Du surrealisme a la production audiovisuelle : jacques viot, un parcours exemplaire
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Abstract EN:
Following jacques viot's social and intellectual path, the purpose of this study is to shed light on the significant influence the parisian artistic avant-gardes had on the structuring process of french screenplay writing in the 1930 to 1950 period. Surrealism, primarily, has played a fundamental role in the development of a circle linked to the cinematographic activity, circle that we call "ecole du mauvais esprit", taken from the words of screenplay writer charles spaak. Jacques viot was not merely a supporting figure in the surrealist movement but played a crucial role (essays on poetry, discovery of joan miro, exploration of oceanian artwork). New avenues were opened to him in the early thirties (ethnography, art brokering, journalism, novel writing) as well as to several former companions of andre breton. Cinema, which started a passionate flame in the heart of a whole generation, their generation, offered them the most obvious opportunity. The time of the screenplay writers had arrived. The influence of the "ecole du mauvais esprit" was to become apparent in all the french production. Cinema created by these screenplay writers (viot, prevert, valentin, tual, aurenche, jeanson) was made by "men of letters" therefore their work is branded with many diverse literary impressions. Surrealism, of course, but also several writers (balzac, zola, mac orlan, carco) have contribued in a determining way to jacques viot's work. But beyond that, this "author" has brought to cinema a personal and consistant signature.
Abstract FR:
A travers l'etude de la trajectoire sociale et intellectuelle de jacques viot, il s'agit de montrer comment le champ des avant-gardes artistiques parisiennes a permis a l'espace du scenario francais des annees 1930-1950 de se structurer. Le surrealisme, notamment, a joue un role fondateur dans la constitution d'une mouvance liee a l'activite cinematographique, que nous baptisons "ecole du mauvais esprit", pour reprendre l'expression du scenariste charles spaak. Jacques viot ne fut pas qu'un simple passant du surrealisme mais joua dans ce mouvement un role decisif (essais d'ecriture poetique, decouverte de la peinture de joan miro, exploration de l'art oceanien). Au debut des annees trente, diverses voies de reconversion (ethnographie, courtage d'art, journalisme, ecriture romanesque) s'offrirent a lui ainsi qu'a plusieurs anciens compagnons d'andre breton. Le cinema qui passionna toute une generation, la leur, devait offrir l'opportunite la plus evidente : le temps des scenaristes etait venu. L'"ecole du mauvais esprit" allait imposer son empreinte dans la production francaise. Le cinema concu par ces scenaristes du septieme art (viot, prevert, valentin, tual, aurenche, jeanson) a ete fabrique par des "hommes de lettres" ainsi, leurs oeuvres se presentent-elles comme marquees par diverses impregnations litteraires. Le surrealisme, bien sur, mais aussi divers ecrivains (balzac, zola, mac orlan, carco) ont determine l'oeuvre de viot. Mais au-dela, cet "auteur" a apporte au cinema une oeuvre coherente et personnelle.