Le Bal

With the dance floor as the only setting and a total absence of dialogue, fifty years of French history are told entirely through dance, music and 24 actor-dancers playing one hundred and forty different characters.

The viewer travels through five distinct historical periods: the Popular Front in 1936, the Second World War in 1940, the Liberation in 1944 and May 1968, before returning to the present day in 1983. While the dance floor is always the same, the sets vary through infinite details, resembling theatrical tableaux.

Ettore Scola uses his camera to isolate the dancers through long, static shots. First they observe each other, then they sashay and parade, stringing together a succession of emotions that pay homage to the slapstick style of early cinema.

The filmmaker displays his art of caricature: the characters assert themselves, the mannerisms become more refined and the dance becomes carnal, bestial, even violent.

This adaptation of a collective play by the Théâtre du Campagnol company confirms Scola's unmistakable style. He starts from the micro-observation of his characters, their physiognomy and their gestures, to tell the story of great events, the transformation of society and the passing of time with a satirical edge.

The ball is one of those rare places where bodies meet even if they don't know each other, and social classes mix and intertwine.

Élodie Hachet (chargée de cours à l’UNIL, CEC)