Voice1(male"professionalannouncer"type):Thisneighborhood(1)wasmadeforthewretcheddignityofthepettybourgeoisie,forrespectableoccupationsandintellectualtourism.Thesedentarypopulationoftheupperfloorswasshelteredfromtheinfluencesofthestreet.Thisneighborhoodhasremainedthesame.Itwasthestrangesettingofourstory,whereasystematicquestioningofallthediversionsandworksofasociety,atotalcritiqueofitsideaofhappiness,wasexpressedinactsccc
Thesepeoplealsoscorned"subjectiveprofundity".Theywereinterestedinnothingbutanadequateandconcreteexpressionofthemselves.
Voice2(Debord,monotone):Humanbeingsarenotfullyconsciousoftheirreallife-usuallygropinginthedark;overwhelmedbytheconsequencesoftheiracts;ateverymomentgroupsandindividualsfindthemselvesconfrontedwithresultstheyhavenotwished.
Voice1:Theysaidthatoblivionwastheirrulingpassion.Theywantedtoreinventeverythingeachday;tobecomethemastersandpossessorsoftheirownlives.
Justasonedoesnotjudgeamanaccordingtotheconceptionhehasofhimself,onecannotjudgesuchperiodsoftransitionaccordingtotheirownconsciousness;onthecontrary,onemustexplaintheconsciousnessthroughthecontradictionsofmateriallife,throughtheconflictbetweensocialconditionsandtheforcesofsocialproduction.
Theprogressachievedinthedominationofnaturewasnotyetmatchedbyacorrespondingliberationofeverydaylife.Youthpassedawayamongthevariouscontrolsofresignation.
Ourcamerahascapturedforyouafewaspectsofaprovisionalmicrosociety.
Theknowledgeofempiricalfactsremainsabstractandsuperficialaslongasitisnotconcretizedbyitsintegrationintothewhole"”whichalonepermitsthesupersessionofpartialandabstractproblemssoastoarriveattheirconcreteessence,andimplicitlyattheirmeaning.
Thisgroupwasonthemarginsoftheeconomy.Ittendedtowardaroleofpureconsumption,andfirstofallthefreeconsumptionofitstime.Itthusfounditselfdirectlyengagedinqualitativevariationsofeverydaylifebutdeprivedofanymeanstointerveneinthem.
Thegrouprangedoveraverysmallarea.Thesametimesbroughtthembacktothesameplaces.Noonewenttobedearly.Discussiononthemeaningofallthiscontinued...
Voice2:"Ourlifeisajourney"”Inthewinterandthenight."”Weseekourpassage..."?
Voice1:Theabandonedliteratureneverthelessexertedadelayingactiononnewaffectiveformulations.
Voice2:Therewasthefatigueandthecoldofthemorninginthismuch-traversedlabyrinth,likeanenigmathatwehadtoresolve.Itwasalooking-glassrealitythroughwhichwehadtodiscoverthepotentialrichnessofreality.
Onthebankoftherivereveningbeganonceagain;andcaresses;andtheimportanceofaworldwithoutimportance.Justastheeyeshaveablurredvisionofmanythingsandcanseeonlyoneclearly,sothewillcanstriveonlyincompletelytowarddiverseobjectsandcancompletelyloveonlyoneatatime.
Voice3(younggirl):Noonecountedonthefuture.Itwouldneverbepossibletobetogetherlater,oranywhereelse.Therewouldneverbeagreaterfreedom.
Voice1:Therefusaloftimeandofgrowingoldautomaticallylimitedencountersinthisnarrow,contingentzone,wherewhatwaslackingwasfeltasirreparable.Theextremeprecariousnessofthemeansofgettingbywithoutworkingwasattherootofthisimpatiencewhichmadeexcessesnecessaryandbreaksdefinitive.
Voice2:Oneneverreallycontestsanorganizationofexistencewithoutcontestingallofthatorganization'sformsoflanguage.
Voice1:Whenfreedomispracticedinaclosedcircle,itfadesintoadream,becomesamererepresentationofitself.Theambianceofplayisbynatureunstable.Atanymoment"ordinarylife"?canprevailonceagain.Thegeographicallimitationofplayisevenmorestrikingthanitstemporallimitation.Anygametakesplacewithinthecontoursofitsspatialdomain.Aroundtheneighborhood,arounditsfleetingandthreatenedimmobility,stretchedahalf-knowncitywherepeoplemetonlybychance,losingtheirwayforever.
Thegirlswhofoundtheirwaythere,becausetheywerelegallyunderthecontroloftheirfamiliesuntiltheageofeighteen,wereoftenrecapturedbythedefendersofthatdetestableinstitution.Theyweregenerallyconfinedundertheguardofthosecreatureswhoamongallthebadproductsofabadsocietyarethemostuglyandrepugnant:nuns.
Whatusuallymakesdocumentariessoeasytounderstandisthearbitrarylimitationoftheirsubjectmatter.Theydescribetheatomizationofsocialfunctionsandtheisolationoftheirproducts.Onecan,incontrast,envisagetheentirecomplexityofamomentwhichisnotresolvedintoawork,amomentwhosemovementindissolublycontainsfactsandvaluesandwhosemeaningdoesnotyetappear.Thesubjectmatterofthedocumentarywouldthenbethisconfusedtotality.
