L'Équarrissage pour tous (English: Dog Culling for Everyone) is a play by Boris Vian, originally written in 1947 as a three-act anarchic farce and revised in 1948 into a single act. Set during the Allied liberation of France in 1944, specifically on D-Day, the play is a satirical work characterized by strong antimilitarist themes. Through derision and burlesque, it critiques war, aspects of American society—such as imperialism, puritanism, and propaganda—and the institution of the family.
After difficulties in securing a director and cast, L'Équarrissage pour tous was eventually staged by André Reybaz and the Compagnie du Myrmidon. The premiere took place on 14 April 1950 at the Théâtre des Noctambules and was initially well received by the audience. However, several theatre critics who had previously expressed amusement published negative reviews the following day, criticizing the play's content. Others, including Jean Cocteau and René Barjavel, offered more favorable assessments. Attendance declined, and the play was withdrawn from the program in May. The incident contributed to Boris Vian's growing dissatisfaction with critics, whose "papers" he referenced in the first published edition of the play later that year.
The play
Synopsis
Arromanches, 6 June 1944: while the Allied forces land in Europe, the protagonist of the play, a knacker indifferent to the surrounding destruction and the broader geopolitical events, is preoccupied with arranging the marriage of his daughter to a German soldier who has been residing in his home and with whom she has had a longstanding relationship. He invites another daughter, a paratrooper in the Red Army, and his son, a paratrooper in the American army, to the wedding. Military personnel from various factions—including Japanese, American, and German—also arrive and engage in many forms of excess. Ultimately, most characters end up at the knacker's yard.
Characters
The Father, knacker:The details indicated in italics are those mentioned in the play's cast list. André Reybaz The Mother (first name: Marie) The Neighbour Marie, daughter of the knacker Marie then Cyprienne, second daughter of the knacker, renamed during the play to avoid misunderstandings: Jacques, son of the knacker, enlisted as a paratrooper in the American army: Jacques Verrières. Catherine, daughter of the knacker, paratrooper in the Red Army: André then Jacqueline, apprentice (later presented as his son) Heinz (Schnittermach), German soldier, Marie's lover The Postwoman Four German soldiers
Kûnsterlich, German captain Robert Taylor, American pastor Four American soldiers The Japanese paratrooper Vincent, an old FFI member Colonel Loriot, fourteen years old, FFI Two nuns The French captain The French lieutenant Bobby, French scout Two Salvation Army membersThey do not appear in the original stage directions but are included in the list of roles established for the first performance.The mentions in italics correspond to the stage directions in the text.
Full cast: André Reybaz, Jacques Muller, Yvette Lucas, Nicole Jonesco, Jacques Verrière, Zanie Campan, , Paul Crauchet, Guy Saint-Jean, René Lafforgue, Roger Paschel, M. Ehrard.
Themes addressed According to , this early work by Boris Vian is his first to adopt a political and social dimension, addressing "a chaotic period of attempts to reorganize morality, institutions, alliances, after the turmoil of a deadly war." The play explores three central themes: war and antimilitarism, aspects of American civilization, and the family.
War, antimilitarism, democracy; Last-minute resistance fighters Antimilitarism is a recurring theme in the works of Boris Vian. In L'Équarrissage pour tous, it is treated in a satirical manner, while in it becomes a central focus. The play also includes a critique of certain aspects of "imperialism." Similar to the 1954 sketch Air ForceRenamed "Air Farce" when the play, after its success at the cabaret La Rose Rouge, was extended for nine months at . from , in which a soldier no longer remembers the reasons for fighting, the American soldiers in L'Équarrissage pour tous display only a vague understanding of the conflict. As in the other works, war is portrayed as being conducted in the name of democracy, which is repeatedly mocked. In one example, when the knacker asks whether "democracy yields good results," a soldier responds, "We can't know, it's secret."
Boris Vian expressed a strong opposition to war, which he viewed as absurd and unjust, and criticized military institutions and their symbolism.See also his statements in a letter to Paul Faber, about Le Déserteur: “this subject compels me to speak of the worst of creations, that of armed masses, of the military regime, which I hate; I profoundly despise anyone who can, with pleasure, march in rows and formations, to the sound of music; it can only be by mistake that he was given a brain; a spinal cord would suffice entirely. [...] How vile and contemptible war seems to me.” In L'Équarrissage pour tous, American and German soldiers are portrayed with derision, and nationalism is satirized. highlights that scenes such as strip poker games, the exchange of uniforms, and the singing of each other's national songs—Germans singing Happy Birthday and Americans performing a German tune—illustrate the idea that "military identity is interchangeable, and patriotism is just a garment." The presence of two of the knacker's children, one serving in the American army and the other in the Red Army, symbolically positions the future Cold War adversaries as morally equivalent, challenging the "simplistic vision of Liberation" and the perceived hypocrisy surrounding its commemoration.
