Its strange garden has intrigued anyone who has passed it for almost thirty years. Located on the edge of a winding departmental road away from the small town of Lizio (Morbihan), the universe of the “scrap metal poet” is unique. The towers of the palaces he built himself are a vague mixture of the work of the artist Gaudi in Barcelona, the atmosphere of Alice in Wonderland and the creations of Tim Burton. One thing is certain: they clash in this peaceful rural setting. Thirty years after the creation of his first automata, the inventor
of this unique park in Brittany is the subject of a documentary broadcast this Thursday in
France in real life on France 3.
In “The enchanter in the works”, the viewer learns to discover Robert Coudray. A man with many faces who divides his time between DIY, creation and cinema. A man who experienced a tragedy during filming when he lost his son in a car accident. A tragedy that has not slowed down his creativity. To pay homage to his son, Robert Coudray built an impressive palace for him. He installed it in his home, in his “amusement park” which attracts 50,000 curious people each year.
“We wanted to enter his universe, understand his creative process. Robert is both hyperactive and contemplative. He is a funny, wacky man, a utopian who lives for his dreams. It never stops”. The first time that Anne Burlot discovered the universe of the “scrap metal poet”, it was by passing by in her car, by chance. The park was closed but the director had returned. The one who officiates for France 3 Bretagne had drawn up the portrait of this Geo Trouvetou for the local channel before returning to it a few months later in order to talk about the poet’s film project in a documentary. The 50 minute movie will air for the first time on television tonight after a three-year marathon filming. “No one thought it would take so long,” admits the director, who worked with her husband Glenn Besnard.
In addition to being an unclassifiable creator, Robert Coudray is also a great cinema enthusiast. Ten years ago, he sold his cider house to produce a first feature film which he distributed himself and which managed to attract 45,000 spectators to theaters. Worn out by the effort, the scrap-metal poet thought he would never take up the camera again. It didn’t take him long to give in to a new personal project that took him seven years of hard work. It must be said that Robert Coudray does nothing like the others. And that it is he who does all the sets for his films. “Normally, a shoot takes a few weeks. We do this in sessions of two or three days because we have to build the sets at the same time,” explains Robert Coudray.
“At home, you can smell the sweat”
This second movie titled “Blessed are the cracked ones” which will be released in November tells the story of the author in outline and takes as a backdrop his incredible creations. A story involving the many friends of the apprentice filmmaker, who revolve around his eccentric projects. Friends who were very present when Robert Coudray lost his son, killed in a serious car accident. Faced with this tragedy, the artist embarked on the construction of a new palace for his park. A palace tribute to his son where a red car appears embedded in the wall. “It wasn’t anger that made me do this. The pain was there, the pain was sharp and it still is. But my son was so whole that I had to go on living. Building this palace was obvious to me”.
This construction, the scrap metal poet has still not completed. Will he do it one day? Not sure. “I still have years of work on it. Creativity never stops, especially when you claim imperfection like me. This is what makes my authentic, artisanal side. It’s not Disneyland here. What they’ve done is magnificent, but it’s very slick. At home, you can smell the sweat”, explains Robert Coudray before specifying that it is “nowhere good”. Go take a look at his incredible creations to prove him wrong. Smiles guaranteed.