Le petit bal perdu : Short film from Philipp Decouflé

Le petit bal perdu (The little lost ball) comes from a Bourvil's song called : C'était bien (It was good). This short film had won a prize at the Rencontres Internationales du film de Genève in 1995. Choregrapher : Philippe Decouflé
Interpretes : Pascale Houbin & Philippe Decouflé
Accordionist : Annie Lacour
Music : C’était bien from Gaby Verlor and Robert Nyel
Singer : André Bourvil
Creation : Philippe Decouflé
Production : Telema, Oïbo, Arcanal

The action takes place in France, just after the war. At that time, life conditions were very precarious and finding milk, vegetables, fruits was not easy. The song describes a couple of lovers in a small ball (dancing musette ball with an accordionist) which had suffered from the war. On a trail of misery people were dancing among debris and rubbles.

The language :

Philippe Decouflé uses a very brilliant modern dance strategy to describe the song. He uses elements of sign language for the deaf associated with mime gestures in paraphrases of redus and riddles of the childhood games and explains the action of the song using two actors sitting at a table while expressing every sentences of the song in a humorist, original, strange and refreshing way. Découflé plays with the words and uses heterogeneous objects in order to describe the action of the song.

With the verb s'appeler : (to name something), he uses the second sense of the word (to call someone). In the word s'appelait, he uses the pronunciation of pel wich sounds like pelle (shovel) and the end of the word which is lait (milk). That's why you see a phone, some shovels and milk bottles. You have to be a french born user to completely taste the flavor of the humor used in this short film which exploits the roots of each words and expressions.

I must admit that this film is a masterpiece of language and expression analysis while we see the objects of the basic necessities of the after war period in France. It takes a lot of complicity, coordination and artistry between the two actors.

It also tenderly critics the odd behaviors and patterns of lovers when they are cut from the outside world around them while in mutual contemplation.

This short film is a masterpiece of complicity. This is also a caricature of the young lovers universe. It also shows human love into a time where life was not easy but people could find love in simplicity. The aesthetic is very simple, no artifacts are used without a profound symbolic sense.

The song is :

C'était tout juste après la guerre, Dans un petit bal qu'avait souffert. Sur une piste de misère, Y'en avait deux, à découvert. Parmi les gravats ils dansaient Dans ce petit bal qui s'appelait… Qui s'appelait… qui s'appelait… qui s'appelait…

{Refrain:}
Non je ne me souviens plus du nom du bal perdu. Ce dont je me souviens ce sont ces amoureux Qui ne regardaient rien autour d'eux. Y'avait tant d'insouciance Dans leurs gestes émus, Alors quelle importance Le nom du bal perdu ? Non je ne me souviens plus du nom du bal perdu. Ce dont je me souviens c'est qu'ils étaient heureux Les yeux au fond des yeux. Et c'était bien… Et c'était bien…

Ils buvaient dans le même verre, Toujours sans se quitter des yeux. Ils faisaient la même prière, D'être toujours, toujours heureux.

Parmi les gravats ils souriaient Dans ce petit bal qui s'appelait… Qui s'appelait… qui s'appelait…
qui s'appelait…

{Refrain}

Et puis quand l'accordéoniste S'est arrêté, ils sont partis. Le soir tombait dessus la piste, Sur les gravats et sur ma vie. Il était redevenu tout triste Ce petit bal qui s'appelait, Qui s'appelait… qui s'appelait… qui s'appelait…

Non je ne me souviens plus du nom du bal perdu. Ce dont je me souviens ce sont ces amoureux Qui ne regardaient rien autour d'eux. Y'avait tant de lumière, Avec eux dans la rue, Alors la belle affaire Le nom du bal perdu. Non je ne me souviens plus du nom du bal perdu. C'est qu'on était heureux Les yeux au fond des yeux. Et c'était bien…

Translation of the song :

It was just after the war, in a small ball wich had suffered. On a trail of misery, They were two, uncovered. Among the rubbles they were dancing in this little ball wich was called ... called ... called ...

(Refrain:)
No, I can’t remember the name of the lost ball. What I remember are those two lovers who were watching anything around them. There was so much unconsciousness in their emotional gesture, then how important is the name of the the lost ball No, I can’t remember the name of the lost ball. What I remember is that they were happy looking eye to eye. And it was good ... And it was good.

They used to drink from the same glass, Always without leaving eyesight. They did the same prayer, to always be happy.

Among the rubble they were smiling in this little ball wich was called ... called ... called ..

(Refrain)

And then when accordionist stopped, they left. The night was falling over the track, on the rubble and on my life. It became very sad this little ball which was called ... called ... called ..

No, I can’t remember the name of the lost ball. What I remember are those two lovers who were watching anything around them. There was so much light with them on the street So who cares in front of so much beauty for the name of the lost ball. No, I can’t remember the name of the lost ball. What I remember is that they were happy looking eye to eye. And it was good ... And it was good.



Philippe Decouflé :

Philippe Decouflé (born Neuilly-sur-Seine, October 22, 1961) is a French choreographer, dancer, mime artist, and theatre director. As a child he travelled extensively around Lebanon and Morocco, before learned his skills as a teenager at the Annie Fratellini Ecole du Cirque and the Marceau Mime School. While frequenting Parisienne nightclubs he discovered and was attracted to contemporary dance, and he eventually moved to the Centre National de la Danse Contemporaine in Angers to study under choreographer Alwin Nicolais. After briefly working as a solo dancer, he formed the Découflé Company of Arts in Bagnolet in 1983, moving it to a former electrical works in the Parisienne suburb of Saint-Denis in 1995.

He has worked for the Lyon Opera Ballet, and choreographed the music video for New Order's True Faith. It won the "Best Music Video" prize at the 1988 BRIT Awards, while his advertisement for Polaroid won a "Silver Lion" prize at the 1989 Venice Film Festival. On the back of these successes, he was selected to choreograph the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1992 Winter Olympics in front of a global television audience of over two billion people, the 50th anniversary Cannes Film Festival in 1997, and a parade for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in Saint-Denis in Paris.

Reference : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Decoufl%C3%A9

Compagnie DCA PHILIPPE DECOUFLÉ : http://www.cie-dca.com/dca.html

To know more about the singer André Bourvil : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourvil

To know more about Pascale Houbin : http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascale_Houbin

and : Cie Non de Nom : http://www.houbin-nondenom.com/

Here is the marvelous old song recreated with Elsa with the magic of modern remastering : http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1trn2_elsa-bourvil-le-petit-bal-perdu_creation