Quebec's over-the-top cinematic censorship was a long-running bit of repressive tyranny here, as innocuous films such as J'Accuse and Luther were long banned by censors.
Quebec movie theatres were pretty much empty here in the 60s.It was simply not in our habitual patterns to attend the cinema much. Laws banning kids - repealed only in the Spring of 1967 - didn't help either.
So while it's tempting to portray the Kweeb as a cinematic backwater, Montreal does indeed indeed have some under appreciated accomplishments to be proud of in the 1960s.
1-Georgy Girl: Montreal Wester Silvio Narizzano attended Elizabeth Ballantyne, Loyola and Bishops before moving to England where he directed Bates, Redgrave, Mason and Rampling in the classic Georgy Girl in 1966. Narizzano, who was bipolar, fell into depression after his long-term lover, writer Win Wells, died in 1983, at age 48. He died at age 87 in 2011. (I only have a link to the Bittersweet Symphony-esque intro scene, anybody with links to these full movies please leave them in the comment section)
2- Tiara Tahiti, a 1962 film penned by Montrealers Ted Kotcheff and Morty Richer whose quips helped created a great character duel involving James Mason, according to Prince Arthur Herald columnist and NDG resident Prof Neil Cameron who rates the film very highly.
3-Valerie: A third film worth peeking at is the Link/Dunning Cinepix film Valerie, which tips a hat to the awfully depressing and tragic Waterloo Bridge, except that Valerie doesn't end up so sad after her dabbling in the sex trade work comes to light.