Le châtelot (1953)

Handling

Between 1950 and 1953, a dam was built in the unspoiled landscape of the Doubs. It was a prestigious Swiss-French project. The film begins with idyllic images of the “Saut du Doubs” and goes on to document the construction stages from the felling of the first tree to the finished weir. Guest workers lose their lives in the process – and the production of the film was probably not entirely risk-free. What is the price of our electrified world, how much destruction of nature is acceptable? These are questions raised by the witty voiceover in the film. Questions that are still thought-provoking 70 years after the filming of “Le châtelot”.