Sing a Song of Sixpence (Luc De Heusch, 1967)

Belgian filmmaker and ethnographer Luc de Heusch started his career in Africa, where he developed sharp observation skills that later proved useful for filming in his home country. In 1967 the only feature film that he would ever make was released. Sing a Song of Sixpence deals with the evils of modern mass consumption, which dictates the life of the common man. Its main protagonist, Jean, dreams of his own transport company and wants to marry Nicole, who works as a shop assistant in a department store in the city of Liège. While workers demonstrate against poor working conditions, Jean becomes more and more entangled in the net of capitalism.

In the short film Mealtime Gestures from 1958 de Heusch paints a humorous portrait of Belgian eating habits. In Friends of Pleasure (1961) the filmmaker is interested in a routine of an altogether different kind: farmers and landowners, all amateur actors and theatre lovers, gather on a regular basis to rehearse in the remote village of Moulbaix. Both documentaries received awards at festivals.

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