Objects of the 20th Century
We live in a system of objects, works, and cultural references that, through their multiplication, have created an "Empire of Signs."
These objects, works, and references have often lost their original meanings or most obvious significations, transforming into signs, laden with symbolism often far removed from their original roles or contexts.
Does an object lose its soul when it enters its media expression—what Debord would call its "advertised" state—becoming nothing more than that, and when its "reality" becomes hardly accessible?
Type (Documentaire / Documentaire fiction / Série documentaire)DocumentaryGenre en anglaisSociety and EconomyWritten byLeslie F. GrunbergDirected by Bruno DucourantDistributed by France Télévisions DistributionYear2000Duration3x50min
Mass-produced and consumed in large quantities, objects have become, whether we like it or not, one of the emblems of the 20th century. They have changed our way of life, our worldview, and our personal space. Tractor, ballpoint pen, zipper, telephone, atomic bomb, paperback book, or airplane: they have all become so familiar that we now need to rediscover them.
It is with this in mind that La Cinquième and Artline Films are producing this series of 2-minute 30-second “clips,” where a personality, themselves emblematic of their time, shares their subjective, poetic, pragmatic, or playful vision of a signature object of this century. These personalities must not be systematically “linked” to the object. We avoid having a specialist speak about their specialty, and we steer clear of meta-language. Instead, we aim to capture the simplicity with which anyone might approach the realities of the objects we showcase on screen.
Undoubtedly, the “guests” will be media figures – they too have become signs! – but all will be selected with one goal in mind: to use simple, informative, and clear language, with few words.
This series is not an encyclopedia, but rather an anthology, an alphabetic compendium designed to leave its mark by gathering these personalities, who will engage in a vast movement of the signs of the century.
Press coverage
A lively and unexpected stroll, both light-hearted and sometimes serious. (…) Taken individually, each object reveals a bit of the personality and sensitivity of the person discussing it. Together, they sketch the history of the century that brought them into being.
Le Monde
At once historical, nostalgic, anecdotal, philosophical, metaphysical, and very often poetic, this journey—though small in steps but fascinating—also addresses the proper use of things.
La Croix
At the dawn of the 21st century, a somewhat nostalgic, amusing, and occasionally mocking assessment of all those objects that have changed our view of the world, our intimacy, and our relationships with others.
France Soir
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