Place de la République 1974–2004: The Sociological Time-Machine of Cinéma Direct

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper proposes a comparative discussion of two documentary films shot in the same format, on the Place de la République, in Paris, thirty years apart. Taking stock of what seems to have changed radically and what shows a slower evolution, it focuses on personal narratives and social trends, traveling in time through the filter of “cinéma direct.” The analysis of the two works balances a detailed discussion of selected topics that surface during the interview process, with a background of key elements of contemporary French social history (women's rights, immigration, undocumented workers, laïcité) highlighting the transformation of the political climate from the post-May 1968 era into the Sarkozy presidential campaign. Working with a ten-year perspective on the 2004 film by Gayan and a forty-year distance from Malle's original work, this study takes advantage of the combined visual/textual research approach that the documentary film genre offers anyone interested in identifying and discussing crucial aspects of permanence and transformation in contemporary French society.