VISA DE CENSURE N°X (France, 1967, Pierre Clémenti)

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A tailspin of psychedelic imagery both thrilling and exhausting… Images of war, religion, oppression, and frank nudity are interspersed with a stylistic freefall of strobe lighting, camera filters, layered shots, and scoping effects… a cumulative, primordial mood piece. —Rob Humanick, Slant Magazine

Like an acid-soaked freefall, VISA DE CENSURE N°X is a rush of nudity and color from one of France’s most seductively watchable actors. —Letterboxd

Shot in 1967 but not released until 1976, Pierre Clémenti's VISA DE CENSURE N°X is an acid-infused experimental whirlwind of color and music featuring a veritable who's who of the French 1960s underground.

VISA DE CENSURE N°X showcases an extraordinary range of scenes from Clémenti's life during the late 1960s. The film features a number of influential artists from both sides of the Atlantic, including Viva, Nico, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Philippe Garrel, Tina Amount, Barbara Girard, Étienne O'Leary, Jimi Hendrix, Frédéric Pardo, Judith Malina, Julian Beck, Jean-Marc Momon, and and Clémenti himself.

Several figures who appear in VISA DE CENSURE N°X (such as Garrel and Pardo) were involved with the countercultural French collective of avant-garde filmmakers, known as The Zanzibar Group, and became the “radical dandies” of the May ‘68 protests in France, wherein student demonstrations against university conditions and political repression evolved into a nationwide general strike that bordered on revolution. The “dandies” were a small but notable faction of individuals involved with the protests who embodied an eccentric and countercultural style that was in stark contrast to the style of many revolutionaries of the time.

Clémenti's visuals throughout highlight the duality of human existence: strangers versus family, conservatism versus radicalism, urbanity versus rural life. The broad range of images presented here serve to express Clémenti's perspectives on film, music, family, friends, and drug subcultures, among other subjects.

VISA DE CENSURE N°X is notable for featuring an original score by the little-known prog-rock group Delired Cameleon Family. The EMI label released their score as an album, also titled DELIRED CAMELEON FAMILY, in 1975, with the subtitle “Musique du film VISA DE CENSURE N°X” printed on the front cover. The album has since become a cult record, described by the label Guerssen (who reissued the album in the 21st century) as a “lost gem of French underground music.”

DELIRED CAMELEON FAMILY was the only official release by the group. The production of the album was led by Cyrille Verdeaux, who founded the more famous symphonic progressive band Clear Light.

VISA DE CENSURE N°X is part of the DSL collection THE PIERRE CLÉMENTI COLLECTION.

VISA DE CENSURE N°X
(France, 1967)

Director: Pierre Clémenti

  • 43 minutes
  • 16mm
  • Color
  • Sound
Distribution Format/s: DSL/Downloadable 1080p .mp4 file on server

Published By: Balthazar Clémenti

Institutional Price: $250

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