Le petomane: Fin de siècle fartiste

The story

Under the stage name "Le Petomane," Joseph Pujol was the toast of turn-of-the-century Paris. Audiences at the Moulin Rouge where first shocked, then won over, by this tall, mustachioed man in a red velvet suit...a suite with a hole cut in the derriere to release his remarkable talent. Pujol was a skilled musician in his own right, but his greatest instrument was his own rectum, with which he could produce an astounding variety of musical tones. Through a combination of historical documents, photographs, archival films, and interviews, this video reclaims Pujol's place in history and, in the process, opens up a veritable Pandora's box of contemporary debate over the meaning, impact, and value of this unusual master flatulator.