Commissioned by the French chemical company Péchiney, Alain Resnais made a documentary about the production of plastic. Filmed in Cinemascope, Resnais and his cameraman Sacha Vierny managed to create highly aesthetic images. From the fossil raw materials to finished polystyrene products, every stage of processing is shown: the myth of plastic becomes the myth of industrial progress. Raymond Queneau’s commentary is written in medieval alexandrine verse. Le chant du styrène (The Song of Styrene) is something of a contemporary siren song. In its philosophical contemplations fantastical, subversive tones can be found. The film’s soundtrack is by Pierre Barbaud, a pioneer of algorithmic music.