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La pyramide humaine (The Human Pyramid) (1961)

La pyramide humaine (1961)
February 23, 2013 - 7:30 pm

Directed by Jean Rouch

Observing racial segregation at the Lycée Français of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Rouch worked with students there who willingly enacted a story about the arrival of a new white girl, and her effect on the interactions of black and white students. Fomenting a dramatic situation instead of repeating one, Rouch extended the experiments he had undertaken in Chronique d’un Été, including having on-camera student participants view rushes of the film midway through the story.

Cast: Nadine Ballot, Denise Alain. 

16mm, color, 88 min.

Preceded by

Les veuves de 15 ans (The 15-Year-Old Widows) (1966)

Directed by Jean Rouch

Two young women deal with the existential strain of a vacuous existence among their peers in a well-to-do Parisian set.  Always one to experiment, Rouch switched the actresses’ roles before production began. The film features a rare cameo appearance by director Maurice Pialat.

Cast: Véronique Duval, Marie-France de Chabaneix, Nadine Ballot.

35mm, b/w, 24 min.