“Every film seeks to answer a mystery.” That stirring proclamation by Pierre Hébert perfectly encapsulates the spirit of Loïc Darses’ creative, moving documentary portrait of the celebrated animator. Though the scratch-on-film technique remains Hébert’s preferred cinematic language, his life’s work has explored a multiplicity of methods and genres. Beginning in the 1960s, he experimented with the full gamut, from abstract animation to more narrative approaches, as well as collage, drawing and live performance. As he embraced these eclectic techniques throughout his career, the former anthropology student never stopped reflecting on the challenges of the world we live in. While some of his output arguably constitutes activist cinema, a more apt description is to be found in his own words: he constantly sought to “capture the fleeting, unknowable ignition of thoughts.”
Employing an arresting black-and-white palette that brings out the full beauty of the filmmaker’s animated flourishes, Scratches of Life: The Art of Pierre Hébert unwinds the thread of the scratch-on-film process, guiding the audience through the inspiring labyrinth that is Hébert’s life and work. From the very first shots, the film proceeds along an evocative dual course. As the camera slowly moves through shadowy realms suffused by abstract flickerings of light, a calm face appears. Suggesting that the man and the artist are indivisible, Darses deploys a mise-en-scène that aims to render Hébert’s body, and body of work, visible and concrete. Mirroring Hébert’s passion for archaeology, the film scratches away at the myriad strata of a protean oeuvre, ultimately revealing it to be profoundly cohesive.
Scratches of Life: The Art of Pierre Hébert makes use of a chronological structure that gives the animator space to reflect on the key phases of his artistic career, from his striking early works at the NFB—a series of abstract shorts that began with Op Hop – Hop Op (1966)—to his recent documentary animation cycle, Places and Monuments. As Hébert’s words gently carry viewers along, the film gradually discards the notion of maintaining distance, which is usually intrinsic to the biographical genre. The intimate, poetic directing style pays homage to the diverse layers of imagemaking and the vast array of forms central to Hébert’s process, fusing his human and creative journeys into one.
Inspired by the insatiable yearning for discovery that continues to inhabit Hébert even as he battles illness, Darses’ film imperceptibly draws closer to its subject, reverently recording his humble, lucid and determined insights. Recalling the unavoidable personal sacrifices, happier times and moments of doubt and transcendence that have shaped him, Hébert opens up with candour and emotion. The product of an authentically human encounter between two filmmakers of different generations, Scratches of Life: The Art of Pierre Hébert commemorates the work and immortalizes the legacy of an extraordinary artist who continues to create to this day, striving to share his vision of new forms of life.
Researched, Written and Directed by
Loïc Darses
Editor
Philippe Lefebvre
Director of Photography
Louis Turcotte
Scratch-on-film Artist
Pierre Hébert
Original Music Written and Performed by
Marc-Antoine Barbier
Sound Designer
Ilyaa Ghafouri
Production Manager
Audrey-Ann Dupuis-Pierre
Additional Cinematography
Nicolas Canniccioni
1st Camera Assistan
Camille Dubord-Gendreau
Camera Operator
Christophe Fortin
Additional Camera
Camille Dubord-Gendreau
Art Director
Camille Barrantes
Set Assistants
Judith Maltais
Evelyne Morin
16mm Film Consultant
Karl Lemieux
Location Sound
Thomas Sédillot
Additional Sound
Jean-François Caissy
Alexandre Leblanc
Gaffer
Éric Dionne
Best Boy Lighting Technician
Francis Galarneau
Lighting Technician
Gabriel Desrochers Grandmont
Key Grip
Guillaume Claveau
Best Boy Grip
David S. Blouin
Grips
Alexis Philippe
Alexandre Schippers
Production Assistant
Hippolyte de Chanlaire
Marco Paulo Santos
Still Photographer
Justine Dorval
Online Editor and Colorist
Yannick Carrier
Compositing
Cynthia Ouellet
Infographics
Mélanie Bouchard
Alain Ostiguy
Graphic Design
Principal
Sound Recording
Luc Léger
Foley Artist
Paul Hubert
Re-Recording Mixer
Shelley Craig
Technical Coordinator
Lyne Lapointe
Technical Director
Eric Pouliot
Technical Specialist, Animation
Yannick Grandmont
Studio Coordinator
Rose Mercier-Marcotte
Administrator
Karine Desmeules
Senior Production Coordinator
Josiane Bernardin
Legal Counsel
Peter Kallianiotis
Rights Clearance
Nellie Carrier
Marketing Managers
Nathalie Guérard
François Jacques
Marketing Coordinator
Julie Fortin
Publicist
Nadine Viau
Excerpts | National Film Board of Canada
Films – Pierre Hébert
Adieu Bipède, 1987
Around Perception, 1968
Entre chiens et loup, 1978
Étienne et Sara, 1984
Fundamental Principles in Genetics, 1971
La lettre d’amour, 1988
La plante humaine, 1996
Love Addict, 1986
Memories of War, 1982
Op Hop – Hop Op, 1966
Opus 3, 1967
Population Explosion, 1967
Santa Claus Is Coming Tonight, 1974
