The Big Wash

Literature teacher Armand Saint-Just is in despair. Instead of bright, receptive children, he encounters a sleepy class in his lessons at a Parisian grammar school that can barely follow him. The problem is quickly recognized: all the television, whose influence Saint-Just considers harmful in every respect. Together with the sports teacher Missenard, Saint-Just wants to change things and already has the solution: he sprays a liquid on the aerials of the houses to render them unusable and thus also prevent television. So they set to work on the rooftops of Paris. They are supported by Benjamin, who has developed the composition of the liquid. More by chance, Saint-Just's neighbor, Dr Loupiac, is also drawn into their mission. The dentist accompanies the two teachers reluctantly at first, but proves to be a helpful companion. However, it soon becomes clear that not everyone agrees with them. The group is obstructed by an angry group of television supporters and the police are hot on their heels, not to mention the television company, which is anything but enthusiastic about the action. When the population is called upon to take part in the search for the saboteurs with the prospect of a color television, the streets of Paris are empty and the rooftops are full. But Saint-Just refuses to be intimidated. In the neighborhood where his pupils live, the flickering boxes are to be silenced so that the children can learn again, even across the country if necessary. No roof is safe from him, not even the Eiffel Tower.