Voice2:Theerahadarrivedatalevelofknowledgeandtechnicalmeansthatmadepossible,andincreasinglynecessary,adirectconstructionofallaspectsofaliberatedaffectiveandpracticalexistence.Theappearanceofthesesuperiormeansofaction,stillunusedbecauseofthedelaysintheprojectofliquidatingthecommodityeconomy,hadalreadycondemnedaestheticactivity,whoseambitionsandpowerswerebothoutdated.Thedecayofartandofallthevaluesofformermoreshadformedoursociologicalbackground.Therulingclass'smonopolyovertheinstrumentsweneededtocontrolinordertorealizethecollectiveartofourtimehadexcludedusfromaculturalproductionofficiallydevotedtoillustratingandrepeatingthepast.Anartfilmonthisgenerationcanonlybeafilmonitsabsenceofrealcreations.
Everyoneunthinkinglyfollowedthepathslearnedonceandforall,totheirworkandtheirhome,totheirpredictablefuture.Forthemdutyhadalreadybecomeahabit,andhabitaduty.Theydidnotseethedeficiencyoftheircity.Theythoughtthedeficiencyoftheirlifewasnatural.Wewantedtobreakoutofthisconditioning,inquestofanotheruseoftheurbanlandscape,inquestofnewpassions.Theatmosphereofafewplacesgaveusintimationsofthefuturepowersofanarchitectureitwouldbenecessarytocreatetobethesupportandframeworkforlessmediocregames.Wecouldexpectnothingofanythingwehadnotourselvesaltered.Theurbanenvironmentproclaimedtheordersandtastesoftherulingsocietyjustasviolentlyasthenewspapers.Itismanwhomakestheunityoftheworld,butmanhasextendedhimselfeverywhere.Peoplecanseenothingaroundthemthatisnottheirownimage;everythingspeakstothemofthemselves.Theirverylandscapeisalive.Therewereobstacleseverywhere.Therewasacohesionintheobstaclesofalltypes.Theymaintainedthecoherentreignofpoverty.Everythingbeingconnected,itwasnecessarytochangeeverythingbyaunitarystruggle,ornothing.Itwasnecessarytolinkupwiththemasses,butweweresurroundedbysleep.
Voice3:Thedictatorshipoftheproletariatisadesperatestruggle,bloodyandbloodless,violentandpeaceful,militaryandeconomic,educationalandadministrative,againsttheforcesandtraditionsoftheoldworld.
Voice1:Inthiscountryitisonceagainthemenoforderwhohaverebelled.Theyhavereinforcedtheirpower.Theyhavebeenabletoaggravatethegrotesquenessoftherulingconditionsaccordingtotheirwill.Theyhaveembellishedtheirsystemwiththefunerealceremoniesofthepast.
Voice2:Years,likeasingleinstantprolongedtothispoint,cometoanend.
Voice1:Whatwasdirectlylivedreappearsfrozeninthedistance,fitintothetastesandillusionsofanera,carriedawaywithit.
Voice2:Theappearanceofeventsthatwehavenotmade,thatothershavemadeagainstus,nowobligesustobeawareofthepassageoftime,itsresults,thetransformationofourowndesiresintoevents.Whatdifferentiatesthepastfromthepresentispreciselyitsout-of-reachobjectivity;thereisnomoreshould-be;beingissoconsumedthatithasceasedtoexist.Thedetailsarealreadylostinthedustoftime.Whowasafraidoflife,afraidofthenight,afraidofbeingtaken,afraidofbeingkept?
Voice3:Whatshouldbeabolishedcontinues,andwecontinuetowearawaywithit.Weareengulfed.Weareseparated.Theyearspassandwehaven'tchangedanything.
Voice2:Onceagainmorninginthesamestreets.Onceagainthefatigueofsomanysimilarlypassednights.Itisawalkthathaslastedalongtime.
Voice1:Reallyhardtodrinkmore.
Voice2:Ofcourseonemightmakeafilmofit.Butevenifsuchafilmsucceedsinbeingasfundamentallydisconnectedandunsatisfyingastherealityitdealswith,itwillneverbemorethanare-creation"”poorandfalselikethisbotchedtravelingshot.
Voice3:Therearenowpeoplewhopridethemselvesonbeingauthorsoffilms,asotherswereauthorsofnovels.Theyareevenmorebackwardthanthenovelistsbecausetheyareunawareofthedecompositionandexhaustionofindividualexpressioninourtime,ignorantoftheendoftheartsofpassivity.Theyarepraisedfortheirsinceritysincetheydramatize,withmorepersonaldepth,theconventionsofwhichtheirlifeconsists.Thereistalkoftheliberationofthecinema.ButwhatdoesitmattertousifonemoreartisliberatedthroughwhichTom,DickorHarrycanjoyouslyexpresstheirslavishsentiments?Theonlyinterestingventureistheliberationofeverydaylife,notonlyintheperspectivesofhistorybutforusandrightaway.Thisentailsthewitheringawayofalienatedformsofcommunication.Thecinema,too,hastobedestroyed.
Voice2:Inthefinalanalysis,starsarecreatedbytheneedwehaveforthem,andnotbytheirtalentorlackoftalentorevenbythefilmindustryoradvertising.Miserableneed,dismal,anonymouslifethatwouldliketoexpanditselftothedimensionsofcinemalife.Theimaginarylifeonthescreenistheproductofthisrealneed.Thestaristheprojectionofthisneed.
Theimagesoftheadvertisementsduringtheintermissionsaremoresuitedthananyothersforevokinganintermissionoflife.
Toreallydescribethiseraitwouldnodoubtbenecessarytoshowmanyotherthings.Butwhatwouldbethepoint?
Bettertograspthetotalityofwhathasbeendoneandwhatremainstobedonethantoaddmoreruinstotheoldworldofthespectacleandofmemories.
1.Thisfilm,whichevokesthelettristexperiencesattheoriginofthesituationistmovement,openswithshotsoftheParisdistrictfrequentedbythelettristsintheearly1950s.
