A cart pulled by a horse, a woman milking a cow, a man standing in a field with a scythe in his hand… Between 1972 and 1982, Madeleine de Sinéty photographed the daily lives of the inhabitants of Poilley, a Breton village located north of Rennes. It was almost by chance that she moved there. In July 1972, after a trip to Brittany, she was on her way to Paris, where she worked as an illustrator. But the traffic jams discourage her: she leaves the main road and stops at Poilley.
Very quickly, the inhabitants adopted it and allowed themselves to be photographed. In ten years, she took 56,356 photos. Half a century later, filmmaker Julie Bertuccelli went to Poilley, following in the photographer’s footsteps, and offers this documentary broadcast on the occasion of the opening, at the Jeu de Paume Museum, of a retrospective devoted to the work of Madeleine de Sinéty.
A past still present
Julie Bertuccelli filmed residents of Poilley who knew Madeleine. By commenting on her photos, they share the fond memories they have of her. They thus paint the portrait of a generous photographer who loved human connections, who knew how to be adopted by the village. Speaking of her, they tell what Poilley was like in the 1970s, with a touch of nostalgia, but without idealizing the past. The village also appears in extracts from Madeleine’s diary, read by a voice-over in the documentary. Through a profusion of sensory details, the artist narrates his existence in the Breton town.
Several contemplative sequences compare his photos to videos of the current village. Parallels emerge, suggesting that the Poilley that the photographer knew has not completely disappeared. Working the land has become mechanized, but farmers still pick apples. The clothes have changed, but the inhabitants still celebrate in the open air, and the children continue to play in the fields.
The selection of La Croix
Madeleine’s Village
At 11:05 p.m. on France 5
