After graduation, Arcand went to work for the National Film Board of Canada where, between 1964 and 1965, he made a trilogy of short historical documentaries about the early explorers and settlers of North America. In 1970, he directed "On est au coton", a feature-length documentary about abuses in the textile industry that was officially banned, allegedly because of its "biased" point of view. Another politically-oriented documentary followed, "Quebec: Duplessisz et apres . . ." (1972).
In 1972, Arcand directed his first fiction feature, "Une maudite galette", an ironic thriller involving theft and murder. "Rejeanne padovani" (1973), set against the construction of Montreal's Ville-Marie superhighway, also dealt with murder and greed. For "Gina" (1975), the director drew upon his experiences filming "On est au coton" to fashion a tale of violence and revenge about a stripper and a film crew working on a documentary about the textile industry.
Following some work for TV and the production of a controversial documentary for the National Film Board about Quebec's 1980 referendum for secession from Canada, Arcand returned to features with "Le crime d'ovide plouffe" (1984) and his breakthrough film, "The Decline of the American Empire" (1986).
Marked by Arcand's typically cynical humor, "Decline" focuses on a group of Quebecois artists and intellectuals--four men and four women--coming to grips with the problems of sexuality, success, fidelity, intimacy and aging in contemporary society. Mirroring the baby-boomer angst of John Sayles' "Return of the Secaucus Seven" and Lawrence Kasdan's "The Big Chill", "Decline" became Canada's biggest worldwide screen success. A hit on the festival circuit and with critics and filmgoers in the States, the film won nine Genies (the Canadian Oscar), the FIPRESCI prize at Cannes and an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. (Paramount even announced the development of a US remake.)
"Jesus of Montreal" (1988) is a tragicomic account of a group of struggling Montreal actors who support themselves by giving revisionist nighttime performances of a passion play. The film was allegedly inspired by an actor who auditioned for "Decline"; he told Arcand that he was portraying Jesus in an old French play being performed for tourists visiting the city's famed Mont Royal peak. The director became fascinated with the lives of these Montreal artists who made a living as biblical figures by night and in beer commercials and porno films by day.
A dazzling mix of passion play drama, Catholic ideology and contemporary satire, "Jesus of Montreal" takes an unblinking look at the plight of the struggling actor. It is a highly personal work, influenced by Arcand's rigorous Catholic education and disillusionment with the church, and reflecting his view that "the Catholic hierarchy is completely opposed to Christ's purest teachings. It earned a 1989 Oscar nomination as Best Foreign Language Film.
After contributing a segment to the omnibus film "Montreal Vu Par . . . " (1991) which celebrated the 350th Anniversary of the founding of the city, Arcand helmed the screen version of Brad Fraser's controversial play "Love and Human Remains" (1993). Following a disparate group of twentysomethings searching for meaning and fulfillment in their lives, this comedy was Arcand's first English language film and successfully adapted the dark, quirky, highly theatrical original material (which employed the metaphor of a serial killer randomly striking victims with AIDS).