The complete works of Joyce Wieland. Reason over passion, 1969. Volume 4, La raison avant la passion, 1969 [videorecording] =
Complete works of Joyce Wieland, 1963-1986 Raison avant la passion Reason over passion
- Toronto, ON : Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre, c2011.
- 1 videodisc (83 min., 40 sec.) : sd., col. and b&w ; 4 3/4 in.
Originally released as a motion picture in 1969. Issued as part of a 5-disc boxed set titled: The complete works of Joyce Wieland, 1963-1986.
Computer permutations by William A. Burnette and Pete Neumann of Bell Labs ; computer permutation photographic planning by Hollis Frampton. Computer permutations by William A. Burnette and Pete Neumann of Bell Labs ; computer permutation photographic planning by Hollis Frampton.
Wieland's most important and complex nationalist statement, La raison avant la passion, is a playful, penetrating exploration of the landscape and mindscape of Canada. Taken from Pierre Elliot Trudeau's assertion, "Reason over passion -- that is the theme of all my writing," the film is an impressionistic train and car trip from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. Throughout the film, the letters of the title are varied randomly, as in an anagram, by a computer. The first part is dominated by the colour green; the second, orange; and the third, white. Made in three parts with a prelude, La raison avant la passion is largely a hymn to the beauty of the country but it also raises questions about cultural identity.