LA JETEE
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1996 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
LA JETEE is a 1962 black and white short film now in rerelease at some of the art houses. Besides being an innovative and acclaimed film in its own right, it was the basis for last year's popular and controversial TWELVE MONKEYS.
LA JETEE is a fairly unique film in that it is all done with still photos, except for one moving part that goes by in the blink of an eye. The cinematography (Chris Marker) is apocalyptically done with dark, low contrast black and white film stock. The music (Trevor Duncan) is suitably dramatic as fits an end of the world picture.
LA JETEE starts just before the outbreak of World War III. There is a person referred to only as The Man (Davos Hanich) who sees The Woman (Helene Chatelain) on the walkway at Orly Airport in Paris. Before they come together the atomic bomb drops.
Most of the movie happens underground. People can not leave because above ground it is a nuclear wasteland. They try to send people into the past and into the future via drugs so that they can retroactively prevent the destruction in some way. After many failed attempts, finally The Man is successful. The picture tells of his adventures and considers the paradox of going back to your own past. If you've seen TWELVE MONKEYS, you will recognize many of the similarities.
The Narrator (Jean Negroni) is the only one that speaks. He has a deep and dramatic voice almost like that of an announcer on an old newsreel. The direction and the script by Chris Marker is highly stylized and effective. An unusual picture that is hard to predict, and also a film that grows on you are you are watching it.
LA JETEE runs just 28 minutes, but it is so refreshing to see something take the right amount of time rather than be lengthen to the magical one and half to two hour mark just so it can find a theatrical booking. There is many a movie that has a half hour of good ideas and no more, but is ruined by tripling its length. The show is in French with English subtitles. It is not rated but probably would be PG or PG-13 only for its subject matter. There is no sex, nudity, bad language or violence. If you get a chance to see this little jewel, take advantage of the opportunity. I saw it on a double bill with a dog of a movie call THE CONVENT. I give LA JETEE ***.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: June 17, 1996
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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