Le Jour de l'an 0
Jean-Pierre Zirn
2001 - 52 min - Beta numérique - France

2000 or 2001 to celebrate the beginning of the 3rd millennium ? What an absurd question ! The year 2000 made us dream. The party was almost universal. The magic of a round figure... This figure that corresponds to nothing is an undisputed cultural reality.
In Paris the Eiffel Tower decorated with the famous four figures counts the days and that evening, the hours... In every district of the capital, among all the nationalities, it is party time. People are having fun, uncorking bottles, while others run around, blue lights flashing, or stay awake to ensure the security of the city.
Why all this agitation ? Quite simply because it is 31 December and a new year is about to begin. So what does New Year’s Day signify ? First of all it is about the history of the calendar. A history that takes us back to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century, which is now said to be universal. Isn’t this then an opportunity to wonder about the calendar, the contingent nature of history and the vicissitudes of measuring time, its physical, political and symbolic aspects ?