Society of the Spectacle 1973
Distributed by Icarus Films, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Produced by Marcel Berbert
Directed by Guy Debord
Streaming, 91 mins
College - General Adult
Art; Mass Media; Politics
Date Entered: 08/18/2021
Reviewed by Jodi Hoover, Digital Resources Manager, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, MD“In societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles.” -Society of the Spectacle, 1974
Originally released in 1974, Society of the Spectacle is French writer and director Guy Debord’s critique of an image driven, celebrity obsessed, late-capitalist society. The film serves as a companion piece to Debord’s book by the same name published in 1967. Society combines still photos, clips from feature films, news footage and more to create a dizzying montage of endlessly shifting imagery. Throughout the film Debord reads excerpts from his book along with quotes from Marx, Machiavelli, Emile Pouget and other political theorists.
Debord was a prolific writer, artist and political activist in France from the late 1950’s through the 70’s. During this time, he was connected with several artistic and political groups though he is most closely associated with the Situationist International (SI) a group Debord helped create in 1957. SI began with an artistic focus but grew to include political theory and activism. At its core, SI believed that capitalist societies had an increased reliance on relationships through objects and images. This creates the spectacle which prevents people from living authentic lives or developing authentic relationships.
The film itself is difficult to describe. Debord was heavily influenced by the Dada and Surrealists movements and Society certainly reflects that. Contemporary viewers will make connections between the spectacle and social media, Instagram influencers, and the debate over what constitutes “fake news”. In this way Debord seems almost prophetic. Other nuances might be more difficult to grasp as the news and film clips that once would have been immediately familiar, such as footage of the Lee Harvey Oswald assassination, are now significantly less so. This is not an easy film, the pacing changes rapidly and the intense imagery layered with the equally intense narration requires a high level of focus. This will be especially true for non-French speaking audiences. In many cases the subtitles are difficult to read because they are obscured by the imagery. They also shift from the bottom to the top of the screen in cases where the subtitles conflict with subtitles Debord used in the original film.
Still the film is compelling and feels relevant. The 2k restoration is beautiful and highlights the imagery Debord so carefully put together. While Society of the Spectacle is not suitable for most general media collections it is a must have for any collection with a focus on film history, art history or media studies.
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