Les mains noires | movie | 2010 | Official Trailer - video Dailymotion

A documentary about a hidden story of Canadian history: The one of Angelique, a Black slave accused of burning Montreal  | dG1fS3k5cnp5R29DVm8

Transcript

00:00Who started the fire?

00:10One of the most important sources for the history of New France, for the 18th century,

00:15are the trials.

00:16That's when I came across the trial of this black, angelic slave.

00:20I saw the negress enter the house just before the fire.

00:23Others have said that she went up to the attic with a shovel.

00:26My God, burn the culprits to hell.

00:29Marie-Joseph said, angelic, we say that the fire is you.

00:33What did you do?

00:34Nothing.

00:35This is the criminal law of 1670.

00:38It is very, very clearly indicated that one can arrest and condemn someone

00:43on the basis of public rumour.

00:48You have to confess.

00:49Why do you want me to lie?

00:51Because it's the law.

00:53We wanted a culprit at all costs.

00:56Do you think it's fate that God chose for you?

01:01To say that slavery existed in New France,

01:04it's not obvious because people will tell me, well, let's see.

01:07The question we ask ourselves today as historians is,

01:09when did we suffocate this story?

01:11When did we eat this passage from our prehistory?

01:14She was called Angelique, but she did not live the life of an angel.

01:18Comedians and historians unite to tell their story.