Filmographie Chris Marker: L’ Avant Scène Cinéma 2013

This filmography was published by L’Avant Scène Cinéma, Revue mensuelle, #606, October 2103, pp. 34-35. Many thanks for allowing us to reproduuce it here, as well as the kind mention in the resource section.

Filmographie de Chris Marker

La filmographie de Chris Marker est difficile à établir. La liste suivante est certainement à amender. On pourra la comparer avec les filmographies que proposent les sites très riches que voici :

http://chrismarker.ch/

http://www.chrismarker.org/

http://www.a-c.ch/spirales2011/

http://bifi.fr/

RÉALISATION, INSTALLATION

1950ca: La Fin du monde vue par l’ange Gabriel (nia – 8mm)

1953: Olympia 52(82’)

1953: Les Statues meurent aussi (32′ – coréalisé avec Alain Resnais)

1954-55: La Clé des songes (n/a – 16mm)

1955: Un fichu métier 1956: Dimanche à Pékin (18’20)

1958: Lettre de Sibérie (62’)

1959: Les Astronautes (14′ – coréalisé avec Walerian Borowczyk)

1960: Description d’un combat (60’)

1961: Cuba Si (52’)

1962: La Jetée (28’)

1962: Le Joli mai(165’, réduit à 136’ – coréalisé avec Pierre Lhomme)

1965: Le Mystère Koumiko (54’)

1966: Si ¡’avais quatre dromadaires (49’)

1966: Ciné-tracts

1967: Loin du Vietnam (115’ – film collectif)

1967: À bientôt j’espère (45’ – coréalisé avec Mario Marret)

1968: La Sixième face du Pentagone (28’ – coréalisé avec François Reichenbach)

1968: Classe de lutte (39’47 – film collectif)

1969: Jour de tournage (1V- coréalisé avec Pierre Dupouey)

1969: Rhodia 4×8 (3’22 – film collectif))

1969/1974: On vous parle du Brésil: tortures (23’47)

1970: La Bataille des dix millions (58’ – coréalisé avec Valérie Mayoux)

1970: On vous parle de Paris : les mots ont un sens – François Maspero (19’22)

1970: Die Kamera in der Fabrik (88’ – film collectif)

1970/1974: On vous parle du Brésil: Carlos Marighela (40’46)

1971: On vous parle de Prague : le deuxième procès d’Artur London (30’05)

1971: Le Train en marche (32’)

1971: U Animal en question, film collectif (31 ’ – image du raton laveur au début)

1972: Vive la baleine (30’ réduit à 16’07 – coréalisé avec Mario Ruspoli)

1973: L’Ambassade (21’16)

1973: Puisqu’on vous dit que c’est possible (43’ – film collectif)

1974: La Solitude du chanteur de fond (60’ – portrait de Yves Montand)

1977: Le Fond de l’air est rouge (240’ réduit en 1996 à 180’)

1981: Junkopia ( 6’ – intégré à l’installation Zapping Zone (1990- 1994))

1982: Sans soleil (100’)

1984: 2084 (9’46 – film collectif)

1985: A.K. (71 ’ – portrait d’Akira Kurosawa, sur le tournage de Ran)

1985: Mafia (1418 – intégré à l’installation Zapping Zone (1990- 1994))

1985: From Chris to Christo (24′ – intégré à l’installation Zapping Zone (1990-1994))

1986: Mémoire pour Simone (61 ’ – portrait de Simone Signoret)

1986: Tokyo days (24’ – intégré à l’installation Zapping Zone (1990- 1994))

1989: L’Héritage de la chouette (13 épisodes de 26’)

1990: Berliner balade (20’35 – installation Zapping Zone (1990- 1994))

1990: Détour Ceausescu (8′ – installation Zapping Zone (1990- 1994))

1990: Chat écoutant de la musique (2’47 – installation Zapping Zone (1990-1994): zone «Bestiaire»)

1990: An Owl is an Owl (318- installation Zapping Zone (1990- 1994): zone «Bestiaire»)

1990: Zoo piece (2’45 – installation Zapping Zone (1990-1994): zone «Bestiaire»)

1990: Getting away with it (6’45 – clip vidéo d’Electronic – installation Zapping Zone (1990-1994))

1992: Sion Tango (4’30 – installation Zapping Zone (1990-1994): zone «Bestiaire»)

1992: Bullfight in Okinawa (412- installation Zapping Zone (1990- 1994): zone «Bestiairé»)

1992: Théorie des ensembles (13’- installation Zapping Zone (1990- 1994))

1993: Le 20 heures dans les camps (27’ – installation Zapping Zone (1990-1994))

1993: Le Tombeau d’Alexandre (118′ – portrait d’Alexandre Medvedkine)

1994: Petit ceinture (1 ’ – vidéo haiku)

1994: Tchaika (1 ’29 – vidéo haiku)

1994: Owl gets in your eyes (110- vidéo haiku)

1995: Casque bleu (25’20)

1996: Level Five (105’)

1997: Stephan Hermlin (11 ’29)

1997: Souvenir de Michael H. Shamberg (78’ – images électroniques)

