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Chris Marker
1921 - 2012
"Contrary to what people say, using the first person in films tends to be sign of humility: 'All I have to offer is myself.'"
Chris Marker has passed away at the age of ninety-one. He was a phenomenally versatile artist - poet, novelist, critic, photographer - but it was his pioneering of the film essay that made him a legend. And while several of his features are championed as masterpieces of the form (if not utterly transformative, as in the case of the dizzyingly brilliant SANS SOLEIL), it is his 1962 short film, "La Jetee", for which he will be best remembered.
And it's not because it's the inspiration for Terry Gilliam's 12 MONKEYS. It's because "La Jetee" is the greatest short film ever made. If you've never seen it, by all means do that now. And if you've seen it before, it's like re-reading James Joyce's "The Dead": perfection never gets old.
I've only seen a few Marker films, so I'll hand you over to two thoughtful pieces by film historians who knew his work well:
There's this essay by Ronald Bergan for The Guardian.
And here's Jonathan Rosenbaum's terrific essay for the LA JETEE/SANS SOLEIL Criterion release (which is well worth owning).
Faithfully submitted,
Readers Talkback
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July 30, 2012, 9:46 p.m. CST
R.I.P. Thats a shame, I liked , "La Jetee" ...He was quite talented.
by proton45
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July 30, 2012, 9:52 p.m. CST
@proton45 Not exactly a shame, he died at age 91...a pretty full life when you think about it
by DementedCaver
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La Jetee is the progenitor of the two finest Hollywood time loop stories of the last few decades: Twelve Monkeys and The Terminator. In both movies one finally realizes that there was never any other version of history, and that the time traveler(s) were always there, creating the version of history that had already been. (This is fairly clear in both movies, although bafflingly many people continue to interpret The Terminator as a movie in which we're seeing the second version of 1984, and - hilariously - posit a previous history in which somebody other than Kyle Reese was the father of John Connor.)
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When such a great talent is gone.
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...if you haven't already. Fuckin' good film
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July 31, 2012, 4:40 a.m. CST
when i saw the random mention of james joyce short story
by Waka_Flocka
i knew it had to be beaks who wrote the article. i scrolled down and sure enough it was. beaks, you are so pretentious.
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Maeve binchy was one of irelands greatest female writers.
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To read a review that: a) referenced a great short story; b) Was free of swearing; c) Inspired a talkback that is swear-free; d) doesn't read like written by a high-schooler.
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does the late chris Marker...
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I hope now somebody takes on the task of sorting out his back catalog, it's virtually impossible to see films like 'Level5' or 'Le Mystère Koumiko' outside of very bad quality vhs bootlegs
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For a man so interested in time, memory and reflection, its fitting he died on his birthday July 29 1921-July 29 2012
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July 31, 2012, 7:09 a.m. CST
I need to get buys on a Sherman Hemsley obit and send it in.
by Grammaton Cleric Binks
Someone else can do Chad Everett. I know of him, but am too young to do that one justice.
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July 31, 2012, 7:09 a.m. CST
busy. Okay, I'm having my first cup of coffe now. I'll be okay.
by Grammaton Cleric Binks
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Think about it. R.I.P.
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July 31, 2012, 8:52 a.m. CST
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
by Chadley BeBay
Who is this again?
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Why is liking a James Joyce short story pretentious, but liking Terminator 2 isn't? I happen to like the fact that Beaks is trying to get the uneducated movie geeks who roam this site to watch films and read books other than Batman. Go read The Dead. Then you can join the conversation and wouldn't have to accuse other people of liking things you don't know.
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July 31, 2012, 11:44 a.m. CST
And all you poser film geeks that don't know who he is, need to school your selves and watch a film of his.
by Dion Mucciacito
oh but its not like Avengers, so you probably will not get it, or like it. :(
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http://t.co/BoZcqKcB x
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when the lil trolls wanna come out and spout ignorant. most of the readers here think major studio films are art.
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July 31, 2012, 8:12 p.m. CST
cotton_mcknight, herc is good at posting links to Amazon for DVD sales and
by Grammaton Cleric Binks
copy/pasting the Nielsen ratings. Has he ever done an obit? If so I don't recall. He's the TV guy, but I had to do the one for Richard Dawson.
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RIP Mr.Marker. A true artist. Glad to see he lived a full life.
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