Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch produced and directed this cinema verite film about an assortment of people in Paris. They are, we are told, none of them actors, and nothing has been scripted. So the film makers ask questions like "Are you happy"and "Do you feel angry when Blacks in another country treat their citizens badly" and get answers and, eventually, conversations between their participants.
I found it interesting that the subjects resisted answering the questions, either responding that they were almost happy, or talking about other people and how they were misusing their lives, their opportunities to be happy.
So, was this successful? Did they get real looks at real people? Probably some' watch someone long enough and cannily enough, and you'll gain some idea of who he or she is, even if they think they're not telling you. I will disagree with Morin's statement that the wide variety of reactions by audience members indicates they had arrived at some sort of truth: "You can't direct an audience," he claims. What then, is the purpose of editing? What is the use of choosing where to place the camera?
Still, it's an interesting experimental film, even if I disagree with the conclusions.
I found it interesting that the subjects resisted answering the questions, either responding that they were almost happy, or talking about other people and how they were misusing their lives, their opportunities to be happy.
So, was this successful? Did they get real looks at real people? Probably some' watch someone long enough and cannily enough, and you'll gain some idea of who he or she is, even if they think they're not telling you. I will disagree with Morin's statement that the wide variety of reactions by audience members indicates they had arrived at some sort of truth: "You can't direct an audience," he claims. What then, is the purpose of editing? What is the use of choosing where to place the camera?
Still, it's an interesting experimental film, even if I disagree with the conclusions.