Chris Marker : M-轻识

Chris Marker is one of the most extraordinary and influential film-makers of our time. In landmark films such as "Letter from Siberia" (1958), "La Jetee" (1962), "Sans Soleil" (1982) and "Level Five" (1996), he overturned the conventions of the cinema, confounding normal distinctions between documentary and fiction, private and public concerns, writing and visual recording, and the still and moving image. Yet these works are only the better-known elements of a protean career that to date has spanned the second half of the twentieth century and encompassed writing, photography, film-making, video, television and the expanding field of digital multimedia. Catherine Lupton traces the development and transformation of Marker's work from the late 1940s, when he began to work as a poet, novelist and critic for the French journal "Esprit", through to the 1990s, and the release of his most recent works: the feature film "Level Five" and the CD ROM "Immemory". She incorporates the historical events, shifts and cultural contexts that most productively illuminate the different phases of Marker's career. He stands out as a singular figure whose work resists easy assimilation into the mainstream of cultural and cinematic trends. Marker's oeuvre moves in circles, with each project recycling and referring back to earlier works and to a host of other adopted texts, and proceeds by way of oblique association and lateral digression. This circular movement is ideally suited to capturing and mapping Marker's abiding and consummate obsession: the forms and operations of human memory. "Chris Marker: Memories of the Future" itself aims to capture something of this movement, in forming a comprehensive analysis and overview of this modern master's prolific and multi-faceted career.

"A gentle, firm, lucid tracking down of the greatest ever movie essayist . . . There could not be a better introduction."

-- David Thomson ― The Week Published On: 2005-04-05

"Lupton's book is. . . a thoroughly necessary guide"

― Modern Painters Published On: 2005-05-01

"Her prose is refreshingly jargon-free . . .Lupton draws thematic connections between isolated moments in Mar...

"A gentle, firm, lucid tracking down of the greatest ever movie essayist . . . There could not be a better introduction."

-- David Thomson ― The Week Published On: 2005-04-05

"Lupton's book is. . . a thoroughly necessary guide"

― Modern Painters Published On: 2005-05-01

"Her prose is refreshingly jargon-free . . .Lupton draws thematic connections between isolated moments in Marker's films with an ease born of familiarity, and her film analyses are lucid and interesting . . . the first complete English-language survey of Marker's work is an invaluable reference."

-- James Ervin ― Rain Taxi Published On: 2005-06-01

"This is the first study of him in English to reveal the full scope of a luminous career . . . Lupton steers through the maze of Marker's world with admirable clear-headedness and isn't afraid to point out when he might fall short of greatness. . . . satisfyingly complex."

― Frieze Published On: 2005-05-01

"A highly recommended Chris Marker primer and a much-welcome addition to the growing debate and interest around his work outside of France."

-- Mikael Astronomeow ― Film Comment Published On: 2005-12-01

"Helpfully supplies some background about his path to cinema. . . . Its greatest value lies in the sheer amount of information about Marker. . . . Lupton does justice to the artist behind the persona."

-- Steve Erickson ― Cineaste Published On: 2005-12-01

"Provides comprehensive insights into the enigmatic auteur and his unpredictable career."

-- Leslie Woodhead ― The Times Higher Education Supplement Published On: 2006-01-13

"A succinct, comprehensive account of [Marker's] work."

-- Emilie Bickerton ― London Review of Books Published On: 2006-04-20 --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Catherine Lupton is a writer and photographer. She is the author of Chris Marker: Memories of the Future and of the texts for the Criterion Collection's DVD edition of Marker's films.

--This text refers to the paperback edition.