Le “journal” d’Edmond (Pour que la guerre s’achève, les murs devaient s’écrouler)

Le "journal" d’Edmond (Pour que la guerre s’achève, les murs devaient d’écrouler) reviews the history of an underground newspaper published by workers at a Cockerill factory during the 1960s; the documentary features Edmond, a former dissident who circumnavigates the ruins of the factory seven times (a reference to the biblical story of Gideon) while the Dardennes juxtapose interviews, archival footage, and ruminations on how history is preserved in objects (tables, documents, architecture, even their own film). The video is shot in colour and contains a fair bit of playful technique that might surprise those familiar with the filmmakers’ later works. Despite its Godardian touches (three alternate beginnings, a tour de force mix of war and video game sounds set against images of production and copies of the newspaper) the long takes of walking and movement prefigure Rosetta’s own determined resistance.