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

Part 1: Brief Reference 

What did you like about the film?  Its storyline was the most interesting thing. I liked the concept and the way it was told through narration	What didn’t you like?  I did not like the use of the still images, although it was a stylistic choice that likely had meaning. It isn’t something I’d personally use.
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style?  Narrative	What ideas won’t you use? Why?  The expensive CGI and other inaccessible stuff

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).	From the very beginning, we learn he’s obsessed with an image from his childhood. We see a still image of a woman’s face and a moment of death at the airport. This memory becomes a kind of anchor point in the story and establishes his inner world: he is haunted by time. This establishes the futuristic theme of the short film. We also learn he lives in a world after a World War, with location shots of destroyed places filled with rubble.
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/experimenters are also characters that are established. Every time they appear on screen, their still images often show them shadowed, which gives them an almost faceless, inhuman feel that is eerie, like they are controlling everything behind the scenes.
Establishing location (time and place) – what information do we find out? How is it conveyed?	We are told immediately that the location is Paris. The bombed out wreckage of the city (real WW2 images) don’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.	We are shown the important location of the airport around the first few moments of the film where his vivid childhood memory was set. This is important as it sets up one of the most relevant parts of the narrative.  We also see still images of a park, a museum and other war-torn places in Paris.  The futuristic time is also conveyed through strange lighting and feels different in tone.
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?  This is created when the audience questions who killed the man in the very last scene in the memory.
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.	Memory vs reality  In the protagonist’s memories, the still images are vivid and emotionally charged. They carry a tone of nostalgia and warmth, and even look different to the images in the present.  However, reality/the present is harsh and devoid of emotional connection. It’s a world where human experiences are manipulated by scientists and where the city is ruined by war.
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 point is when he gets his first memory. And when the memories begin building up, and the experiment escalates, the film becomes a little more tense. It also establishes the point that the protagonist is being used as a mere experiment.
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?  I think that with the theme of time travel being prominent, it makes it so the ending feels endlessly circular. If time can keep being rewinded and forwarded, and if we can manipulate it to our will, then that means that the ending can be stopped from happening and anything else could’ve happened too.

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 through memory. It is also about concept of photography and cinema itself, trying to ‘freeze’ time with images despite time always being in motion.   I think that with the use of time travel, one of the key messages could be that life can change very quickly and suddenly. That anything can happen at any moment in time, such as the main character’s memory of the shooting at the bridge

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:  I think one of the main intentions of the filmmakers was the futility of time. But also, the way memories shape our identity. All the memories the protagonist had changed his life and helped form who he was as a person. This was achieved through the reflective narration.

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:  Not sure

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

Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme  This film established its theme very well. For example, the tone throughout remained eerie and strange, unknown to the viewer. This helped portray the futuristic/time travel narrative. I could take inspiration in making my theme appear very clear.	Creating enigmas   This film also was good at presenting deep questions to the audience. It helped push forward the narrative and helped keep it interesting. I can do the same thing by leaving some plot points to mystery and not telling the viewer everything immediately. I can use the technique of foreshadowing maybe.
Narrative structure (non-/linear? Open/ closed ending?)  I liked the use of the voice over. However I think I’d rather use a closed ending instead of an open one	Striking use of technical features  Once again, the use of the voice over.