Camera Sutra (or the Pale Faces)

Overview

The Herts Camera Sutra or The Palefaces (1973) is a militant and visually fragmented critique of Belgian bourgeois society, blending documentary collage with semi-autobiographical fiction. De Hert attacks the distractions of nationalism, religion, and popular culture while exposing capitalism, social injustice, and postcolonial exploitation. The film’s second half shifts to a disillusioned group of rebellious youths, revealing the uncertainty and emotional paralysis behind revolutionary ideals. Both politically fierce and deeply self-questioning, the film captures the tension between radical ambition and powerlessness.

Keywords

Cast

Robbe De Hert

Robbe

Monique Beyns

Tarzan

Freddy Beyns

Freddy

Rufus J. Bonez

Rufus

Frans Smolders

Smolders

Alfred van Kuyk

Hitchcock

Ida Dequeecker

Ida

Danielle Petit-Jean

Nelly

Frieda Pittoors

Frieda

Dirk Everaert

Dirk