In this assignment I am to choose one of 6 options, write a short essay that expands on my opinion of the relationship between the creative aspects of the artwork, the message the artist is trying to convey and to what extent I feel photography is a necessary part of the process.
The option that I chose was;
2. Accumulating photographs together as a way of producing a hybrid between film and stills. See La Jetee, a 1962 French science fiction short film by Chris Marker.
I used Youtube to view La Jetee and then started to read around the topic of the film to
gain a broader understanding of the messages it contains. Several online
articles referred to the Terry Gilliam film ’12 Monkeys’ which was
inspired by La Jetee, I found it online and watched that too. I was glad
I did because I think it has helped me to better understand a lot of the insinuation
of Markers original.
Usually a documentary maker, Marker both broke his own trend and joined French cinemas New Wave with this new experimental method of working. I have never seen a film made entirely from stills before, during my initial viewing I was struck by how much it reminded me of a storyboard, an idea for something else as opposed to a finished product. In this sense it also reminded me of Eadweard Muybridge’s ‘Jockey on a galloping horse’, the use of still images to imply motion. This was again highlighted to me during my research in which I found it referred to as both a photo-roman (picture novel) and a cine-roman (film novel).
Initially I wondered if the
use of stills as opposed to film was due to a lack of resources of the Director,
as I explored the potential different messages the film contained, I came to
believe that it was an intentional choice to emphasise the points that he wanted
to make.
The depiction of the
scientists reminded me very strongly of the Nazi bad guys in Indiana Jones
films. As it was made in the 1960’s I wondered if this was a bit of a statement
on fascism and control? The use of stock imagery gives a documentary feel to
the film whilst the narrator ties the sequential imagery together, and gives it
meaning, just as it does in a factual documentary.
There is a recurring theme of an individual not
being able to escape their present. A person can escape into memories of the
past or daydream about the future, but the present is the ruling narrative of
the moment. Peoples perception of the past can be altered depending on at which
age and in which circumstances they review the same memory. The increase in
life experiences will alter both your perception and interpretation of it. This
was demonstrated in La Jetee with the recurring use of the same photo
frame at different points as the story progressed but with new narrative
attached. It was further repeated in 12 Monkeys in which the two
characters hide in a cinematic showing of Hitchcocks Vertigo (this film
is also referenced in La Jetee) and one character feels like he has seen
the film before but also that it is different and new because he is older.
The message of not being
able to escape the present is further reinforced by the entrapment of the male
character in his circumstances. Whether it is as the character attempts to break
free from the course of La Jetee’s events and accidentally fulfils
them or getting physically returned to his time by the scientists, the message
of ‘not escaping the present’ is relentless.
Another message that I found
was around memories. Memories are a form of time travel, to recall a previous
experience is to move mentally in both time and space. In a way each memory, a
mental snapshot of a moment, is like a film still. A singular scene captured
and open to new interpretations as the life experiences of the individual who
references it evolve. Several articles that I read referred to this as the idea
that when we return to the past we realise we do not understand it at all.
A slightly more depressing
message that I noticed was that even when attempting to change circumstances
for the better, an individual is trapped on a pathway dictated by fate. Hopefully
if this is remade again, it’ll have a slightly happier overtone.
The relationship between the
creative use of photographic stills and the message that the Director had is
essential to the final product. If the message of the film was different to that
of time and space, then there would be little to be gained from using still
images in the place of motion picture. The photography is required to reinforce
the idea that time is made up of individual moments, each of which can be remembered
differently and need a narrative to make sense of them. Without the narrative of
an individual to give context it is just a jumble of images to which many
different contexts can be applied.
In this way it is
reminiscent of peoples photo albums. One moment is chosen over another in which
to make a recorded image of a scene or occasion. With a narrative, these
choices can be explained but without that they are just a random series of
recorded memories.
In conclusion, in my
opinion, photography is essential to the success of La Jetee and the
strong message which Chris Marker wishes to communicate. Individuals can
manipulate time and space temporarily but in the end they must always return to
their present. Memories are like film stills in the reel of a life, requiring
context for better understanding and whilst allowing temporary escape, unable
to harbour the individual from their present life.
Word count – 888
YouTube. (2019). La Jetée (1962) [english subtitles]. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLfXCkFQtXw [Accessed 30 Oct. 2019].
En.wikipedia.org. (2019). La Jetée. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jet%C3%A9e [Accessed 30 Oct. 2019].
Dillon, B. (2019). Brian Dillon on the French director Chris Marker and his enigmatic masterpiece, La Jetee. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/mar/28/chris-marker-la-jetee-film [Accessed 30 Oct. 2019].
The Criterion Collection. (2019). La Jetée: Unchained Melody. [online] Available at: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/485-la-jet-e-unchained-melody [Accessed 30 Oct. 2019].
Hinkson, J., Cameron, R., Rose, K., Rocket, S., Mikalatos, M., Rocket, S. and George, J. (2019). “There’s No Escape Out of Time”: La Jetée. [online] Tor.com. Available at: https://www.tor.com/2014/11/03/theres-no-escape-out-of-time-la-jetee/ [Accessed 30 Oct. 2019].
Palmer, L. (2019). Criterion Files #387: La Jetée. [online] Film School Rejects. Available at: https://filmschoolrejects.com/criterion-files-387-la-jet%C3%A9e-da697b989ee3/ [Accessed 30 Oct. 2019].
Anon, (2019). [online] Available at: http://m4uhd.net/watch-movie-wyta-twelve-monkeys-1995-online-free-m4ufree.html [Accessed 31 Oct. 2019].
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