Last-minute resistance fighters are also criticized, including two FFI members who were converted on the morning of the events. According to Gilbert Pestureau, this portrayal questions the overall Resistance, with Boris Vian aiming to show that the Resistance was carried out by a minority.
The peak of the satire occurs when the knacker's house, the only remaining structure amid the ruins, is demolished by a representative of the Ministry of Reconstruction for not being "aligned."
American civilization
In addition to criticizing American imperialism, Boris Vian addresses two other aspects of American culture in the play. Puritanism is represented by a soldier who reacts with offense when questioned about his relationship with his war godmother, responding, “You're disgusting,” and “I can't answer you. This isn't a proper conversation.” The presence of a pastor further underscores this puritanism and introduces a critique of American propaganda. The pastor, named Robert Taylor, shares characteristics with his Hollywood namesake. A character named Catherine comments: “That's exactly it—American civilization. Propaganda and always propaganda. They have pastors, and they have to give them movie star names. And you all buy into it...”
The family In the knacker's family, the father is authoritarian and does not recall the exact number or genders of his children. The mother is emotionally distressed and frequently cries. The son André observes his sister through a peephole in her bedroom wall, created by enlarging a hole in a board.: Scene X Another son, Jacques, refers to their father as an idiot for never having been intimate with his daughter.: Scene XXXIII Both brothers, seeking “precise details” about Marie's relationship with Heinz and whether she is pregnant, restrain her to a workbench and, in a scene reminiscent of interrogation, use a feather to compel her to confess.: Scenes XXXIII and XXXIV
Style The satire is presented in a humorous and unconventional manner. It has been described as an "anarchic vaudeville" and as “-knacker among the ” by René Barjavel; the first description was later adopted by Boris Vian for the text's publication and the play's poster. Gilbert Pestureau characterizes it as an iconoclastic farce. Unlike I Spit on Your Graves, which was written on commission, this play reflects Boris Vian’s distinctive personal style. Although criticized for its irreverent tone toward resistance fighters, Vian explained his approach: “The play is rather burlesque: it seemed to me better to make people laugh at the expense of war; it's a sneakier way to attack it, but more effective—and in any case, to hell with effectiveness...”
The humor in the play is derived from theatrical techniques rather than linguistic innovation or wordplay, as seen in Vian's novels. It relies on exaggeration and absurdity, including the infantilization of the military by the main character—for example, asking, “Heinz, aren't you supposed to be fighting with your comrades?” Colonel Loriot is described as fourteen years old,Mention indicated in the initial stage direction describing the play's characters and in scene XXXV. and along with another FFI member, Vincent, they are portrayed as resistance fighters converted that very morning. The characters’ unexpected reactions add to the play's absurdity. For instance, Marie, the knacker's wife, initially appears quiet and timid but later resists her husband's abuse, delivering “a tremendous punch in the stomach,” according to the stage directions, and attempting to knock him out with a dish before falling into the knacker's pit near the end of the act.
also notes the abundance of allusions and references to various values in the play, stating that “they should all be cited, but the footnotes would then be longer than the play itself.” Among these is an ironic reference to the BBC's coded messages, depicted in the scene where the father and André write a telegram to inform other family members about the upcoming wedding:
Writing process In February 1947, Boris Vian initially conceived the idea as a novel, outlining a story set in the countryside during the war involving five sons—American, German, French, Russian, and Eskimo—parachuting into a farm and ultimately killing each other. He later chose to develop the concept as a three-act play, which he completed in two months.
Boris Vian presented the play to , a member of Gallimard’s reading committee, who praised the work but noted issues with the rhythm of the second act and the difficulty of staging the third act, which he described as “only be played by clowns with fifteen years of training.” Lemarchand considered the subject “excellent—scandalous and sure to make people howl,” but warned that finding theatre directors willing to stage the play might be challenging. After receiving positive feedback relayed by Lemarchand, Jean Paulhan suggested publishing a shortened extract of the first act in Cahiers de la Pléiade, limited to 25 pages. Vian agreed, and the text appeared in issue no. 4 of Cahiers in spring 1948. This prompted him to revise the play into a condensed, single-act format.
Boris Vian received limited interest from three directors—Jean-Pierre Grenier, Olivier Hussenot, and Roger Blin—whom he described as giving a “timid” response. In early 1949, Jean-Louis Barrault expressed interest but repeatedly delayed scheduling. Growing impatient, Vian eventually entrusted the premiere to André Reybaz, who had secured funding to stage the play with his Compagnie du Myrmidon. After initial difficulties in casting, the play was finally produced following some last-minute adjustments.