Philippe Soupault

A man approaching his thirties works as a weaver for an old man with whom he has lived since the age of fourteen. His host mistreats him and the young man having complained about this outside, the old man slaps him and overwhelms him with reproaches. Unable to bear it any longer, the weaver thinks of killing him in his sleep.

Born in Chaville in 1897 and having died in Paris in 1990, Philippe Soupault was a poet, a politically engaged journalist, a radio broadcaster, and the author of numerous novels. In 1919, Soupault and his friend Breton engaged in early experiments with automatic writing. The resulting texts were published under the title "Les Champs magnétiques" (Magnetic Fields), a work that would become a landmark in the history of the Surrealist movement. Soupault contributed to the early days of "La Révolution surréaliste" but ceased his involvement with the movement to embark on a series of journeys across Europe, America, and Russia.

This documentary is a portrait of Proust composed of recollections by those who knew him. Intercut with reading from his works.

The young poets, a nucleus of the dada art movement and pioneers of surrealist poetry, sit in a corner reading their works and ringing a bell.

A failed actress sinks into neurosis and mythomania. To give relief to her dismal existence, she engages in all kinds of activities ranging from false testimony to occasional prostitution.

A man approaching his thirties works as a weaver for an old man with whom he has lived since the age of fourteen. His host mistreats him and the young man having complained about this outside, the old man slaps him and overwhelms him with reproaches. Unable to bear it any longer, the weaver thinks of killing him in his sleep.