The Films Of CHRIS MARKER Available Soon On DVD

Posted by The Visitor at 2:20am.

Posted in DVD News , Documentary, Continental Europe & Russia, USA & Canada.

O joy! O happiness! This is truly a cause for celebration and rejoice. The films of legendary film essayist Chris Marker have long been unavailable on any format, but the new Icarus Films home video label has announced a few titles from Marker’s filmography to be released this fall.

Marker is probably best known for the seminal sci-fi short, La Jetee, which also happens to be my favourite film of all time. He’s made some of the most incredible documentaries, including some on famous filmmakers like Kurosawa Akira and Andrei Tarkovsky.

The following titles will be available for the first time on DVD in the US:

The Case Of The Grinning Cat (2004) - This DVD will also include seven bonus films, Three Cheers For The Whale, Leila Attacks!, Cat Listening To Music, An Owl Is An Owl Is An Owl, Zoo Piece, Bullfight In Okinawa, and Slon Tango.

The Last Bolshevik (1993) and Happiness (1934) - a two-disc set featuring Marker’s historical documentary on Soviet filmmaker Aleksandr Medvedkin, and Happiness, Medvedkin’s silent classic. Includes supplementary interviews and related shorts.

The Sixth Side Of The Pentagon (1967) - co-directed with Francois Reichenbach, a documentary on the 1967 March On The Pentagon. Includes Marker’s fictional short, The Embassy.

Remembrance Of Things To Come (2001) - co-directed with Yannick Bellon, about the life and work of photojournalism pioneer Denise Bellon. Included is Colette, a short by Yannick Bellon on the famous French writer.

These DVDs hit the streets on Sept 2 this year. Pre-orders can be made starting July 29. Icarus promises more Marker titles, and two to be released later this year are One Day In The Life Of Andrei Arsenevich (1999), Marker’s homage to Tarkovsky; and A Grin Without A Cat (1977), Marker’s epic three-hour essay on the political wars of the 60s and 70s.