Chris Marker
Personal Info
Known for
Directing
Gender
Male
Birthday
1921-07-29
Day of Death
2012-07-29 (91 years old)
Place of Birth
Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France
Chris Marker
Biography
Christian François Bouche-Villeneuve, also known as Chris Marker (France: 29 July 1921 - 29 July 2012) was a French writer, poet, activist, internaut, critic, photographer, traveler, journalist, film enssayist, multimedia artist and documentary maker.
He began his work as part of the French Rive gauche group, parallel but different from the nouvelle vague, with which he would later share themes and works. He is credited with creating the subjective documentary and is considered a pioneer of collective cinema in France. His cinematographic work is known for its poetic, sometimes ethereal, and video-art-like expression. He dedicated himself, during sixty years of work, to observing, with meticulous curiosity, with caustic and often amusing irony, even with anger, the vicissitudes of world history and also of the individual (memory, art, wars, politics, culture, nature, etc), all this while experimenting with various methods of image manipulation and montage.
He is also known for the ignorance of his person. For years, hardly anyone knew what Chris Marker looked like, he didn't like being photographed, so there were no photos of him. It amused him to offer contradictory accounts of his life in the few written interviews he gave. The closest you can get to Marker's intimate life is in his film career. Philippe Dubois once said: "Chris Marker is, in a way, the most celebrated of the unknown filmmakers". "Rather than a Man Without Qualities, he is a Man Without Biography," says his official website: chrismarker.org.
He used many pseudonyms too, some are Hayao Yamaneko, Jacopo Berenzini, Kosinki, Michel Krasna, Sandor Krasna, Guillaume-en-Égypte (his avatar) & the best known Chris Marker.
Some of his most important works are La Jetée (1962), Sans Soleil (1983), Far From Vietnam (1967), A Grin Without a Cat (1977), Level Five (1997), A.K. (1985) & One Day In the Life of Andrei Arsenevitch (1999). He also dabbled in CD-ROMs with Immemory (1997), has a website called Gorgomancy, a Youtube channel called Kosinki & created a whole world dedicated to his interests, life and works, called 'Ouvroir', in the virtual world game: Second Life.
Acting
(2023)
Ten Lives of a Cat: A Film about Chris Marker
as Kaibyō (archive footage)
(2020)
(2015)
Chris Marker: Never Explain, Never Complain
as Self (archive footage)
(2011)
(2011)
In Chris Marker's Studio
as Self
(2009)
La Traversée du désir
as Self
(2008)
The Beaches of Agnès
as Self (archive footage)
(1999)
One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich
as Self (voice) (uncredited)
(1997)
Level Five
as Self (voice) (uncredited)
(1990)
Rush - Voyage à Moscou
as Self
(1988)
Tokyo Days
as Self (voice) (uncredited)
(1985)
A. K.
as Self - Narrator (voice)
(1985)
Tokyo-Ga
as Self (uncredited)
(1983)
Sans Soleil
as Self (uncredited)
(1978)
May Days
as Self
(1973)
Kashima Paradise
as Narrator (voice)
(1965)
The Koumiko Mystery
as Narrator
(1963)
The Lovely Month of May
as Self / Interviewer (voice)
(1962)
(1957)
Letter from Siberia
as Stargazer (uncredited)
Crew
ECU
Thanks
(2024)
Simons: A Journey of Historical Conjunction and Remembrance
Original Concept
(2019)
Lluvia de jaulas
Thanks
(2017)
The Zone
Short Story
(2013)
La Jétee
Story
(2012)
(2012)
20 Little Films
Director
(2012)
Kino
Director
(2011)
Imagine
Director
(2011)
ROYAL POLKA.mov
Director
(2011)
Overnight
Director, Writer
(2011)
Tempo Risoluto
Editor, Director
(2011)
Stopover in Dubai
Director
(2011)
iDead
Director
(2010)
Ouvroir the Movie
Director
(2008)
Guillaume Movie
Writer, Director
(2008)
The Morning After
Director, Editor
(2008)
Pictures at an Exhibition
Director
(2008)
Metrotopia
Writer, Director
(2008)
Henchman Glance
