On the Ina.fr website (National Audiovisual Archives), there’s a lot of pearls to be found, such as this interview between a student presenting a scenario and Pierre Schaeffer, the famous musique concrète composer, here in the function of the film producer for O.R.T.F (the organisation producing TV programmes back when there were all under the State’s regard).

I thought a translated extract from this dialogue was worth posting, as it takes us back to a time were the conflict of generations and cinema as a revolutionary form were among the hottest topics.

PS : Why are you coming to see me?

S : I don’t know, to see you, to get to know you, to see what the ORTF is about…

PS : But you sent me a scenario…

S : Yes, we can get to know each other through a scenario…

PS : Through a scenario or for a scenario?

S : Through or for, it’s the same…

PS : Not sure. Anyway.

(…)

PS : Why are you coming to the ORTF?

S : I’ve been told that the ORTF was helping young people.

PS : We are philanthropists? (..) Who told you that, (Philippe) Garrel?

S : It’s the word on the street…

PS : If so, it’s a shame and I’m not a philanthropist anymore, well less often, hopefully. What do you want, me to be polite? or the truths, in plural? (…) You are polite, I’m afraid I will not be. Is it alright? (…) You are full of what I call the ideology of your generation.

S : I don’t know what it is. You can sum it up but I wrote this without having read a single book in my life… It doesn’t matter.

PS : You did read a book: it’s talking about Œdipus, Freud…

S : It’s in the cultural background…

PS : This is what I call ideology!

(…)

S : What shall we do for the audience? What they are asking for or what they are not expecting?

PS : Everyone is a revolutionary in its own way but I must relate to what is popular. (…)

S : I don’t want to attract the audience. I don’t want to reassure people, I don’t want to please them, I don’t want them to go out and say «Well this is a young man who is part of the system he despises».

PS : You don’t come from the moon. You come from a background, from a generation, and your whole film is an accusation directed towards this. So for us, who have seen a lot, we don’t want to brand stuff stupidly but you are part of this ideology, this background, this fashion of making movies…

S : It’s reassuring to you! If I had a mask and you didn’t who’s behind this you’d be much annoyed.

PS : If you were writing differently you’d be someone else. The style makes the man. The way of doing movies, it’s cinema in itself. Please, allow me to think what I want, that’s what I’m here for!