Father Marc Gervais

We have sadly learned of the passing of Father Marc Gervais. He was
one of the most dedicated film enthusiasts I have ever met. He had
both a scholarly appreciation of “cinema” and loved “movies” too,
bringing a Jesuit's analysis to his writings and lectures on film. His
favorite film makers were Ingmar Bergman, John Ford and Alfred
Hitchcock. He joined Loyola College's new Communication Arts Program
in 1967 where he taught film studies and religion. Even though I was a
student in another Montreal university, I and other film fans soon
learned about his dedication and attended special screenings at the
college that he opened to everyone. The following year I helped him
with a classic western film series. He encouraged me and my associates
in our then-amateur film making, and helped get articles on animation
published in the Loyola newspaper. Some years later we found ourselves
on the nominating jury for what is now called the Genie Awards, for
Canadian motion pictures. We spent an entire week screening features
and shorts, selecting the nominees for that year's awards and if I
recall correctly we saw 56 films that week. When it was over, on a
Saturday afternoon, I went to a movie to unwind. That's what we film
fanatics were like in the days before videos and DVDs when films were
special. Father Marc Gervais helped make them special for us and he
was one of the most literate, intelligent and dedicated of film
enthusiasts. Any time spent with him was quality time.