La Jetée (Marker, Korea, 1962) – Analysis Sheet for Evaluative Commentary 

Part 1: Brief Reference 

What did you like about the film?  The music used and changes at different moments, for example the higher pitch in the romance photos. The overall plot was also good, and the use of photos instead of actual film was unique.	What didn’t you like?  The photos could’ve been clearer, was hard to follow at times, although they added to the effect of an apocalyptic setting.
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style?  The style, I like the order of photos and how they built the background of the plot instead of introducing the protagonist straight away.	What ideas won’t you use? Why?  I wouldn’t use the music at as high of a volume as I felt at times it overpowered the voiceover and made it more difficult to understand.

Part 2: In-Depth Study – Narrative 

Narrative Feature	Example	Your own example
Establishing protagonist – what information do we find out? How is it conveyed?	Introduced only in narration – first in third person as “a man marked by an image”; then in first person -memory of incident at the airport. We don’t see him until the first experiment is shown. This shows how core the act of remembering is to his identity – indeed we find out very little about him (he remains nameless) apart from his ‘remembering’ (even when he is travelling in time).	Introduced through one of his memories as a child of a man dying, later learnt to be him dying. Highlighting how we cannot escape the past and the connection between past future and present. This shows the profound effect memories have on us as people (especially the protagonist) and the strength of human connection can overpower his real-time experiences, he always remembers her no matter the time he’s in.
Establishing other characters – what information do we find out? How is it conveyed?	The Woman is the first person we see (“the only image to survive the war”) – and she is defined only by the fact the narrator remembers her. Feminist critics may comment on the fact she barely seems to exist outside the experiences of the narrator and her growing belief in him.	The scientists are the first established in present time outside the protagonist’s memory, this could be an early sign of their power over him as he is only used for their benefit and is eventually killed back in the past.
Establishing location (time and place) – what information do we find out? How is it conveyed?	We are told immediately that the location was Paris. The bombed-out wreckage of the city (real WW2 images) doesn’t immediately establish that this is the future until the narrator mentions radiation. The underground location beneath the Palais de Chaillot is shown by intercut images of broken cherubs and other sculptures.	The location of their last meeting was a museum, they are looking at animals, dead as a benefit to humans. They are really looking at themselves as soon he will die as he is no longer useful to the scientists. Also, can be reflective of how he was treated as an animal being experimented on with little choice and then being killed once he was deemed unneeded.
Creating Enigmas – what are they? How are they created?	The image the narrator obsesses over is the central enigma: who is the man he witnesses dying? How does he die? Who is the woman? The still images and voiceover powerfully evoke the nature of memory.	What other questions are posed throughout the narrative? What is the benefit of his time travelling, how will that help the present if the future is already set? Scientists want to find a way to change the future, or they could just want to see future events. Causes audience to question their motives, did they just want to hurt the man due to a previous hatred?
Narrative binary oppositions	The ‘Living Present’ vs Past/Future. As the film progresses, what constitutes the ‘present’ (for the protagonist) seems to shift from his dystopian subterranean society to the ‘past’ of pre-apocalypse Paris. This is conveyed by the faster rhythm of the montage and the sequence (18:00-18:49) where the images almost become like traditional cinema.	Life in the past vs his present, where does he want to stay. I think he wants to be wherever the women is as he continuously returns to be where she is and spends his time during his time travel, with her.
Crisis – how was this conveyed?	Is it the first experiment? The moment the man spots the woman from the airport? Or is it when the future society offers him the chance to escape to the future?	What do you think is the crisis point? How does this affect the rest of the narrative? I think the crisis was the protagonist’s realization it was him shot on the pier, it was his worst fears coming true and all his work to overcome the trauma of seeing that man die as a child becomes his reality as he will live both experiences. Shows the idea that you can never escape the past.
Resolution – is it closed or open narrative?	The narrative is closed – but it is also in a loop: the narrator is both the dying man and the child watching the scene. This ‘time paradox’ has inspired films as diverse as The Terminator and Looper (as well as 12 Monkeys which is almost a remake).	What do you think about the end? Is it closed – or endlessly circular? It feels like an ending as we do not see him after he is finally shot at the end., however it is circular as he is also seen being shot at the beginning. I think the ending is endless as the cycle can be repeated forever, yet it still felt like an ending as we do not see this happen and there is no more narrative.

Part 3: Meaning and Effect 

What did you think was the intention of the filmmaker(s)? Intellectual message? Emotional response? Everyone is trapped in their time – they cannot escape it, even though memory. It is also about the concept of photography and cinema itself, trying to ‘freeze’ time with images despite time always being in motion.

How was this achieved? The use of photomontage separates each frame of the story into a frozen image – even though these are joined together using traditional narrative film techniques such as voiceover, dissolves, fades and music. As the man begins to ‘live’ more and more in the ‘past’ with his lover, the space between these frames speeds up to resemble ‘motion picture’ speed at one point. The stuffed animals in the museum are also ‘frozen’ in a single moment. Your own idea: By using photographs, the impression of stopping in time is given which is overall false as time cannot be stopped. Can also reflect how the narrator felt stuck in time as he could never escape the boardwalk and the trauma it gave him as a child.

Aesthetic binary oppositions The use of still photo images are combined with traditional narrative cinematic techniques that bring them ‘to life’… until the moment around 18:00 when they flow together.

Effect of these oppositions? Shows the intensity of emotion the narrator feels with his lover: like he is finally ‘living’ in moving time rather than a series of frozen, separated moments.  Your example:  Shows how the narrator feels his life didn’t truly start until he changed time, could reflect the different ups and downs in life. Could also show how his childhood trauma caused him to feel stuck in time, frozen there like a photograph.

Inspirations – what ideas did this film give you for your own short film? 

Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme Characters are well established as they are mentioned in the voiceover along with a photo of them, we are told only what the narrator wants us to know about them. Adds a sense of mystery as we only see photos and how the narrator describes them rather than seeing genuine clips and shots of them.	Creating enigmas Cause the audience to ask questions, in La Jettee we are constantly asking who the man the narrator sees die is, we are left waiting to find out and after we do all other questions feel answered and everything fits together. It is an engaging concept.
Narrative structure (non-/linear? Open/ closed ending?) La Jetée was a good example of an open ending, gives inspiration to include an ending that is up for interpretation for the audience to decide what happens. A non-linear narrative structure can be inspirational as it portrays time travel well.	Striking use of technical features Pictures fit together seamlessly especially in the scene of his lover in bed; by including the only moving shot then, it gives the effect that whole scene is a constant clip of her. It may be difficult to recreate.