The Situationist International was an organization of social revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and political theorists, prominent in Europe from its formation in 1957 to its dissolution in 1972. The intellectual foundations of the Situationist International were derived primarily from anti-authoritarian Marxism and the avant-garde art movements of the early 20th century, particularly Dada and Surrealism. Overall, situationist theory represented an attempt to synthesize this diverse field of theoretical disciplines into a modern and comprehensive critique of mid-20th century advanced capitalism.
La Société du Spectacle (Society of the Spectacle) is a black and white film by Guy Debord a central figure of the Situationist movement. The film is based on his 1967 book of the same name. It’s a radical critique of mass marketing and its role in the alienation of modern society.
Click on the eye below to watch the original film on youtube.
The embedded video is a reworking from 2013 with updated visuals but the narration is practically identical to the 1973 version.
La Société du spectacle (1973)
french with various subtitles on youtube
A reworking of Debord’s film created by Heath Schultz (2013)
