Name: Sartre par lui-même
Genre: Documentary
Released: 1976-10-27
Duration: 3 h 11 min
Rating: 8.2
Cast: Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, François Périer

Can you believe it?: a two-cassette, 3-hour celebrity interview? And we jerk ourselves silly if His Wealthiness Bill Gates deigns to talk to TV reporters!!

In 1972, Sartre sat in his apartment in the Montparnasse section of Paris for a film documentary: archive footage (including clips from the 1967 Vietnam War Crimes Tribunal, convened in London by Bertrand Russell; that's U.S. antiwar activist Dave Dellinger to Sartre's right) and Sartre being interviewed by old friends, including Simone de Beauvoir. A real historical find, particularly with the endless talking-head revisionism conducted nightly on CNN & its broadcast progeny.

Originally made for French TV, Sartre By Himself was released theatrically in 1976. There is a post-Sartre coda on the video. In French with English dubbing & French subtitles for the archive footage. The only real drawback is that everyone but Sartre seems uncomfortable on camera: the energy produced by the fidgeting here could replace nuclear power.

French-language cinema, whether in France, Québec, or other Francophone regions, explores cultural identity, social change, and the tension between the individual and society. French cinema is not only celebrated for its intellectual experimentation and auteur traditions, but also its success in mainstream comedy, romance, and commercial entertainment. In Québec, films often focus on questions of language, belonging, and community within a distinct cultural landscape.

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The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

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The master of existentialism Jean-Paul Sartre talks about philosophy, his personal story, his own experiences and also discusses social and political changes that occurred in his lifetime, reflecting the political universe that surrounds him.

Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre in Sartre par lui-même (1976)

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Jean-Paul Sartre in Sartre par lui-même (1976)

Sartre par lui-même

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