MovieChat Forums > Léolo (1993) Discussion > Who is the Word Tamer?

Who is the Word Tamer?

posted 18 years ago by rserrano
11 replies | jump to latest

The Word Tamer is one of the most enigmatic characters in all of film. I've concluded that he must be God, or atleast Lauzon's conception of a god who interacts with the world but is also strangely distant.

He walks the world and carefully observes. He interacts and comes to the aid of his creations, but only in the most indirect ways. It is as if the world is a balloon that he keeps afloat only by occasionally blowing gently on it. He introduces Leole to literature by bringing a book to his house while he is not there and inducing his Mother to use it to steady a table leg. He goes to Leolo's school and puts in a good word with his teacher, but seemingly understands the hopelessness of the situation.

The Word Tamer is pensive, passive and ultimately loves his creations.In the end we seem to find out why, and also why he created the world. It appears that humanity is the means for his self discovery. He collects their writing, sculpture and other works of art on shelves in an endless dusty basement, and reflects on the meaning of existence.

[–] kragenspeck 18 years ago

The Actor of the Word Tamer is Pierre Bourgault, a Canadian politician, journalist and a professor of communication. Lauzon was his student, i suppose they knew each other or Bourgault patronized Lauzon. I took this info from a booklet about the movie.

I imagine the Word Tamer is the good father that Leolo (Lauzon?) never had.

parce-que moi je rêve, je ne suis pas...

[–] rserrano 18 years ago

Great trivia fact. Thanks for passing it along.

[–] sal7949 17 years ago

Actually, Pierre Bourgault is not really a Canadian politician, he's a Quebecois politician who in his younger years preached violent separation from Canada. As he grew older he mellowed and was no longer a firebrand separatist just simply a separatist.

And one of the threads in Quebec politics was (and still is) to blame English Canada for all that's gone wrong in Quebec. The amazing thing about Leolo is that the film puts very little blame on English Canada. The film seems to claim that all the wrongs in Quebec have been self-inflicted. There are only three references to the English in the film: the Hasidic fish peddler, Fernand's tormentor who who spoke both English and French, and Dominion Steel.

There's a strong political undercurrent in Leolo and the choice of Pierre Bourgault was no accident. What it all means, I'm still trying to sort out.

[–] julien-beauregard 15 years ago

Bourgault was leader of RIN (Rassemblement pour l'Independance Nationale) who later merged with PQ (Parti Québecois) and is still considered to this day as the greatest orator and he could make long and fascinating speechs. Look for him on Youtube.

He wasn't a radicalist. He even befriend his adversaries, Robert Bourassa among them who helped when Bourgault had a rough time. During referendum in 95, they both had political debates on english chanels. So no, he wasn't radical.

I had to place things in perspective because I can't stand the «And one of the threads in Quebec politics was (and still is) to blame English Canada for all that's gone wrong in Quebec.» that is a restrictive interpretation of it's particular political situation.

[–] Philo D. 15 years ago

Translation.......

"dompteur de vers"

The subtitle in my old VHS copy has "word tamer" ...

*but*

The subtitle on my new DVD (subtitles done in Quebec they are careful to say) has "tamer of worms" ...

What do you think?

The full name only occurs once, afterward it is just the "tamer"

[–] cthulhulurks 15 years ago

I think it's word, not worm, tamer.

my vote history:
http://imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=27424531

[–] perrrob 15 years ago

Vers can have two meaning in French:

Vers - French word for verse (e.g. poetry)
Ver - Worm ... Vers - Worms (plural form)

In this context "Dompteur de vers" should have been subtitled "Word Tamer" IMO.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] micronomique 14 years ago

Well, the book Léolo is given by the Word Tamer is L'avalée des avalés, by Réjean Ducharme. I heard somewhere that Ducharme wandered around Montreal collecting other people's trash to use it in his sculptures... I thought automatically that the Word Tamer WAS Ducharme, and that's what I have believed all this time :)...

[–] el-9984 13 years ago

Although the Word Tamer and Ducharme are recluses, the ages don't work out. The film takes place in the late 60's. At that time Ducharme, who was born in 1941, would have only been in his late 20's. The Word Tamer is a much older man.

[–] elliott-43 10 years ago

" The amazing thing about Leolo is that the film puts very little blame on English Canada. The film seems to claim that all the wrongs in Quebec have been self-inflicted."

Fernand's tormentor, clearly an English Canadian, is a conniving scoundrel and bully, who speaks mangled French and refers to Leolo and Fernand as "Frogs". I wouldn't go so far to say this characterization is a political metaphor, but it does illustrate how divided, suspicious and malevolent the Quebecers & Québécois were at the time.