French critics of 1946 were so wary of "La Belle et la bete" that its director decided to begin the film with a plea to his audience: "Children believe what we tell them," Jean Cocteau wrote across the screen. "I ask of you a little of this childlike simplicity." Children believed in the fairy tale of "Beauty and the Beast," but what were they … [Read more...]
Chris Marker on DVD: Things to come
Chris Marker doesn't fit into any of the buckets or boxes we use to contain and categorize filmmakers. The operative description seems to be "cine-essayist" -- but even that open-ended bag feels too conventional. Most of the now-elderly French artist's films are documentaries, of sorts, but they're relentlessly personal, subjective and … [Read more...]
