Unless your name is Denys Arcand, rare are the French Canadian films that actually find distribution south of the border (stateside), but Palm Pictures are looking for the changing of the seasons and the parallel upcoming NHL season to put one in the net. The Rocket: The Legend of Rocket Richard might have limited appeal due to its sport subject matter, but viewers willing to give the film a chance will be impressed by the film’s quality: the photography is crystal clear and art direction is big budget for a Canadian film. The film was released in November of 05' in Quebec.
The Rocket is the Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth of hockey, the famed Frecnh Canadian hockey player played for The Montreal Canadians (the NY Yankees of baseball in terms of glory. Roy Dupuis plays Maurice “The Rocket” Richard, and this tells the story of a Quebec factory worker who broke through discrimination against French Canadians in the 1940s and '50s to rise to the top of the National Hockey League.
The film will be seen in U.S. theaters late this fall, followed by a DVD release this winter.