Fashioning the Body: Versions of the Citizen, the Self, and the Subject

Beau Travail: A Political Investment of a Body

            A writer, whether they choose to write books, screenplays, operas, etc., selects their medium with a specific intent – to convey a certain aesthetic relevant to the philosophical or artistic principals of the story or idea they are trying to tell.  In this same way, Claire Denis chose to create Beau Travail as a ninety-minute film that relies heavily on imagery and sound as an integral part of the concept of the film.  The concept of the film, which illustrates the maintenance and building of soldier bodies in the French Army in post-colonial Africa, is comparable to Michel Foucault’s article  “The Political Investment of the Body” in The Body; A Reader by Mariam Fraser and Monica Greco, in that it studies ways in which bodies act within models of discipline and power.

Film circulates differently through audiences than, say, academic journal articles, novels, musicals, or newspapers, and also appeals to a different type of audience.  It creates an accessible, entertaining aesthetic that is very easily available to the masses through pop-culture, especially with evolving markets that allow for new Internet businesses such as Net-flix or You-Tube.  This is not to say that books are no longer in the running when it comes to media sales, but it seems that oftentimes, the masses would prefer to see a story rather than read it.  Perhaps it is because a film creates the image and sound of a setting for the viewer, rather than requiring the reader to use their imagination to conjure up images, vocal styling or backgrounds.  Perhaps it is simply because movies and films can be a collective and social experience, or one that stimulates multiple senses at once, rather than just cognitive thought.  In any case, film is often seen more in pop-culture, as music is, and maybe that is because of the utilization of certain tools of expression.

With these tools of imagery and sound, Denis creates a very effective setting that is almost more communicative than the plot itself, which is, on the surface, quite simple.  By absorbing the film with only the direct storyline in mind, the viewer would interpret the plot as the reminiscence of a French army officer who was demoted after punishing a defiant legionnaire by leaving him for dead in a barren desert after an explosion of pent up aggression and jealousy.  However, if the viewer pays close attention to the use of imagery, camera angels, soundtrack, and background noise, there is a much more complex underlying expression of masculinity and power, and how the body is subjected to power. 

            For instance, in the beginning of the movie there is a scene showing the soldiers training and staying physically fit by jumping in and out of giant pits, crawling under ropes, running, and jumping over walls.  There is no background music, only the sound of boots stomping the dirt below them, scraping the walls with their skin and clothes, and soft grunting noises from exertion.  The camera follows closely, changing shots very rapidly, and showing close-ups of segments of their bodies, rather than the whole person.  It creates a sense of urgency and hazardous circumstances, which is exactly what the legionnaires were conditioning and disciplining their bodies for. 

In a later scene, it shows the soldiers performing a much more domestic, tedious task – ironing.  They stood still, each behind their own ironing board, the camera frame showing all three bodies at once and only changing to show a close-up of the iron steaming.  Galoup, the commanding officer, steps through to oversee their progress, and comment that ironing is a step to “elegance in and under uniforms,” almost alluding to the Zen-like qualities of the miniscule soldier tasks as a means to perfection and simplicity.   The noise was minimal if not almost non-existent.  A previously “feminine” task, the tedious act of ironing was transformed into an incredibly masculine one: it now conditioned the body to find discipline and self-control, and also respect and awareness in rank without self-importance.

            This scene reminded me immediately of a section in the beginning of Michel Foucault’s “The Political Investment of the Body” :

“The body becomes a useful force only if it is both a productive body and a subjected body.  This subjection . . .can also be direct, physical, pitting force against force, bearing on material elements . . . it may be calculated, organized, technically thought out; it may be subtle, make use neither of weapons nor of terror and yet remain of a physical order (p100).”

