Chris Marker

Who? Chris Marker, the elusive French filmmaker, writer, photographer and multi-media artist. Best known for his innovative film works and his experimentations with technology and sound. Marker has rarely been photographed or given interviews throughout his six decade career and is known for his reclusive nature and obsession with cats.

What? The release of three Chris Marker titles: La Jetée (1962), Sans Soleil (1983) and Level Five (1997) on DVD.

Why? Marker first reached international acclaim with his short film, La Jetée (1962). Comprised of a series of narrated photograms, the film only contains one filmic moment and highlights his pioneering use of still imagery. Four decades after producing the film, Marker admitted that he could only borrow a movie camera for one afternoon whilst working on the title. It also provided the inspiration for Terry Gilliam's film 12 Monkeys (1995). Optimum Classic have released the title in a double box set with Sans Soleil (1983), a documentary work with stunning visuals that captures travels through Japan, Iceland and San Francisco. Similarly to La Jetée, the film is narrated and Marker explores the disconnect between sound and image. The footage was taken with a silent film camera and combined with a non-synchronised portable tape recorder.

During the 1980s Marker began to experiment with new technology, working with video, computers, television and other forms of multimedia. It had a profound impact on his title Level Five (1997), which also saw his return to feature filmmaking. It tells the story of a French computer programmer and combines the elements of two forms of media — film and computer, Marker highlighting the differences between digital and analogue technology.

La jetée (1962)/Sans Soleil (1983) and Level Five (1997) have been released on DVD by Optimum Classics.

Text by Isabella Burley