Life is "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." William Shakespeare, with words written four centuries ago, inspired animator Jacques Giraldeau to dwell on man's passion for life, and his propensity to destroy himself. The result, Opéra zéro, is a technically complex and fascinating animation film using cut-outs, drawings, xerography, prints, photography, etching and engraving techniques, and requiring more than 50 000 different manipulations of the material.