The announced return of the cult show “Intervilles”, without its famous cows, fuels the debate on the use of animals on television and in the cinema, which has long remained in the shadows.
Hailed by animal defenders, the idea of host-producer Nagui to revive on France Télévisions next summer this TV game created in 1962, but without the cow test, is a red flag for bullfighting towns from the South-West.
Bayonne, Dax and Mont-de-Marsan announced that they would not participate. “Intervilles without cows, it’s not Intervilles,” Horizons mayor of Dax, Julien Dubois, told AFP, according to whom it is “false” to say that these animals “would suffer during the game”.
Questioned by AFP, Nagui “simply thinks that these bulls are much happier in nature, riding, than hearing screams and running after young firefighters who also risk being impaled.”
“The idea is to find the spirit of votive festivals, the spirit of fairs,” continues the star presenter, according to whom the absence of cows was decided jointly with France Télévisions.
For him, the “Intervilles” spirit is more about the teams competing against each other, sliding on soapy slopes and other fun fights. “It is a debate which, for me, is organized by lobbies” on the occasion of a “law which wanted to prohibit the access of minors to bullfights (the text was rejected by the Senate on November 14, editor’s note “They are so no longer in tune with the times”, snaps the presenter, himself a vegetarian and supporter of associations like L214, PETA or the SPA.
Another animal rights association, PAZ (Projet Animaux Zoopolis) welcomes “very good news concerning an emblematic show”. Especially since if a 2021 law prohibits the use of wild animals, such as snakes, in variety shows and games, nothing is planned for others, such as cows.
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Generally speaking, the debate on animals in cinema and on TV is emerging, shaking up habits. Some demand better filming conditions, others are opposed in principle to the use of animals in this context.
A first for a large audiovisual group, France Télévisions recently decided to ask producers to limit the use of animals on film as much as possible, by replacing them for example with computer-generated images or image banks. .
“As a public audiovisual service, we had a responsibility to act first,” explained to AFP the director of cinema at France Télévisions Manuel Alduy, for whom animal protection remained until now in “ a blind spot” in the sector.
At the origin of this decision, the PAZ association contacted all the major channels and welcomes this “step forward”. However, it wants this “only incentive clause (…) to become binding”, its manager, Amandine Sanvisens, explains to AFP.
“I hope that the other channels will follow, the opinion is now convinced that animals have nothing to do on sets,” adds Reha Hutin, president of the 30 million Foundation, to AFP. friends.
However, from advertising to cinema, many animals are still used in filming, with several specialist trainers offering their services to directors in France.
In June, a study by the ARA, a French directors' union, called for “working differently”, recounting testimonies on animals locked in unsuitable cages, the use of tranquilizers, etc.
In the fall, it was the release of “Bambi”, filmed with a young fawn, which reopened the debate. Director Michel Fessler, defending his proximity to animals, his love of nature and his work with specialists, sees in his film an environmentalist plea.
But PAZ considers it unacceptable that “real wild animals are placed in captivity all their lives” with trainers for the needs of the cameras.
With the advancement of technology, part of the industry is turning to special effects and digital images to avoid using real animals. Like the highly anticipated new opus of “The Lion King”, “Mufasa”, a Disney blockbuster in theaters for Christmas, with images larger than life but 100% virtual.