1999: Une journée d’Andréi Arsenevitch (55’ – portrait d’Andeï Tarkovski)

1999: E-CUP-SE (8’32)

2000: Un maire au Kosovo (27’20 – coréalisé avec François Crémieux)

2001: Le Souvenir d’un avenir (42’ – coréalisé avec Yannick Bellon)

2004: Chats perchés (58′ – sur les traces de M. Chat, alias Thoma Vuille)

2006: Leila Attacks (V)

2007: Guillaume Movie (318 – Youtube: Kosinki’s channel)

2008: Henchman Glance – Le Regard du bourreau (31’ – réalisé à partir du Procès d’Adolf Eichmann (1961) de Léo Hurwitz et de Nuit et brouillard (1955) d’Alain Resnais)

2008: Pictures at an Exhibition (8’57 – fragment de L’Ouvroir – The Movie – Youtube: Kosinki’s channel)

2008: Metrotopia (412 – Youtube: Kosinki’s channel)

2008: The Morning after (5’41 – Youtube : Kosinki’s channel)

2009: L’Ouvroir – the Movie (29′ – en collaboration avec Max Moswitzer)

2011: Tempo risoluto (615 – Youtube: Kosinki’s channel)

2011: Royal Polka (1 ’23 – Youtube : Kosinki’s channel)

2011: Overnight (2’42 – Youtube: Kosinki’s channel)

2011: Imagine (0’31 – Youtube: Kosinki’s channel)

2011: Kino (1 ’45 – Youtube: Kosinki’s channel)

2011: iDead(2’27 – Youtube: Kosinki’s channel)

2011: And you are here (4’44 – clip vidéo de Damon and Naomi)

ASSISTANT RÉALISATEUR

1955: Nuit et brouillard d’Alain Resnais (32’ – assistant réalisateur)

1956: Toute la mémoire du monde d’Alain Resnais (22’ – assistant réalisateur) Commentaire, texte

1957: Django Reinhardt de Paul Paviot (25’06 – commentaire)

1957: Le Mystère de l’atelier quinze d’Alain Resnais et André Heinrich (18’- commentaire)

1958: Des hommes dans le ciel de Jean-Jacques Languepin et André Suire (9’47 – commentaire)

1958: La Mer et les jours de Raymond Vogel et Alain Kaminker (22’ – commentaire)

1958: Le Siècle à soif de Raymond Vogel (14’36 – commentaire)

1958: Le Vivarium de Gérard Calderon (10’49 — commentaire)

1960: L’Amérique insolite de François Reichenbach (90’ – commentaire) 1963:… à Valparaiso de Joris Ivens (34’ – commentaire)

1965: Demain la Chine de Claude Otzenberger (75’20 – Image et commentaire)

1965: La Surface perdue de Dolorès Grassian (19’ – co-narration)

1966: Le Volcan interdit d’Haroun Tazieff (79’30 – commentaire)

1966: Europort: Rotterdam de Joris Ivens (20’ – adaptation du commentaire en français)

1970: L’Afrique express de Danièle Tessier et Jacques Lang (19’35 – texte Introductif)

1973: Kashima Paradise de Yann Le Masson et Bernle Deswarte (170’ réduite à 104’ – commentaire)

1979: Le Labyrinthe d’herbes de Shuji Terayama (37’46 – version française)

1987: Treasure Island (L’île au trésor) de Raul Ruiz (133’ – écriture de la voix off)

MONTAGE, IMAGE, SON

1958: Broadway by lights de William Klein (10’30 – banc titre)

1962: Jouer à Paris de Catherine Varlin (27’ – montage)1964: La Brûlure de mille soleils de Dierre Kast (25’ – montage)

1964: La Douceur du village de François Reichenbach (47’ – montage)

1966: D’un lointain regardée Jean Ravel (10’ – co-directeur de la photographie)

1970: L’Aveu de Costa Gavras (140’ – photographe de plateau) 1970/1972: On vous parle de Flins de Guy Devart (30’ – monteur et Images) 1971: Le Traîneau-échelle de Jean- Pierre Thiébaud (8’ – photo et mixage son)

1971: We hâve corne back – Congo Oye d’Eldrldge Cleaver (n/a – montage)

1974: Les Deux mémoires de Jorge Semprun (141 ’ – montage et son)

1994: One sister and many brothers de Dusan Makavejev (4’ – image) Conseil, Contribution

1965: Les Chemins de la fortune de Pierre Kassovitz (43’ – conseiller artistique)

1971: Le Bonheur (1935) d’Alexandre Medvedkine (95’ – bande-son et distribution française)

1972: La Première année de Patrlcio Guzman (90’ – production et sous- titrage)

1973: On vous parle du Chili: ce que disait Allende de Miguel Littin (16’ – post-production)

1975-1979: La Bataille du Chili de Patrlcio Guzman (243’ – aide au scénario et production)

1978: Le Recours de la Méthode – Viva el présidente de Miguel Littin (190’ réduite à 164’ – sous-titrage)

1988: Les Pyramides bleues d’Arielle Dombasle (97’ – conseiller artistique)

1988: Elégie de Moscou d’Alexandre Sokourov (88’ – production)