The act of ironing is productive to a point, but it is also a subtle symbol of the power that not only Galoup exerts on his subjected legionnaires, but also that which the legionnaires exert on themselves in complying with rules and regulations.  It is an unsaid representation of their rank and docility, as well as self-control.  In this way, the force of Galoup is against the force of the soldiers - which seems to reiterate Galoup’s power- but in a non-violent, practical way.  In the same way, Galoup is only a useful force if he is also a productive body (by controlling and organizing the soldiers with his power) and a subjected body (by acting as a node in the military hierarchy, and also by only having power when his soldiers follow his commands).

In another scene, the soldiers are doing their daily stretches in a large, uniform group.  They move simultaneously, almost as one body, and their eyes are closed which makes them seem unaware of their surroundings or their individuality, just the importance of their movements as a group and their loyalty to each other. Foucault writes that there is a knowledge of the body, which involves the ability to control the forces of the body, and that this understanding makes what can be thought of as the “political technology of the body” (p100).  This phrase to me, relates to the soldiers use of their bodies, or the governing and control of the expertise of their bodies during these harmonized stretches. By moving together as a collective whole, the soldiers are not just physically training their body by learning muscle control and balance, but also the control of gracefulness and moving together for the sake of the whole.  The camera pans around the group in a circle, engulfing them and creating an all inclusive, communal effect with a loud and gripping background song that consists of many males singing in unison a haunting voluminous melody.

In a similar way, Galoup and Sentain, the perfect legionnaire and Galoup’s rival, are shown in a dance-like ritual in a later scene, circling each other, in step with and slowly closing in on each other, with confrontational eye contact. The camera either shows an open shot from far away, showing how they move about each other and the distance between them, or extreme close-ups of their faces, highlighting mainly their intense eyes or mouths. Galoup looks enraged with disdain and jealousy, most likely by Sentain’s defiant smirk and absolutely ideal masculine, disciplined body.  The music is more tribal this time, more war-like, rhythmic, and provoking.  All these factors combine to create that same sense of urgency as in the training scene, except that, in this scene, there are two direct opponents utilizing all they’ve learned from their training, rather than preparations for future confrontations.

In terms of how modern technology gives this film certain qualities that are unattainable in something like literature or early modern theater, I think of how lighting is used in one specific scene to capture an aspect of the story.  After a long day of rigorous training and discipline rituals, the soldiers build a bonfire for entertainment where they proceed to dance around it, play drums in tribal rhythms, and essentially let out aggressions or natural tendencies - this is a portion of their day where they aren’t necessarily required to follow strict codes of conduct.  The low lighting from the fire generates a very mysterious feeling, one of dimness and shadows that could potentially be representative of the soldiers’ want for individuality and aversion to constructs at that moment. Because they are immersed in light throughout the day, they are exposed to each other as other soldiers, followers of rules and members of a whole.  But because of the use of modern technology with film, we can see how the darkness plays with their characters and changes their representations.  In the end, and this is most likely due to the dark atmosphere and release of pent up aggression allowed that night, two of the soldiers begin to fight each other due to a miniscule and sarcastic exchange of words from earlier that day – their individuality was asserted and they were, at least for a moment, breaking conduct rules and codes of honor.  This scene was much more effective and climactic with the help of lighting and sound to show this released aggression, and may not have been so obvious or well explained through another medium.

Film is an effective way to combine sound and image, as are musicals and plays or any live performance art.  However, camera angles, close-ups, or open shots are something that live performance is somewhat lacking.  Film also can portray emotions and situations by using certain actions the body makes, rather than having them explained in a literal sense, as some types literature do.  The use of the visual aid and sound in the movie Beau Travail is so poignant, so integral to the plot and setting, that it almost seems impossible to express through another medium.  For instance, the use of the enormously expansive and barren desert for a background could not be easily modeled in a live performance theater, just as the haunting musical score could not be used in a novel or academic journal article. The methods and elements used for expression are key to developing all aspects of a story, idea, or concept, and Beau Travail does a thorough job of this through its specifically chosen medium.

Works Cited

Foucault, Michel. “The Political Investment of the Body.”  The Body: A Reader.  Ed. Mariam Fraser and Monica Greco.  London and New York: Routledge, 2005. 100-104.