Seven pairs of amateur actors play 10 scenes based on the scripts of commercial films. They have not been given any indications. This choice to use amateurs highlights Baldessari’s interest in the Nouvelle Vague, and in Godard’s cinema in particular. Firstly, the script of the scenes appears on the screen. Then we see each couple play all of the sequences. Next, each scene is shown again, but played by the seven couples, allowing us to compare the interpretations. In conclusion, we see the top 10 of the best sequences (according to Baldessari). The repetition of each scene highlights the range of potential interpretations from a simple phrase. Each detail has its own particular colour, from the set, framing, and camera movement, to the actor’s intonation and gestures. From the text to the presentation in film form, each individual acts in relation to his/her environment and codes. Baldessari’s subjectivity is added to that of the actors, through his ranking of the best sequences. Typically tinged with humour, his choice highlights the diversity of propositions and their clumsiness. Whether it be an awkward smile in the midst of a tirade, or a dog that comes to sniff a dying actor, or an inaudible voice in a passionate exchange, the many small failings enter into this final selection, ending on a scene with audacious framing: filmed between the legs of a woman in high heels, a man crawls to her feet and dies while gripping her stocking, which he rips. By ending with the cliché of a seductive and dominating actress played by amateurs, Baldessari signals the predominance of Hollywood in our relationship with images.

Patricia Maincent

Translated by Anna Knight