dbborroughs Review of La Jetée

La Jetée (1962)

Masterpiece of cinema examines the nature of memory and existence

[10/10 · 8 June 2009]

Chris Markers brilliant 29 minute film about a man from the future who's vivid memory of the past is used by the victors of world war three in the hope of allowing him to travel in time so that he could save the future. This simple, haunting film, told simply by narration and still photographs, is one of the true masterpieces of cinema. It sounds as though it should be un-cinematic, and yet it has wonderful sense of place and times thanks to the stark black and white photography. Its a wonderful look at memory and our desire to live in the past. I've seen it any number of times and it knocks me on my butt every time I see it. (If the plot sounds familiar it was used by Terry Gilliam for his over produced film 12 Monkeys.) Le Jette is a masterpiece and one of the great films of cinema