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The success of these films inspired a number of other sexploitation films. In most cases, the film's popularity among Quebec audiences is more political than any of the form or content. One exception was the filmmaker Gilles Carle, who saw his career take off during this era. With films like La mort d'un bûcheron (1973), La vraie nature de Bernadette (1972), and La tête de Normande St-Onge (1973), he would bridge the gap between exploitation and arthouse. Carle, who died in 2009, described his work as "social fables, allegorical tales rather than films of social protest." La Vraie Nature de Bernadette, in particular, was a harsh indictment on the double standards of the Church. In the film, Bernadette is generous emotionally and sexually, and rather than return their respect, the men run her dry—while condemning her for her "loose" behavior. The film radically equates Bernadette with the saint of the same name— suggesting a dark history of the Church's exploitation of women.The era of softcore porn dominating Quebec screens was relatively short lived and by 1975 had mostly run its course. This was not only the birth of a commercial cinema in Quebec but an important turning point in identity. Like it's avant-garde heroines seeking to escape their oppressive past, the citizens of Quebec latched onto these images of women undressing as icons for their own cultural rebirth.Follow Justine Smith on Twitter.Read on Broadly: Where Are The Women Who Want to Booze And Screw on Camera