from generation to generation. A speck of dust or a fold in the root-tape generates a defect that becomes an integral part of the signal on the copy. It is therefore crucial — in order to return as closely as possible to the original — to identify the least distant copies from the mother-tape, and even, if possible, those that originate direct-ly from it.

Yet, a tape is often mute regarding its position in this genealo-gy. The latter can only be established by comparing, deducting and carefully viewing the defects. The BnF thus proceeded to inven-tory and gather all the existing analogue and digital copies, in its own collections, those of the Centre audiovisuel Simone de Beau-voir, the Association Carole Roussopoulos and the Médiathèque du Valais in Martigny (Switzerland), where Carole Roussopoulos deposited her archives. Kinship ties were quite surely established through the study of this material. A Betacam-SP copy preserved by the Médiathèque du Valais was singled out as the most interest-ing copy. Cleaning this reference tape made it possible to retrieve an image that is richer than that of the other SCUM Manifesto cop-ies currently in circulation on DVD or online. The shades of light are richer and the outlines are sharper. Furthermore, the decision to keep the integrity of the image enabled us to widen the frame, and provide more “breathing”. Thus, the frame of an open door, emerges in particular, on the left. This tape was therefore recog-nised as the best copy to provide the reference digital file used for the restoration work.

By that point, we still needed to correct several major defects caused: first, by the aging of the root-format used to produce the reference tape presumably from the master copy, second by the recopying process under imperfect technical conditions, and fi-nally by the aging of the reference tape itself, which was recorded over thirty years ago.