French essay film focusing on global political turmoil in the 1960s and '70s, particularly the rise of the New Left in France and the development of socialist movements in Latin America.
This documentary tells the story of film director Aleksandr Medvedkin, throughout his life a sincere believer in communism, whose films were repeatedly banned in the Soviet Union. Modern ... See full summary »
Director:
Chris Marker
Stars:
Léonor Graser,
Nikolai Izvolov,
Kira Paramonova
Chris Marker and Pierre Lhomme's LE JOLI MAI (The Lovely Month of May) is a portrait of Paris and Parisians during May 1962;the first springtime of peace after the ceasefire with Algeria ... See full summary »
Directors:
Chris Marker,
Pierre Lhomme
Stars:
Chris Marker,
Yves Montand,
Simone Signoret
The French computer programmer Laura inherits the task of making a computer game of the Battle of Okinawa during World War II. She searches the internet for information on the battle, and ... See full summary »
A short film that shows Boundless, Surreal objects that are juxtaposed with our present World. Cars, Motorways, noise of our modern society; A giant city in the distance - all that shrouds ... See full summary »
While filming the Olympics, a filmmaker encounters a Japanese girl. Manchurian born and French educated, she's an intriguing anomaly. He films her around Tokyo, as she speaks of Japan, being Japanese and her unique perspective on life.
Paris 2002. Yellow cats appears on the walls. Chris Marker is looking for these mysterious cats and captures with his camera the political and international events of these last two years (war in Iraq...).
Director Hans-Jurgen Syberberg examines the rise and fall of the Third Reich in this brooding seven-hour masterpiece, which incorporates puppetry, rear-screen projection, and a Wagnerian ... See full summary »
French essay film focusing on global political turmoil in the 1960s and '70s, particularly the rise of the New Left in France and the development of socialist movements in Latin America.
The untranslatable French title is a play on words suggesting that revolution was in the air but not on the ground. The English title, "A Grin without a Cat", has a similar meaning. Director Chris Marker has given it the subtitle "Scenes from the Third World War 1967-1977". See more »
Alternate Versions
Originally released in 1977, the film was revised by director in 1993. Among other things, Marker added a coda addressing the end of the Cold War. This later version was given English subtitles and released in the United States in 2002 as "A Grin without a Cat." See more »
I know that I am supposed to like this film. Unfortunately, as it is almost strictly for the political converts, I didn't.
It is basically a collection of unused film footage from the late 60s and early 70s, showing significant moments in the leftist revolution, and how they dropped the ball, i.e. a "grin" without a cat. Yawn! Watching home movies of a leftist movement that compromised itself out of existence is not very satisfying.
Film students may find appreciation of this work, but after watching Marker's most famous creation, "La Jetée", I expected more.
Despite the fact that it was reworked, it just didn't measure up to my expectations.
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I know that I am supposed to like this film. Unfortunately, as it is almost strictly for the political converts, I didn't.
It is basically a collection of unused film footage from the late 60s and early 70s, showing significant moments in the leftist revolution, and how they dropped the ball, i.e. a "grin" without a cat. Yawn! Watching home movies of a leftist movement that compromised itself out of existence is not very satisfying.
Film students may find appreciation of this work, but after watching Marker's most famous creation, "La Jetée", I expected more.
Despite the fact that it was reworked, it just didn't measure up to my expectations.