Eliza's Horoscope

Eliza's Horoscope
Eliza's Horoscope
Directed by	Gordon Sheppard
Written by	Gordon Sheppard
Produced by	Gordon Sheppard
Starring	Elizabeth Moorman; Tommy Lee Jones; Rose Quong; Lila Kedrova; Pierre Byland; Marcel Sabourin; Alanis Obomsawin;
Cinematography	Jean Boffety; Michel Brault; Paul Van der Linden;
Edited by	Gordon Sheppard
Music by	Elmo Peeler
Distributed by	Akoom (Quebec)
Release date	September 1975, Stratford International Film Festival; May 1976, Montreal
Running time	121 minutes
Country	Canada
Language	English
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.

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,^[1] 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).^[2]

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,^[3] 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[]

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.^[4]

References[]

^ Sheppard, Gordon. "The Making of Eliza's Horoscope". Retrieved June 22, 2017.
^ Morris, Peter (1984). The Film Companion. Toronto: Irwin Publishing. pp. 270–271. ISBN 0-7725-1505-0.
^ Pratley, Gerald (1987). Torn Sprockets: The Uncertain Projection of the Canadian Film. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Presses. p. 223. ISBN 0874131944.
^ "Best-film showdown: 11 vie for all-Canadian honours". Ottawa Journal. October 3, 1975. p. 39. Retrieved March 28, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[]

Eliza's Horoscope at IMDb
Gordon Sheppard at IMDb

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[1] Sheppard, Gordon. "The Making of Eliza's Horoscope". Retrieved June 22, 2017.

[2] Morris, Peter (1984). The Film Companion. Toronto: Irwin Publishing. pp. 270–271. ISBN 0-7725-1505-0.

[3] Pratley, Gerald (1987). Torn Sprockets: The Uncertain Projection of the Canadian Film. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Presses. p. 223. ISBN 0874131944.

[4] "Best-film showdown: 11 vie for all-Canadian honours". Ottawa Journal. October 3, 1975. p. 39. Retrieved March 28, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.

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