Operation Concrete (1958)

Original title

Opération "Béton"

Directed by

Jean-Luc Godard

Genre

documentary film

Country

France, Switzerland

Runtime

20 min

Rating

5.4 of 10 from 14 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This short documentary shows the construction of the Grande Dixence Dam in Switzerland. It follows the building process with footage shot on site.

observationalindustriousneutralhistoricalfactualquietunhurried

What happens

Operation Concrete (French: Opération béton) is a 1958 Swiss documentary short by French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, notable for being his first film of any length. The film documents the construction of the massive concrete Grande Dixence Dam in Valais, Switzerland. Godard was attracted to the subject while working on the dam as a laborer and telephone switchboard operator. He produced the film with his friend Pierre Laubscher, as well as camera operator Adrien Porchet and fellow friend Roland Tolmatchoff. The group shot the film in 35mm and recorded sound on location, unusually for the time. The film was sold to the Grand Dixence Corporation, which had built the dam. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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