La Jetée (1962)

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La Jetée, translated as 'The Jetty' and directed by Chris Marker, is a French science fiction film made up entirely of photos linked up in a series of slides to illustrate the story, complete with a narrator. The plot is set in a post World War Three Paris; with the buildings levelled by bombs people are driven to live in the Palais de Chailott, a complex catacomb underneath the city. Here, prisoners are exposed to an ambiguous plan to send people back to the past to fix the future. Scientists find our main character (Davos Hanich), a prisoner with 'a key to the past' and plan to use him for their experiments of time travel. The main character has vague memory of an incident at an observation platform at Orly airport, of which he doesn't remember much except that a man died. At that moment in time a woman (Hélène Chatelain) whom he saw on the 'jetty', is his 'key to the past', and unlike the other prisoners who mentally couldn't withstand the effects of time travel, our character seems to have the fortitude to push through to his mysterious past. After a series of romantic encounters, the movie reveals its scientific paradox. It turns out the incident our  main character describes at the very beginning of the movie was the memory of his own death.

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This film has it merit because it has a very minimalist approach to media, using only choice frames taken with a Pentax Spotmatic for scenes. 'The amount of time each still photo remains on the screen and the quickening or lengthening of the edits between the shots greatly sets the pace and mood of the film. Quick edits combined with the sound of the beating heart during the experiment work effectively to set the mood that a live action sequence could not.' (Taylor, 2003) The only criticism for it would be the quality of some of the pictures, since on close observation some of which don't really have the most flattering angles, and can be blurred or otherwise poor quality just to fill in gaps. But at least the best pictures are proper for this purpose. By having the film this way the director has somewhat eliminated some elements of ever prevalent naturalism from films of this era, not to mention the almost poetic nature of the voice over itself. Minimalism is value, which is one of the reasons why this film works well.

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Despite the 28 minute running time for this film, the plot manages to deliver the plot effectively. This means it has discarded fluff in favour of accelerating a smoother experience on screen.'any indiscreet divulgence of plot, for what makes the surprise of art inexhaustible is the democracy of information—with no external authority to impose hierarchy, details endlessly re-present themselves to reward new viewings.' (Schantz, 2017) The idea of minimising plot is something not really noticed in today's modern cinema unless it is completely necessary. In this case, it was needed because of limited budget. It is important to recognise what kind of story is needed, and understanding how core story works is a good solid way to streamline content.

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In all, it would be a good thing to recognise the traits that make La Jetée an interesting take on cinema. It is one of those creations that benefits through limitations, with more thought being put onto the plot, focusing more on how to make it flow smoothly rather than aesthetics. 'La Jetée tells of the destruction of mankind’s soul in a story that’s bleak and barren in the landscape it portrays, but it’s filled with so much humanity and understanding of the effect of our actions on the environment and life for others.' (Samuel, 2013) It is important to have a stronger plot before designing anything because it is easy to get lost in screenwriting. Besides that, most films are based on a simple concept such as a character or a simple interesting thought. In recognition of this it would a suitable film for someone who is interested in films, in particular how they can be made. 

Bibliography

Samuel, P. (2013). La Jetée. [online] STATIC MASS EMPORIUM. Available at: http://staticmass.net/world/la-jetee-1962-review/ [Accessed 13 Jan. 2017].

Schantz, N. (2017). Surprised by La Jetée. [online] Senses of Cinema. Available at: http://sensesofcinema.com/2015/feature-articles/la-jetee/ [Accessed 14 Jan. 2017].

Taylor, A. (2003). Andy's Anachronisms -- La Jetée (1962) Directed by Chris Marker. [online] Timetravelreviews.com. Available at: http://www.timetravelreviews.com/movies/la_jetee.html [Accessed 13 Jan. 2017].

Figures

fig 1. Marker, C. (1962). La Jetté. [Poster]

fig 2. Marker, C. (1962). La Jetté. [film still]

fig 3. Marker, C. (1962). La Jetté. [film still]

fig 4. Marker, C. (1962). La Jetté. [film still]