Chris Marker RIP

29 July 1921 - 29 July 2012, the same day!

Guardian: Marker’s creative use of sound, images and text in his poetic, political and philosophical documentaries made him one of the most inventive of film-makers. They looked forward to what is called “the new documentary”, but also looked back to the literary essay in the tradition of Michel de Montaigne. Marker’s interests lay in transitional societies - “life in the process of becoming history,” as he put it. How do various cultures perceive and sustain themselves and each other in the increasingly intermingled modern world?

He was probably most famous for the short film Le Jetee, which 12 Monkeys was based on, (it can be seen in full here) but I prefer this one Sans Soleil. Also, if you can manage to find it The Case of the Grinning Cat is a really fascinating take on post 911 French politics.