La Sixieme Face Du Pentagone / A Bientot J’Espere / Puisqu’on vous dit que c’est possible / L’Ambassade / 2084

Collection of short films which involved Chris Marker, largely working with and in collective groups (slightly unfair to single out Marker) from the late60’s/ early 70’s (with ‘2084’ from later). Again, difficult to do more than cursorily describe; it’s in the content, and is strictly demarked from traditional film aesthetics.
La Sixieme Face Du Pentagone (Documentary, 27’, w/ Francois Reichenbach, 1967); Washington Demonstration. Marker not afraid to mark his evaluative content. Deliberately presents it his way, overriding the speeches. Interests in those outside of the ‘movement’; Nazis and police. Verite at street level, but with a a hint of playfulness
A Bientot J’Espere (Documentary, w/ Mario Marret, 45’, 1967); French unionists. Again, awareness of self, though always off camera. Longer interviews, stiller camera. Focus on the unsaid, what is outside, on occasion, breaks up classic realist. Use of stills, often very fast, here and elsewhere. Used to start and end. Film clearly committed, conscious raising. Powerful.
Puisqu’on vous dit que c’est possible (Documentary, edited by Marker from others’ footage, 43’, 1973); more fragmented, with some visual tricks (intertitles for names, move from shooting T.V. to direct footage. Very much part of the action. Almost otherworldly with switches from types of film. Less unified, for obvious reasons.
L’Ambassade (’22, 1975); An embarrassing confession, we thought it was real. It came across as absolutely stunning, which was a little naive. It is incredibly powerful, with such a quiet air to it, great tension created by the almost blank style of footage grasped. We see Marker operates with quite fast cuts, obviously nearly entirely handheld, pan and scan, hazy racking in scene, etc. Also complete disjunction of sound and image, with narration (i- for cost? ii- control over material, distancing technique). Within this, there is a piece that genuinely makes one’s brain fire over the issues confronted. Remarkable short segment of the silent political debate. All so underplayed. Marker does though succeed in always achieving a remarkable contrasting aesthetic, from the sheer back-to-basics of his approach.
2084 (10’, 1984); quite a straightforward message, mediated through a questioning rather than prescriptive focus on technology. Very simple.