La Jetee

3/19/2009

6 Comments

 

A work of genius, or a barely comprehensible precursor to Powerpoint? What did you like, or dislike? What there anything to like? What are your thoughts?

6 Comments
Romain
3/28/2009 08:42:07 am

Awesome. I really loved this, and it also makes me like 12 monkeys even more because it was adapted so well into a feature. This film really demonstrates the power of still photography combined with this very afffecting narration. I was trying to figure out who the narrator could be... any ideas?

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Scott
3/28/2009 08:57:21 am

According to the ubiquitous Wikipedia, the narrator is Jean Négroni. Wikipedia also tells us that the stills are not frame-captures, but stills alone, which somehow manages to make the film even more magestic.

Jean Négroni died in 2005. There's a comprehensive obituary for him at The Independant:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jean-negroni-496424.html

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Romain
3/28/2009 11:35:42 am

Ubiquitous is a great word, I must try to assimilate it into my vocabulary.
Every still in this film is so beautifully composed and considered in order to effectively tell the story. It would be a great exercise for film students to make a short film in this fashion.

I was thinking about the form of this film, and it kind of reminds me of when I was young and my mum used to read me picture books. I would become totally absorbed in the pictures and let the words wash over me. The narration would bring life and movement to the stills, and for me the same is true for La Jetee, with the addition of the sound and music- which give you even more.

I also love the choice to do it in Black and White. For some reason that simple decision makes it a timeless piece, and one that will never lose it's potency.

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Romain
3/28/2009 01:53:38 pm

Ubiquitous is a great word, I must try to assimilate it into my vocabulary.
Every still in this film is so beautifully composed and considered in order to effectively tell the story. It would be a great exercise for film students to make a short film in this fashion.

I was thinking about the form of this film, and it kind of reminds me of when I was young and my mum used to read me picture books. I would become totally absorbed in the pictures and let the words wash over me. The narration would bring life and movement to the stills, and for me the same is true for La Jetee, with the addition of the sound and music- which give you even more.

I also love the choice to do it in Black and White. For some reason that simple decision makes it a timeless piece, and one that will never lose it's potency.

Reply
Romain
3/28/2009 01:54:24 pm

I double posted again? Curse you Weebly!

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Ruby
3/28/2009 07:40:47 pm

Wow, it's comprised entirely of stills? Genius. I loved this film, couldn't stop thinking about it for days.

I could have sworn there were moments where the people moved - but I know that is not the case. All the people I talked afterwards commented on how the film 'seemed to flow' regardless of it being made purely of stills. This was what astounded me - the power of our brains and their ability to fill in the blanks. Our brains were considerate enough to not focus on the stuttering of these stills, but let them all flow in one seamless wave of motion, making complete sense of what we were seeing. Good old brains.

I love calling this a 'film' even though it's just an assimilation of stills. It comes to show that films don't need to be flowing and all to make sense - our brains aren't stupid, they can fill in the blanks.

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