Haidy Badreldin

900150918

La Jette (1962) Short Film Questions

1-Describe the narrative arc of the short film? What happens? What is it about?

 The narrative arc of the short film is a voice over narration and a series of black

and white still photographs/film stills that tells the story down in the tunnels

underneath the ruined city of Paris in the wake of a devastating Global War

(World War III), a man is subjected to time-travel experiments. The man is

pitched forward into the future and then backward into the past where he falls in

love and attempts to figure out the mysteries of his own existence. In other words,

the film tells the story of a man who is forced to explore his memories after the

wake of World War III’s devastation which is told through still images. The man

was a child before the war who saw a woman off in the distance of the outdoor

viewing platform. This specific memory is perhaps him noticing that a man died

at that time. Furthermore, on his trips between the present and this specific time in

his past, the man as an adult is able to develop a relationship with this woman.

2-What themes does the film explore?

 The film explores the time travel theme which is a very familiar theme in many

movies. Some people interpret it as an obsession in movies. For instance,

Terminator, Star Trek, and the Time Traveler’s wife.

  Movies themselves are a kind of time travel in the sense that when you watch a

movie you are projected back into the past and a movie as its being made is

projecting itself into the future.

 La Jette is more than just science fiction speculation about the mechanics of time

travel. It’s a philosophical investigation into the way that our minds perceive and

perhaps even construct our experience of time itself

3-How many narratives are there in the film structure? The Man – His POV only

 The only narraitive that exists in the film structure is the main and his point of

view as he is telling the story of himself marked by an image from his childhood

after the Paris destruction post World War III.

4-What elements are used to make this film? (locations, actors, technical equipment).

 The elements that are used to make this film are the pier or infrastructural jetty at

the airport. Also, in one of the photo stills, the protagonist is wearing a t-shirt with

the name of a comic-book wrestler “The Saint,” and the protagonist is also

wearing a US army jacket. Another element is the section of a sequoia tree in a

park which had signs on them (skulls) which symbolizes both the past and the

future.

5-Apart from the voiceover how do we understand the narrative? Are there visual symbols in the

film? Sequoia Tree = Time, Museum Still Objects

 Yes, there are visual symbols that help the audience understand the narrative such

as the sequoia tree and the museum still objects. The sequoia tree in the park can

be used or misused by a dictatorial power. In other words, the sequoia tree in the

park including the engraved skulls symbolizes both the past and the future. Also,
 the artifacts that define memory throughout the film are stable. Throughout the

short film, a film still of an image of a statue comes up.

6-What type of shots and edits are used to build the narrative?

 There were all kinds of shots throughout the short film that helped build the

narrative such as wide shots, medium, shots, and close up shots. Every shot was

integrated in an excellent way depending on the context and scene it was used for

as it greatly portrayed the main theme of the film and the meaning behind every

scene and how it collectively relates to the main theme and narrative of the short

film.