- Thursday, April 01, 2010
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Poetry Meets Politics: The Essay — Chris Marker's Le joli mai
Phyllis Wattis Theater
7:00 p.m.
Le joli mai, Chris Marker and Pierre Lhomme, 1963, 123 min., 16mm
Curated, presented and introduced by Irina LeimbacherPresented at the museum in May 1976, Le joli mai is one of Chris Marker's great but lesser-known essay films. Mixing voice-over commentary with a series of interviews with Parisians from all walks of life, the film was made possible by the new, lightweight, synch-sound equipment that allowed for spontaneous filming. It moves rapidly between questions about personal happiness to those of national and global politics — from the new consumerism to union organizing, women's rights, colonial relationships, and the French-Algerian War that had just ended. – Irina Leimbacher
Part of 75 Years in the Dark: A Partial History of Film at SFMOMA.
Each program: $5 general; free for SFMOMA members or with museum admission (requires a free ticket, which can be picked up in the Haas Atrium).
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Image: Chris Marker, La Joli Mai (still), 1963; courtesy The Museum of Modern Art Department of Film. Print courtesy of David Shepard.
