Post by klep on May 22, 2017 6:42:30 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 5/22: Sans Soleil
FOURTH WEEK OF DOCUMENTARY MONTH!
Sans Soleil is a difficult film to write about. It's a documentary, but it's not so much trying to instruct as express. There's no real structure to it beyond that imposed by the near-stream-of-consciousness musings of Chris Marker. Or maybe not Chris Marker, as he separates himself from the audience through a narrator reading from and commenting on letters from a fictional character Sandor Krasna that Marker made up for this film. Marker seems to want to craft an intimate essay, but without letting the audience get close to him.
As a filmmaker, one of the primary ways Marker sees the world is through his camera lens, and in Sans Soleil he explores how human memory is entwined with the images we collect and create and later review. We see ourselves reflected in television, but those reflections are not static. They can change meaning with changing times. "We do not remember, we rewrite memory much as history is rewritten. How can one remember thirst?"
But Marker also discusses the allure of those moments we don't generally deem worth catching on camera. "I've been round the world several times and now only banality still interests me," Krasna writes, and we see many of these in-between moments - commuters on the train, an elderly couple praying for their cat - and also moments that will be forgotten, such as a traditional ceremony on a Japanese island that only the elderly seem to care about any longer.
It is perhaps unsurprising that while Sans Soleil jaunts around the globe, it is dominated by footage of Japan, with its mix of respect for tradition and eager embrace of technology. There we can see the fading memories of the past, replaced by the immutable in form - if not immutable in meaning - memories of today. "But the more you watch Japanese television... the more you feel it's watching you." The television reflects the world you see, but it also influences your recollection of the world as it is, and those things it does not reflect you will eventually forget.
I've found myself quoting directly from the film in this essay more than I ever do, and I think that is because the film is a memory - an experience I had. Parts of it are fleeting, parts of it stick with me, and all I can hope to do is use these words to try and convey what it felt like to watch it. If you have also seen Sans Soleil, I hope I have recalled to you some of the feeling of watching it. If you have not, I hope that you see it soon.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 5/29: Life Itself
FIFTH WEEK OF DOCUMENTARY MONTH!
May's extra Monday is giving us a chance to squeeze in one last doc, and I can think of few better ways to use it than by going a little meta and celebrating the life of one of film's greatest lovers. Next week we'll take a look at Life Itself, the recent documentary about Roger Ebert by one of the filmmakers he ceaselessly championed, Steve James. Life Itself is available on Netflix Instant and on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 5/18: Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids
The Next Picture Show podcast concludes its session on Jonathan Demme with his most recent concert film following Justin Timberlake on the last few shows of his most recent tour. Join us next Wednesday for our discussion. Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids is available on Netflix Instant.
FOURTH WEEK OF DOCUMENTARY MONTH!
Sans Soleil is a difficult film to write about. It's a documentary, but it's not so much trying to instruct as express. There's no real structure to it beyond that imposed by the near-stream-of-consciousness musings of Chris Marker. Or maybe not Chris Marker, as he separates himself from the audience through a narrator reading from and commenting on letters from a fictional character Sandor Krasna that Marker made up for this film. Marker seems to want to craft an intimate essay, but without letting the audience get close to him.
As a filmmaker, one of the primary ways Marker sees the world is through his camera lens, and in Sans Soleil he explores how human memory is entwined with the images we collect and create and later review. We see ourselves reflected in television, but those reflections are not static. They can change meaning with changing times. "We do not remember, we rewrite memory much as history is rewritten. How can one remember thirst?"
But Marker also discusses the allure of those moments we don't generally deem worth catching on camera. "I've been round the world several times and now only banality still interests me," Krasna writes, and we see many of these in-between moments - commuters on the train, an elderly couple praying for their cat - and also moments that will be forgotten, such as a traditional ceremony on a Japanese island that only the elderly seem to care about any longer.
It is perhaps unsurprising that while Sans Soleil jaunts around the globe, it is dominated by footage of Japan, with its mix of respect for tradition and eager embrace of technology. There we can see the fading memories of the past, replaced by the immutable in form - if not immutable in meaning - memories of today. "But the more you watch Japanese television... the more you feel it's watching you." The television reflects the world you see, but it also influences your recollection of the world as it is, and those things it does not reflect you will eventually forget.
I've found myself quoting directly from the film in this essay more than I ever do, and I think that is because the film is a memory - an experience I had. Parts of it are fleeting, parts of it stick with me, and all I can hope to do is use these words to try and convey what it felt like to watch it. If you have also seen Sans Soleil, I hope I have recalled to you some of the feeling of watching it. If you have not, I hope that you see it soon.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 5/29: Life Itself
FIFTH WEEK OF DOCUMENTARY MONTH!
May's extra Monday is giving us a chance to squeeze in one last doc, and I can think of few better ways to use it than by going a little meta and celebrating the life of one of film's greatest lovers. Next week we'll take a look at Life Itself, the recent documentary about Roger Ebert by one of the filmmakers he ceaselessly championed, Steve James. Life Itself is available on Netflix Instant and on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 5/18: Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids
The Next Picture Show podcast concludes its session on Jonathan Demme with his most recent concert film following Justin Timberlake on the last few shows of his most recent tour. Join us next Wednesday for our discussion. Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids is available on Netflix Instant.