I

On 5 October 1982, Guy Debord sent Soprofilms - Gérard Lebovici's production company - the outline of his latest film project, titled De l'Espagne (On Spain):

Study and research on a film intended to retell and provide an exhaustive and definitive examination of the spirit of modern Spain, from the fifteenth century to the present. Avoiding both exoticism and patriotism, this film will not just express what foreigners (Europeans, Americans, Japanese, etc.) may imagine about this subject, nor even what Spaniards themselves may believe, but rather what Spain really is. The film should last approximately two to four hours, and will ultimately be aimed at cinemas and television channels (cable, satellite, etc.). Means should be dedicated to creating the atmosphere and wardrobe that will reflect contemporary Spain. We should also be able to call on Spanish extras and actors and, in the event of a co-production, some international stars. We shall meanwhile concentrate on the theme and plot combining all necessary aspects, locations and sets where the action takes place, and the precise choice of actors whom we wish to appear, with a view to providing an initial structure that involves a cinematographic approach to the subject. For several obvious historical and cultural reasons, the film should at this time be centred on Andalusia.¹

Debord's Danish friend Asger Jorn was a communist activist and a member of the Situationist International from the moment it was founded in 1957. Twenty years earlier he was working at the Spanish Embassy in Paris, retouching photographs and preparing material for exhibition outside the embassy.² From the very start, the Spanish Embassy and Josep Renau, General