Chris   Marker’s   1962  film   La   Jetée  narrates  a  story  in  a  very   different   way  that  we   are   used   to  seeing   in   the  movie  format.     Marker  uses   the  combination   of   still  images,   many   of  them   repeated  throughout   the  sequence,   music  and   sounds,   and   a  narration   provided  by  a  male  voice.    The   story   is   very  intriguing.     The  images   of   the  protagonist’s  childhood   that  compel   him  throughout   his   life,  end   up   being   the  images   of   his   own  death.     I   find   the  storyline   a   bit  confusing   though.    The  concept  of  time  travel   is   something  that   is   pretty   hard  to   grasp   because   it  is   not   something  that   we   are   able   to  

do,  and  if  we  were  able  to  do  it,  would  our  presence  in  whatever  time  we  went  to  change  was  has  already  happened?     The   protagonist’s   viewing   of   his   own  death  is  integral  to  what  happens  to  him  later  on  in  life.    But  then  in  the  storyline  of  the  film,  we  are  left  at   the   scene   of   the   man’s   death,   at   the   airport,  where  the  boy  views  it.    Is  this  story  destined  to  by  cyclical?     Is   this  world   created   by  Marker   stuck   in  this  singular  path?    Does  the  boy  grow  up  again  and  repeat  the  same  actions?    Or  is  he  able  to  choose  a  different  destiny  later  on?    Although   I   find  myself   questioning   the   plot   of   the  film,   I   think   that   Marker’s   way   of   presenting   it   is  very   successful.     His   use   of   repetition   allows   the  viewer  to  build  a  relationship  with  the  image.    And  although   the   image   doesn’t   change,   our  understanding   of   it   does   as   we   learn   more  information  from  the  narrator  and  see  more  events  that  unfold.    I   think   that   all   of   the   components   of   the   story   are  very  dependent  on  one  another.     If  we  were   just  to  see   the   see   the   sequence   of   images,   without   any  sound   or   narration,   I   think   we’d   be   able   to  understand  maybe  the  essence  of   the  story,  but  we  really  wouldn’t  be  able  to  glean  enough  information  to   truly   understand   the   characters   and   their  relationships   with   one   another.     I   wonder   how  different   the   experience   would   be   if   this   film   was  translated   into   a   book   and   all   of   the   narration  became  text  that  the  viewer  read.    Even  though  this  experience   would   allow   the   reader   to   be   able   to  create  a  bit  of  a  cinematic,  visual  experience  in  their  minds   with   the   help   of   the   text,   I   don’t   think   it  

would   quite   as  successful   as   the  film   itself.     In   the  reading,   they  mention   the   usage  of   black   leader  between   images.    This   creates   a  tension   of   the  viewer,   waiting   for  either   the   narrator  to   start   speaking  again,   or   for   the  return   of   an   image,  and   creates   a  specific   atmosphere  or   mood.     The  convention   of  sound   is   a   crucial  element  in  the  film.    But   even   though   a  book   format   would  be   a   very   different  experience   than   the  film,  it  has  made  me  think   a   lot   about  the   sequencing   of  images   and   what  story   can   unfold  from   a   simple  decision   as   the  repetition   of   an  image.