546
PARTISAN REVIEW
2.
In the half-forgotten files of pre-World War I fiction, there exists a
remarkable and amusing story by the poet Apollinaire. While he and
Picasso and their friends were trooping to see
Fantomas
and Nick
Carter movies, Apollinaire produced a little object lesson in the
philosophy, economics, and technique of documentary film. For four
lighthearted pages the "Baron" of Ormesan, international confidence
man and "false messiah," talks about his International Cinemato–
graphic Company, set up in Paris for the commercial [jlming of
"rea lity only." By making a few discreet bribes the Baron has sneaked
his cameras into the bedroom of the President of the Republic and the
inner circle of the Grand Vizir. The only thing he and his associates
have not captured on film is a crime. Since their esthetic principles
prohibit any mere simulation, it is necessary to stage a
real
crime, one
actua ll y carried out. In a secluded villa rented under a false name, they
capture a passer-by and force him at gun point
to
stab to death a young
couple, a lso seized in the street. Donning a mask, the coerced murderer
in evening dress performs with sty le for the camera. The victims die
pathetically after a struggle, also in front of the camera. The Baron and
his crew cover their tracks and leave, along with the murderer. The
next day, as planned, the police discover and identify the victims (a
foreign diplomat and his mistress), yet cannot solve the cr ime.
It
makes
headlines for a whole season. The last touch is the best. The police
never suspect that the film of the murder, which earns the Baron a
small fortune in Paris movie houses, shows the real thing rather than a
restaging.
The tale is worthy of Poe. From it one can draw a set of principles
to
which anyone concerned with the documentary cou ld well pay
attention.
I.
Film making is first and foremost a commercial enterprise.
(No flimfl am here about film making as the modern
equivalent of medieval cathedral building.)
2. Since theatrical reenactments are immediately detectable as
inauthentic, only filmed reality wi ll have wide appea l to an
audience.
3. One may, under certain circumstances, force or "hold up"
the course of events in order to produce the reality one
seeks, but on the condition of going all the way and facing
the real consequences, lega l, moral, and otherwise.