Director
(2007)
A Year of TV Seen by Guillaume
Editor, Director
(2007)
Leila Attacks
Director, Director of Photography
(2007)
The Andrei Tarkovsky Companion
Director
(2006)
The Case of the Grinning Cat
Director, Writer
(2004)
Green Vinyl
Thanks
(2001)
Remembrance of Things to Come
Writer, Director, Music
(2000)
A Mayor in Kosovo
Director
(1999)
One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich
Director, Writer, Editor, Director of Photography
(1999)
Eclipse
Director
(1997)
Level Five
Writer, Director, Original Music Composer, Director of Photography
(1995)
Silent Movie (Edit 2)
Director
(1995)
Blue Helmet
Director, Writer, Editor
(1995)
Twelve Monkeys
Original Film Writer
(1994)
Bullfight in Okinawa
Director
(1994)
Three Haiku Videos
Writer, Producer, Director
(1994)
Owl Gets in Your Eyes
Director
(1994)
Tchaïka
Director, Editor
(1994)
Petite Ceinture
Director
(1993)
The Last Bolshevik
Director, Editor, Writer, Director of Photography
(1993)
Prime Time in the Camps
Director
(1993)
Slon Tango
Director
(1991)
Theory of Sets
Director, Producer
(1990)
Rush - Voyage à Moscou
Director
(1990)
An Owl Is an Owl Is an Owl
Director
(1990)
Berlin 1990
Director
(1990)
Zoo Piece
Director
(1990)
Zapping Zone
Director
(1990)
Détour Ceausescu
Director, Writer
(1990)
Berliner Ballade
Director, Editor, Writer
(1988)
Cat Listening to Music
Director
(1988)
Tokyo Days
Director, Editor, Writer, Director of Photography
(1986)
Mémoires pour Simone
Director
(1986)
Havre
Thanks
(1985)
Matta '85
Director
(1985)
From Chris to Christo
Director
(1985)
A. K.
Director, Writer, Editor
(1984)
(1983)
Sans Soleil
Writer, Director, Editor, Director of Photography, Visual Effects, Music
(1981)
Junkopia
Original Music Composer, Writer, Director, Editor
(1979)
The Battle of Chile: Part III
Producer, Other
(1978)
(1977)
A Grin Without a Cat
Writer, Director, Editor
(1976)
The Spiral
Editor
(1976)
The Battle of Chile: Part II
Producer
(1974)
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Singer
Director, Editor
(1974)
Les Deux mémoires
Editor
(1973)
The Embassy
Writer, Director
(1973)
The Train Rolls On
Director
(1973)
We Maintain It Is Possible
Director
(1973)
(1973)
Kashima Paradise
Writer
(1972)
Three Cheers for the Whale
Director, Sound, Writer, Editor
(1971)
Cuba: Battle of the 10,000,000
Director
(1971)
(1971)
(1971)
(1970)
The Confession
Still Photographer
(1970)
Report on Brazil: Carlos Marighella
Director, Editor, Writer
(1969)
Report on Brazil: Torture
Director, Writer
(1969)
Jour de tournage
Director
(1969)
Class of Struggle
Director
(1968)
The Sixth Side of the Pentagon
Director, Producer, Director of Photography
(1968)
Be Seeing You
Director
(1968)
Cinétracts
Director, Writer
(1967)
Far from Vietnam
Director, Writer, Editor, Producer
(1966)
If I Had Four Dromedaries
Writer, Director, Editor, Director of Photography
(1966)
The Forbidden Volcano
Writer, Screenplay
(1965)
The Koumiko Mystery
Director, Writer, Director of Photography, Editor
(1965)
(1964)
Valparaiso
Screenplay
(1964)
From a Distant Gaze
Director of Photography
(1963)
The Lovely Month of May
Director, Writer
(1962)
La Jetée
Director, Director of Photography, Screenplay
(1962)
Playtime in Paris
Editor
(1961)
¡Cuba Sí!
Writer, Screenplay, Director of Photography, Director
(1960)
Description of a Struggle
Director, Writer
(1960)
(1959)
The Astronauts
Director
(1959)
Night and Fog
Assistant Director, Script Editor
(1958)
Broadway by Light
Writer
(1958)
The Sea and the Days
Writer
(1958)
Des Hommes Dans Le Ciel
Writer
(1958)
Les hommes de la baleine
Writer
(1957)
Letter from Siberia
Director, Writer
(1957)
(1957)
Django Reinhardt
Screenplay
(1956)
Sunday in Peking
Director, Writer, Director of Photography
(1953)
Statues Also Die
Director, Writer
(1952)
Olympia 52
Director, Writer
(1947)
The End of the World Seen by the Angel Gabriel
Director, Writer, Editor, Director of Photography