Voice1(male"professionalannouncer"type):Thisneighborhood(1)wasmadeforthewretcheddignityofthepettybourgeoisie,forrespectableoccupationsandintellectualtourism.Thesedentarypopulationoftheupperfloorswasshelteredfromtheinfluencesofthestreet.Thisneighborhoodhasremainedthesame.Itwasthestrangesettingofourstory,whereasystematicquestioningofallthediversionsandworksofasociety,atotalcritiqueofitsideaofhappiness,wasexpressedinacts.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.
