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Geertsen George
George Geertsen heard some lively music at a Montreal party in 1966 and just couldn't get it out of his head. He discovered the singer was someone named Madame Bolduc. Geertsen, struck by the energy of her songs, was inspired to put images to the music. Twenty years later, La Bastringue Madame Bolduc became Geertsen's homage to the legendary French-Canadian performer.
George Geertsen, animator, director and screenwriter, was born in Viborg, Denmark in 1938 and immigrated to Canada in 1941. He studied design and painting at the Ontario College of Art and worked in advertising before joining the National Film Board of Canada in 1966.
Geertsen started off making public service announcements and went on to direct the animated short films The Men in the Park (1971) and Prison (1975). He then made three Canada Vignettes: Newfoundland (1978), Land Bridge (1978) and Klondike Gold (1980). These were followed by Journey Through Time (1983), produced in cooperation with the National Museums of Canada and the National Museum of Man; Diploma Dilemma (1987); and Anniversary Vignette (1989), in honour of the 50th anniversary of the NFB.
» Watch La Bastringue Madame Bolduc at NFB.ca (In French)