Songs and Dances of the Inanimate World: The Subway, 1985
Film – Norman McLaren
Blinkity Blank, 1955
Excerpts | Cinémathèque québécoise Collection Logo cinémathèque
Films – Pierre Hébert
Histoire verte (Histoire grise), 1962 original version and 2005 restored version
Conte de la mère loi sur le cinéma – Reel of film scratched during the occupation of the Cinema Supervisory Board, 1975
Film – Robert Daudelin
Pierre Hébert Graveur, 1964
Film – Réal La Rochelle
Faire un film, Collège Montmorency – Audio-visual Department, 1984
Excerpts | Vidéographe Logo Vidéographe
Films – Pierre Hébert
Bazin’s Film (Places and Monuments 8), 2017
Berlin – The Passage of Time (Places and Monuments 10), 2018
Between Science and Garbage
But One Bird Sang Not, 2018
Herqueville, 2007
John Cage – Halbertsadt (Places and Monuments 5), 2013
Mount Fuji Seen from a Moving Train (Places and Monuments), 2021
Place Carnot – Lyon (Places and Monuments 2), 2011
Scratch (Triptych 3), 2016
The Statue of Giordano Bruno, 2005
The Statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville (Places and Monuments 9), 2018
Thunder River (Places and Monuments 4), 2011
Excerpts | Personal Collection of Pierre Hébert
Adieu Leonardo – Live scratch performance with live musicians: Jean Derome, Robert Marcel Lepage and René Lussier, 1987
Balade sur Blinkity Blank – Hybrid performance with Andrea Martignoni, 2014
Confitures de Gagaku – Live scratch performance to music by Jean Derome, 1986
Conversations – Live scratch performance at the centre d’artistes Obscure, 1987
Excerpts | Music
Ornette Coleman, Population Explosion, 1967
Jean Derome, Robert Marcel Lepage and René Lussier, Adieu Bipède, 1987
Pierre Hébert, Opus 3, 1967
Andrée Paul, Fundamental Principles in Genetics, 1971
Excerpts | Music
Marie Bernard (voice), Memories of War, 1982
Maurice Blackburn, Blinkity Blank, 1955
Jean Derome, Ouareau (Haïkus), Confitures de Gagaku, Les disques Victo, 1986
Pierre Hébert, Op Hop – Hop Op, 1966
Robert Marcel Lepage, La lettre d’amour, 1988
Robert Marcel Lepage, Le Déluge, Malheur au Pays and Weli Weli, La plante humaine, 1996
Robert Marcel Lepage, Bazin’s Film (Places and Monuments 8), 2017
Robert Marcel Lepage and René Lussier, Songs and Dances from the Inanimate World: The Subway, 1985
Michael Lonsdale, Sotigui Kouyaté (actors), La plante humaine, 1996
René Lussier, Étienne et Sara, 1984
Andrea Martignoni, Histoire verte (Histoire grise), restored version 2005
Normand Roger (musical arrangement), Memories of War, 1982
Joseph Rouleau and Domini Blythe (voices), La plante humaine, 1996
Excerpts | Texts
Pierre Hébert, Faire un film, 1984
Serge Meurant, Étienne et Sara, Éditions du Noroît, 1984
Pierre Hébert, Toucher au cinéma, Somme toute, 2021. We thank Les Éditions Somme toute for permission to use an excerpt from the work.
Archival Photos
Benoît Allaire
Guy Borremans
Chris Brouwer
William Claxton, Courtesy of Demont Photo Management, LLC
Arnold Gassan
Alain Gauthier, Cinémathèque québécoise Collection
Michel Gauthier
Céline Guenancia
Christine Guest
Réal La Rochelle
Brian Merrett, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
NFB Archives
John Porter
Marcia Seebaran
The Len Lye Foundation, S5917 Artist Len Lye at work, Courtesy the Len Lye Foundation, Stills collection: Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
Posters – Cinémathèque québécoise
Chants et danses du monde inanimé – Le métro, évènement cinéma et musique
La symphonie interminable, ciné-animation
La symphonie interminable, performance cinéma et musique
Posters – Pierre Hébert
La plante humaine, spectacle cinéma et musique
Op Hop – Hop Op
Affiches and Images
François Bienvenue, (graphic design), Album jacket design for Confitures de Gagaku, Les Disques Victo
Pierre Hébert, (scratches), Album jacket design for Confitures de Gagaku, Les Disques Victo
Pierre Hébert, (image), Doppelkonzert
Pierre Hébert, (images), La symphonie interminable
Robert Marcel Lepage, (graphic design), La symphonie interminable
L’art pariétal, Langage de la préhistoire, written by André Leroi-Gourhan, Éditions Jérôme Million,
Roxy Ulm and Bob Ostertag, (graphic design), Material Ausgabe
The director would like to thank
Pierre Hébert
Sylvie Massicotte
Karl Lemieux
Marcel Jean
Pierre-Mathieu Fortin
Romane Garant Chartrand
Sophie Leblond
Alexandre Lefebvre
Special Thanks
Cinémathèque québécoise
Freddy Denaës
Jean Derome
Étienne Hébert
Robert Marcel Lepage
René Lussier
Thanks to
Louise Bédard
Marco de Blois
Desirae Brakhage
Marilyn Brakhage
Pierre-Laurent Chénieux
Denardo Coleman
Nicolas Dulac
Suzanne Dussault
FH Studio
David Fortin
Eric Gagnon
Hélène Girard
Louis Hone
Silvia Kindl
Dani Kouyaté
Alex LeBlanc
Jean-Pierre Lefebvre
Pierre Letarte
Sara Meurant
Bob Ostertag
Sébastien Perreault
Théâtre Rialto
Claude Simard
Nicole Tremblay
Producer
Marc Bertrand
Associate Producer
Audrey-Ann Dupuis-Pierre
Line Producer
Mélanie Boudreau Blanchard
Executive Producer
Christine Noël
Scratches of Life: The Art of Pierre Hébert
Animation Studio, French Program
© 2024 National Film Board of Canada