La Jetée (1962, Chris Marker) with Dr. Dennis Weiss - Criterion Collection Spine #387
Why This Film?
“The past is dead!”
In the premiere episode of Why This Film?, I sit down with Dr. Dennis Weiss to explore Chris Marker's La Jetée (1962), a groundbreaking French science fiction short film that redefined what cinema could be. Released as Criterion Collection Spine #387, this 28-minute masterpiece is composed almost entirely of still photographs, creating a meditation on memory, time, and human longing.
Directed by Chris Marker and starring Jean Negroni, La Jetée tells the story of a man sent back in time. Shot in black and white with a photomontage technique, the film influenced Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys and continues to challenge our understanding of cinematic storytelling.
Dr. Dennis Weiss is a retired philosophy professor and curator of the long-running Philosophy, Drinks, & Film series in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He brings his expertise in philosophy and film theory to our conversation. Together, we examine how La Jetée uses form, sound design, and narrative structure to create emotion without traditional cinematic techniques.
We discuss:
- Why Marker chose still images over conventional filmmaking
- The film's exploration of memory
- Its influence on science fiction cinema
- The philosophical questions it raises about time and fate
- Why this film is included in the Criterion Collection.
Whether you're discovering La Jetée for the first time or revisiting this experimental classic, this conversation offers fresh insights into one of cinema's most innovative works.
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