Comparing Le Jetee, the short, and 12 Monkeys, the full-length movie

 

                    Welcome back to my blog reader! Looking at La Jetée by Chris Marker the short and 12 Monkeys the full-length film by Terry Gilliam. My takeaway from the video is that both films might have their differences but still carry the same message, just one is the shorter version and the other is the longer version with more modern ideals. Moreover, some good information that I gathered is that the short film La Jetée is a photo-novel that consists of still-images that have a voiceover and non-diegetic sounds. Therefore, for the full-length film 12 Monkeys to be the same as La Jetée, it would have to undergo drastic changes. For instance, turn the images of the film to be still- images, turn the dialogue into a monotone narrator, to have English subtitles embedded on to the film or be in its original French, to be detached from the present action in order to provide a more distant feel about a story that consists of being obsessed with the past. Further, 12 Monkeys is a remodeling of the theme, storyline, and ideas found in La Jetée as a way to make an homage to the film. Further, La Jetée is a story that is told by pictures about a survivor of World War Three who is sent back to the time before the planet was destroyed in order to save humanity. The man was selected due to that he holds on to an image from his childhood that consist of a woman at a pier where simultaneously, the young boy witnesses the death of a man. Further, La Jetée does an incredible job of attempting to harness time and sculpt it. In addition, a similarity between the two films is that their protagonists are able to break free from their constraints and travel back and forth through time. But they lack control, and all they truly have are passing moments and memories to cherish with a significant other who cannot relate to what they are going through. Going back to La Jetée, it had over 400 images where some of them repeated themselves. However, due to the way they were used by Chris Marker, it is what makes the overall effect so strong. For instance, the use of shot reverse shots, clean cuts, and orientation, cross fades and dissolves that cause a dreamy ambience, longer holds that allow the audience to absorb certain images as well as the usage of sound such as a heartbeat percussion for rather sinister scenes and seductive instrumental music for the romantic scenes overall coming together to create the powerful effect that the film possesses. Additionally, another difference found in 12 Monkeys is that the writers set up a mystery to be solved. However, both films still have the same climax which is that of the explanation of what truly was the child’s hunting vision. Moreover, the way that I envision this information helping me through my short film process is that it taught me that the most important thing is the way that the content we have is used, even if the content was not as powerful by its own, if it is cleverly crafted together, it can make something incredibly powerful. Moving forward, I also analyzed the full-length 12 Monkeys and the short La Jetée through the article that makes a comparison between the two films. My takeaway from it is that 12 Monkey’s bases itself of La Jetée but expands on it in an innovative way with its science fiction ideals. Further, some good information that I gathered is that it further explained the way that the films compare and contrast. For instance, La Jetée follows the plot of a world that has been devastated by World War three in Paris, the citizens are being experimented underground in a mysterious manner where they are supposedly being treated by some scientists. In contrast, 12 Monkeys is a still a damaged futuristic society, but in this story instead of a war, they are facing a deadly virus that travels through air. Further, both films come to be similar as 12 Monkeys is the extended version of La Jetée. However, 12 Monkeys breaks down the realism created in the short film through the use of technology. Further, another similarity can be seen in the plot which is the relationship between the narrator and the woman. Although told differently, this relationship can be seen through James Cole and Dr. Katherine Railly. Moreover, the way that I envision this information will help me through my short film process is that it showed me the elements to considered depending the type of film you want to create as well as that two films can have different qualities but still send the same message. In addition, it also taught me how to apply homages to films. Well this is my cue to leave, till next time reader!