This documentary was released as an additional feature on DVD of the horror-film classic "Eyes Without A Face", and in itself could be sub-classified in that genre, if only because of the blood and gore and scenes enough to give animal liberationists and the like months of sleepless nightmares. It depicts a day in the life in a Paris abattoir. Mind you, I was horrified yet transfixed at the process by which cattle and sheep are slaughtered and transformed into carcasses which form the basis of our favorite steaks, chops and casseroles, depicted in an objective manner that neither condones nor condemns the methods used in the slaughter or the workers who practice them - they go about their activities casually in a sort of "it's a dirty job but someone has to do it" manner. Franju manages to combine the essential elements of post-war Expressionism with French-style Surrealism, creating a film in which real-life scenes somehow flit through the screen in a dream-like sequence. Picturesque images like the cattle and sheep being driven along and then the next moment being shown dismembered sans heads and hooves are deliberately juxtaposed to create maximum and ultimate impact on the viewer. And to highlight the surrealistic effect even further, an abattoir worker can be heard warbling "La Mer" while streams of blood from the slaughtered beasts flow through the gutters, perhaps a symbolic reference to the waters flowing through the ocean. The documentary ends with a short narration which pretty much summarizes the gist of the film but in a pseudo-lyrical way, it represents an outsider's conception of the slaughterhouse activities, not someone who has actually witnessed the the reality of what actually goes on inside. Watch, if you can, but not on a full stomach.

Everyone who wants to see the brutal reality of a slaughterhouse, at least circa 1949 in Paris, should be open to seeing this film. Although some people seem to have come away thinking this is was an anti-meat movie, that is only their point of view. Yes, you see horrific images of horses, cows and sheep butchered. It will likely turn your stomach. But I doubt this documentary was made with the intention of turning people off meat.The director focuses on the people too: the man whose own leg had to be cut off after an accident, for example. And it is clear that this business is just a job to many of the workers, and there is no moralizing about it.It is difficult to watch. But it is the truth (I guess); and really, if you think about it, the animals in this film are arguably treated better (killed quickly) than in that recent undercover PETA video of downer cows.

The film opens by showing life in a Paris suburb and the portal to a slaughterhouse with its monument of a bull in brass and then we move inside the slaughterhouse. The camera is like a fly on the wall, it sees everything but never interact or interfere with what's happening. And for anyone not raised on a farm where they did their own slaughtering, this is indeed a shocking document: A horse collapses in 1 second as it is shot with a bolt pistol in the head and a cow tumbles after a hammer with a long pipe on the hammerhead has been buried in its skull. But that is just the starter on this blood feast. The main cause being numerous calves beheaded and a row of sheeps having their throat slit and in between that animals being flayed and gutted. The slaughterhouse has its own stream in the floor, where rivers of blood is running from the slaughter. I can imagine urbanized children having nightmare for weeks after seeing this film..and their parents forsaking the meat for vegetarian delicacies after this remorseless view of the animals demise to satisfy the meat-eaters cravings. I am a vegetarian myself, not out of conviction, but because I was raised that way and as a such, I am thankfully free from dealing with the dilemma of wanting the meat but not wanting to deal with the the killing and butchery. Today death of animals has become a remote affair to most people, out of sight, out of mind. Not so when you see this film. Black and white images can indeed be gruesome, color just wouldn't have made this film worse. Even the squeamish should find the courage to view this film, just once! This is what death looks like when a real artist trains his lens on it, it is beautiful too! 10/10

I turned this off within the first five minutes. It's very sick and disturbing, the moment I turned this off was when the beautiful white horse was let into the slaughterhouse and it's skull was punctured by a small tubed instrument. This creature was lying on the floor in a state of shock before it died. The narrator said the animal dies instantaneously, it didn't. I don't agree with graphic realism towards animals, insects or any living creature. I was very disappointed as I had just watched 'Eyes Without a face' which was a brilliant movie and this short film was attached, which spoilt my night - as I couldn't hurt a fly, never mind watching this savage documentary.reading other reviews on this page, I had noticed they used words such as aesthetic - this is not art or beauty. I can imagine that the documentary would be very articulate and profound but not aesthetic.