The city of Marseille, close to the estuary of the Rhône River, has long been recognized as an important transit port for all of Europe. This film is set against the backdrop of industrialization at Fos-sur-Mer, some 32 kilometres northwest of Marseille. It gives an account of the port’s development since the late 1960s. In addition, Fos-sur-Mer recalls the poor living and working conditions of some 7,000 labourers working on this industrial site. “Coke plants, blast furnaces, steelworks and the petrochemical industry are to be created here. Oil, liquid gas, cheap African ore and American coal are to be imported. The state finances the infrastructure: port, roads, electricity. An industrial city is built and the whole world is affected. A riverbed is cleared because rubble is needed as backfill. The earth is torn up for a pipeline. The Rhône is straightened, dammed up and expanded. Lorraine is shut down. The industry is spreading. Seven thousand workers are concentrated in camps. Unauthorized visitors are not allowed to enter the camps, and inmates cannot leave without difficulty. 'This is an enormous project, a successful Common Market project, said one of the project managers'.” (Hartmut Bitomsky)
