La Jetée - Chris Darke (BFI Film Classics)

'La Jetée' by Chris Darke (BFI Film Classics 96-page paperback)

Chris Marker's La Jetée is 28 minutes long and almost entirely made up of black-and-white still images. Since its release in 1964, the film – which Marker described as a 'photo-novel' – has haunted generations of viewers, and its spiralling narrative of post-war time travel has inspired writers, artists and filmmakers.

But as Marker rarely gave interviews, little is known about the origins of La Jetée or the ideas behind it. In this groundbreaking study, Chris Darke draws on rare archival material, including previously unpublished correspondence and production documents, to shed new light on the making of the film. In his afterword to this new edition, Darke considers La Jetée's continuing impact on contemporary cinema and culture.