Chris Marker was a French filmmaker known for creating the cinematic essay form. His most famous work, the 1962 film La Jetée, is a science fiction story told entirely through a series of black and white still photographs with one brief moment of moving images. La Jetée tells the narrative of a man living after a war who is sent back in time to find a source of energy and becomes fixated on a childhood memory of violence and a beautiful woman at an airport. The film was highly influential and inspired the later film 12 Monkeys starring Brad Pitt.
2. About Chris Marker
• As well as being a filmmaker Marker is also known as:
• A photographer
• Novelist
• Essayist
• Journalist
• Multimedia and installation artist
• Designer
• And a world traveller
3. Chris Marker
• He’s also known for being politically committed and left-winged which
means that he “supports social equality and egalitarianism”.
• As well as being involved in politics he also
made documentaries alongside his films.
4. About Chris Marker
• Born in 1912
• When working in the film industry he did formal interviews but was
rarely photographed
5. Chris Markers work
• He was credited with conceiving the cinematic essay form.
• Very influential on people with big names in films
• Was involved in the development of collective film making in the
1960s
• Worked with very known/ important people on photography, film,
books and essays.
6. La Jetee
• Made in 1962
• Best known work to this day
• Science fiction classic
• 29 minute film
7. La Jetee
• Focuses on time travel, image and
memory
• The film is made up of black and
white stills except for one moment
when the camera moves
• The black and white stills means
that La Jetee is not defined as a
film.
8. About La Jetee
• Set after the war showing us old ruined building and people in
underground tunnels with very little and quiet speech
• It inspired the film 12 monkeys starring Brad Pitt
9. Accompanied by:
• Black and white stills
• Music
• Sound effects
• Voice
• And one short moment of movement from the camera
10. Narrative
• Unnamed hero living in Parisian post-war who is sent back in time to
find a source of energy
• These missions follow the route of inner space, via the traveller’s the
man’s who’s story we are telling”.
• The subject is fixated in a single memory: as a child, he witnessed an
unexplained scene of violence at Orly airport, involving a man falling
and the shocked reaction of a beautiful women.
