La Ville-bidon (1973)
Directed by Jacques Baratier

Film Review

Jacques Baratier's caustic commentary on the dubious re-housing schemes that were endemic in France in the 1970s ruffled more than a few feathers on its initial release in 1976 and the rightwing press was quick to condemn it for its obvious political bias.  Critical reaction to the film was predictably mixed although it was generally praised for drawing attention to an important social issue.  Baratier's attempts to make a similar film for French television a few years previously had been thwarted by an outright ban, and this perhaps gives some indication of how widespread graft and corruption was in France's building industry in the early 70s.

Somewhere between documentary and fictional drama, La Ville bidon is a cheeky but pretty astute critique on the failed housing policies of the French government, which saw those at the lower end of the social spectrum dumped in low quality high rise apartments (HLMs) that were barely suitable for animals.  The criminal, self-serving alliance between politicians and property developers that was rife in France in the 1970s is humorously represented by the dodgy dealings of a deputy mayor and an estate agent, whose greed and hypocrisy seem to be without bound.   Baratier gives his film an added sense of realism by using non-professional actors (including families living on the site under development) as well as recognisable professional actors (Bernadette Lafont and Daniel Duval).  Whilst the film painfully lacks structure and sometimes comes across as clumsily didactic, it argues its case effectively and is enjoyably frank and off-beat.  It also leaves you wondering whether anything has changed since the film was made.

Film Synopsis

With the help of an architect and a real estate agent, a deputy mayor plans to build a new town on a site that is presently occupied by a slum and a rubbish tip.  Buying the tip presents no problem - a few back-handers and the deal is done.  All that remains is to expel the tenants from their slum properties.  Surprised by the opposition that comes his way, the deputy mayor hires a sociologist to carry out a study into the benefits the new town will bring, such as improved living conditions for the poor.  As he begins interviewing the present inhabitants of the site, the sociologist discovers more than he bargained for...