Louis Cyr: l’homme le plus fort du monde

Louis Cyr, a French-Canadian laborer working in a textile factory in Lowell, Massachussets in the late 19th century, is convinced by an Irish promoter to leave his family in order to demonstrate his immense physical strength at fairs across the country. His girlfriend, Mélina Comtois, also comes along on the trip that lasts six months and ends when the promoter takes off with all the money. Rolling up his sleeves, Cyr continues to travel as a strong man with Mélina, whom he has married, and ends up in Montreal, where he meets Horace Barré, a strong man who becomes his most faithful ally, and Gustave Lambert, an agent who helps to revive his career on the Montreal scene. Louis becomes an overnight sensation. Encouraged by his success, Louis only has one goal: to win the title of the strongest man in the world.

Nominated for 11 Jutra Awards, the film took 9 including Le billet d’or for top grossing film at the Québec box office, with a take of more than 4-million dollars. It was also named Best Film, and Antoine Bertrand, who portrayed the real life Québec strongman, won best actor.