It isn’t a whole feature, but Robert Downey Sr.’s CHAFED ELBOWS (from 1966) alternates between still photos and moving images. It’s been over a decade since I watched it, but as I wrote at the time, it isn’t as jarring as you might think.
12 Monkeys is great. I've known for a long time it was inspired by a French film, but it wasn't until I saw this would be the next entry in this series that I decided to track down and watch La Jetée. As someone who loves Vertigo, it was fun to see THAT come into this one too, to have this movie about time connect with films that came both before and after it.
Compared to most, I'd already seen a ton of American films from 1980 to now, but in recent years I've made a big push to see more American films from earlier, and foreign films from any era, and while simply experiencing a lot of great movies has been the biggest plus, recognizing more and more homages and inspirations has been an added bonus.
Recently I watched Robert Downey's Putney Swope (A second Downey film referenced in these comments... who saw that coming?), and while it didn't entirely work for me, there's a brief sequence in it any Boogie Nights fan would have to recognize as the inspiration for a similar sequence, which was neat.
I viewed LA JETÉE two weeks ago, and I was quite moved. Afterwards, the term “tone poem” came to mind. As in a poem, things are a bit fuzzy in this movie, but genuinely emotional. I don’t have a photographic memory, so I wouldn’t have something so detailed as the woman’s photo at the airport. However, in my dreams, people I have known well or not so well, are there fully enough. I even know how nice is it to see someone I didn’t know well, but yet have a meaningful interaction via conversation or whatever. When I wake up, I leave it. There’s a narrative lacking in dreams and there are certainly random events. Also there can be continual time, place and context changes. In the Wizard of Oz, it was a big reveal that Dorothy was dreaming. If the protagonist was woken up in this movie and told it was a dream, it would be no surprise at all. And anyways, dreams are a real thing in their own right and terms, so they have worth, and the filmmaker has brought together a dream that is solid, yet it can be interpreted in so many ways.
I watched this on YouTube years ago and even a low res quality version moved me deeply. I have watched it several times since then and have found the sound design to be part of what makes it an immersive experience.
My second observation on a rewatch was that the stills allow the time travel technology to be very low tech without losing much credibility. Even if it is a few wires and cotton strips, it was enough for me to suspend my disbelief.
I'm a big fan of TWELVE MONKEYS, but the best thing about the DVD I own is that LA JETÉE is included as a special feature. Incredible what it accomplishes so simply and in such a short span of time.
Just realized that the early 80s HBO staple of my youth, SOMEWHERE IN TIME, is a kind of LE JETÉE rip. (I originally wrote “late 70s” then checked the date. SOMEWHERE IN TIME is the most 1978 movie of 1980.)
Last night, I saw something made in 1962 that I have never seen before. Wow. You can make movies out of stills?
The soundscape of this movie is amazing -- the whispers, the thumping undercurrent when the plot is cooking. It's such a fully realized experience, all delivered well under 30 minutes.
It isn’t a whole feature, but Robert Downey Sr.’s CHAFED ELBOWS (from 1966) alternates between still photos and moving images. It’s been over a decade since I watched it, but as I wrote at the time, it isn’t as jarring as you might think.
Minor correction: You'll hit another short film much later, with Meshes of the Afternoon at #16.
Oh you're right! Correcting.
That one's half as long, too! Maybe we'll bring some other Deren films into the mix.
12 Monkeys is great. I've known for a long time it was inspired by a French film, but it wasn't until I saw this would be the next entry in this series that I decided to track down and watch La Jetée. As someone who loves Vertigo, it was fun to see THAT come into this one too, to have this movie about time connect with films that came both before and after it.
Compared to most, I'd already seen a ton of American films from 1980 to now, but in recent years I've made a big push to see more American films from earlier, and foreign films from any era, and while simply experiencing a lot of great movies has been the biggest plus, recognizing more and more homages and inspirations has been an added bonus.
Recently I watched Robert Downey's Putney Swope (A second Downey film referenced in these comments... who saw that coming?), and while it didn't entirely work for me, there's a brief sequence in it any Boogie Nights fan would have to recognize as the inspiration for a similar sequence, which was neat.
I viewed LA JETÉE two weeks ago, and I was quite moved. Afterwards, the term “tone poem” came to mind. As in a poem, things are a bit fuzzy in this movie, but genuinely emotional. I don’t have a photographic memory, so I wouldn’t have something so detailed as the woman’s photo at the airport. However, in my dreams, people I have known well or not so well, are there fully enough. I even know how nice is it to see someone I didn’t know well, but yet have a meaningful interaction via conversation or whatever. When I wake up, I leave it. There’s a narrative lacking in dreams and there are certainly random events. Also there can be continual time, place and context changes. In the Wizard of Oz, it was a big reveal that Dorothy was dreaming. If the protagonist was woken up in this movie and told it was a dream, it would be no surprise at all. And anyways, dreams are a real thing in their own right and terms, so they have worth, and the filmmaker has brought together a dream that is solid, yet it can be interpreted in so many ways.
I watched this on YouTube years ago and even a low res quality version moved me deeply. I have watched it several times since then and have found the sound design to be part of what makes it an immersive experience.
My second observation on a rewatch was that the stills allow the time travel technology to be very low tech without losing much credibility. Even if it is a few wires and cotton strips, it was enough for me to suspend my disbelief.
I'm a big fan of TWELVE MONKEYS, but the best thing about the DVD I own is that LA JETÉE is included as a special feature. Incredible what it accomplishes so simply and in such a short span of time.
“Sometimes it doesn’t take a war to wipe away the world we know.” What a line.
This is the kind of shit I subscribe for! What a great read.
Just realized that the early 80s HBO staple of my youth, SOMEWHERE IN TIME, is a kind of LE JETÉE rip. (I originally wrote “late 70s” then checked the date. SOMEWHERE IN TIME is the most 1978 movie of 1980.)
Just as MIDNIGHT EXPRESS is the most 1981 movie of 1978.
Last night, I saw something made in 1962 that I have never seen before. Wow. You can make movies out of stills?
The soundscape of this movie is amazing -- the whispers, the thumping undercurrent when the plot is cooking. It's such a fully realized experience, all delivered well under 30 minutes.
Now I must rewatch 12 Monkeys. And Vertigo!