698. Sans Soleil

Sans Soleil
Sunless
1983
Directed by Chris Marker

That picture above just about sums it up, doesn't it?  I really hoped we were done with experimental films.

Sans Soleil doesn't really have a plot.  In fact, at times I felt like the filmmakers were filibustering.  In one part of the movie, we revisited locations from the film Vertigo.  In another section, we are forced to watch the brutal killing of a giraffe.  There were actually quite a few disgusting moments in this; I really think the Listmakers are trying to make me vomit.  Well, the joke is on you guys because as many witnesses can attest, that is not a hard task.

So yes, I was watching the clock the entire duration of the movie.  I do have to say a couple of quotes made me pause, like when the filmmakers likened describing some things with adjectives to leaving the price tags on gifts.  Well, it sounded cooler when they said it.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Pays homage to both Hitchcock and Tarkovsky.

370. La Jetee

La Jetee
The Pier
1961
Directed by Chris Marker

And I thought the last movie was weird.

All right, so maybe this one wasn't so much a film as a 28 minute powerpoint presentation that inspired 12 Monkeys.

Surprisingly, I will not rag on it too much.  Actually, it was a pretty enjoyable half hour and probably the most fun I have ever had with an experimental film before (although that bar is not particularly high).

This is a story of a man who is sent back in time after the apocalyptic Third World War.  He is forever haunted by a woman he saw on a pier as a boy.  There is romance, action, and a very cool twist.  It actually sounds like a pretty standard sci fi movie, except for the fact that almost the entire movie is told in camera stills.

If the film didn't have such a brilliant plot, I would think the format was pretentious and tedious.  However, the whole movie was quite beautiful and before you know it, you don't even notice the style.

A risky but excellent film.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

References Vertigo.