1994: Le Coeur a rendu l’âme de Jean-François Dars et Anne Paplllaut (52’ – comseiller musical)

2006: Sheitande Kim Chapiron (97’ – « voix dans la télé «)

2010: Superscience: Lightning Chasers de Manfred Christ (60’ – post-production / coloriste)

2011: The Third Cat de Max Moswltzer (11’14-choix de la musique)

Chris Marker, as you may remember, wrote the narration for Bibliothèque Nationale (Toute la mémoire du monde) and Statues Also Die (which the public still has only been able to see in a version cut to half its length by the censorship board). These incisive, powerful texts, in which cutting irony plays hide and seek with poetry, would be enough to secure their author a privileged place in the field of short filmmaking, currently the liveliest fringe of the French cinema. As the writer of the narrations for these films by his friend Resnais, with whom he shares a marvelous understanding, Chris Marker has already profoundly altered the visual relationship between text and image. But his ambition was obviously even more radical, and it became necessary for him to make his own films.

First there was Sunday in Peking, which justly won a prize at the 1956 Festival of Tours, and now, at last, there is the extraordinary Letter from Siberia. Admirable as Sunday in Peking was, it was also slightly disappointing, in that the restrictions of the short format seemed inadequate for such a big subject. And it also has to be said that the images, while often very beautiful, did not supply sufficient documentary material in the end. It left us wanting more. But the seed of the dialectic between word and image that Marker would go on to sow in Letter from Siberia was already there. In the new film, it grows to the dimensions appropriate to a feature film, and takes the weight.

“A Documentary Point of View”

How to describe Letter from Siberia? Negatively, at first, in pointing out that it resembles absolutely nothing that we have ever seen before in films with a documentary basis – films with “a subject.” But then it becomes necessary to say what it is. Flatly and objectively, it is a film report from a Frenchman given the rare privilege of traveling freely in Siberia, covering several thousand kilometers. Although in the last three years we have seen several film reports from French travelers in Russia. Letter from Siberia resembles none of them. So. We must take a closer look. I would propose the following approximate description: Letter from Siberia is an essay on the reality of Siberia past and present in the form of a filmed report. Or. perhaps, to borrow Jean Vigos formulation of À propos de Nice (“a documentary point of view”), I would say, an essay documented by film. The important word is “essay,” understood in the same sense that it has in literature — an essay at once historical and political, written by a poet as well.

Generally, even in politically engaged documentaries or those with a specific point to make, the image (which is to say, the uniquely cinematic element) effectively constitutes the primary material of the film. The orientation of the work is expressed through the choices made by the filmmaker in the montage, with the commentary completing the organization of the sense thus conferred on the document. With Marker it works quite differently. I would say that the primary material is intelligence, that its immediate means of expression is language, and that the image only intervenes in the third position, in reference to this verbal intelligence. The usual process is reversed. I will risk another metaphor: Chris Marker brings to his films an absolutely new notion of montage that I wall call “horizontal,” as opposed to traditional montage that plays with the sense of duration through the relationship of shot to shot. Here, a given image doesn’t refer to the one that preceded it or the one that will follow, but rather it refers laterally, in some way, to what is said.

From the Ear to the Eye

Better, it might be said that the basic element is the beauty of what is said and heard, that intelligence flows from the audio element to the visual. The montage has been forged from ear to eye. Because of space limitations, I will describe only a single example, which is also the film’s most successful moment. Marker presents us with a documentary image that is at once full of significance and completely neutral: a street in Irkutsk. We see a bus going by and workers repairing the roadway, and then at the end of the shot a fellow with a somewhat strange face (or at least, little blessed by nature) who happens to pass in front of the camera. Marker then comments on these rather banal images from two opposed points of view: first, that of the Communist party line, in the light of which the unknown pedestrian becomes “‘a picturesque representative of the north country,” and then in that of the reactionary perspective, in which he becomes “a troubling Asiatic.”

This single, thought-provoking antithesis is a brilliant stroke of inspiration in itself, but its wit remains rather facile. Its then that the author offers a third commentary, impartial and minutely detailed, that objectively describes the unhappy Mongol as ‘”a cross-eyed Yakout.” And this time we are way beyond cleverness and irony, because what Marker has just demonstrated is that objectivity is even more false than the two opposed partisan points of view: that, at least in relation to certain realities, impartiality is an illusion. The operation we have observed is thus precisely dialectic, consisting of placing the same image in three different intellectual contexts and following the results.

Intelligence and Talent

In order to give the reader a complete sense of this unprecedented enterprise, it remains for me to point out that Chris Marker does not restrict himself to using documentary images filmed on the spot, but uses any and all filmic material that might help his case—including still images (engravings and photos), of course, but also animated cartoons. Like McLaren, he does not hesitate to say the most serious things in the most comic way (as in the sequence with the mammoths). There is only one common denominator in this firework display of technique: intelligence. Intelligence and talent. It is only just to also point out that the photography is by Sacha Viemy. the music the work of Pierre Barbaud. and that the narration is excellently read by Georges Rouquier.

Andre Bazin, 1958