The Grand départ is an experimental film from the painter and sculptor Martial Raysse, released in 1972. A couple watch the interview of a politician and they have a banter on socialism and the influence of modernism. They are suddenly interrupted by a young guy wearing a cat mask and he escapes from the spot. The story gets weirder from this point onward as the logics are reversed with characters taking up names and identities with symbolism as they look forward to the "Great Departure" promised by the bearded guru ( Sterling Hayden ) in the woods nearby. The hippie cult frolicking with the Guru join this madness to liberate themselves from Earthly concern and make it to Paradise. The Cat guy molests a girl in the woods, and she dies, this leads to the conclusion that he represents death and strange things occur later during the departure. This is a cerebral experience with few dialogues and the music by Daevid Allen / Gong in particular is simply hypnotic. It is definitely not for everyone, but for appreciators of avant-garde / experimental films, looking for some stunning cinematography from a different and subversive perspective, I say check it out. Plus, I'm sure even the ones that might not like the film will at least dig the demoniacal noise soundtrack.
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