to discipline him, they all answer “pray for us”. The gatherings (religious, political, social), so typical of French-Canadian life, add some variation to an otherwise bland script.

The people in the text, based on historical figures, are bound not only by language but by their religion and isolation. This affords them an extra strength and tenacity which could have been the foundation of much stronger characterization, but in this case the historical facts are more interesting than the dramatic rendition. The author never totally involves the characters in the thematic process of the play; the educational crisis of 1916, immigration, love, and the beginnings of industrialization. These themes never seem to leave the ground and one wonders why they were introduced at all. There is great opportunity for dramatic development in the school crisis, but as soon as the subject becomes an issue it is written off and remains unresolved. All the real issues in the script are avoided by suggesting that the community will stand fast against opposing forces.

Marcien Ferland has captured the essence of the Franco-Manitoban community with his nostalgic reminiscences of the “good life”. What the publishers seem to have forgotten is that the reader cannot be influenced by theatrical trappings such as song and filmstrips: these fail to disguise the fact that the script has only regional or local appeal. The play is more a community celebration than a dramatic presentation, and for this reason, is unlikely to be appreciated by audiences elsewhere. One wonders why Les Éditions du Blé chose to embarrass M. Ferland by publishing his script. We know that the show was a spectacular event and was awarded “le Prix Riel”, but the script is only a souvenir program. ■

Louise Scatliff and Denise Brown frequently write about and translate French literature and theatre.