Jan 17th

La Jetée
On face value La Jetée is a 29 minute French film from the '60's shot almost entirely using still black and white photographs rather than moving image, with narration over the top. Doesn't sound very interesting or important. A bit too art-house maybe? Not the type of film to entertain or inspire?
Wrong.
La Jetée is the film that inspired 12 Monkeys. It's the film on which it is based, taken from and expanded upon.
However, that doesn't make 12 Monkeys any less of a film, or La Jetée unwatchable.
Where 12 Monkeys focuses a lot upon the science fiction and time travel aspect, and of course the mainstream love story, La Jetée gives a much bleaker vision of the future and the war, due to the black and white still imagery. It seems a lot colder and more desolate. In ways you feel the lead character's pain and suffering at the hands of scientists more.
La Jetée also plays with the idea of visiting the future too, to see if the human race actually ever manages to rebuild itself after the events of World War Three. This was thought provoking for myself, having seen 12 Monkeys before this.
All in all, a great short film and you can see why it inspired Gilliam et al. to create their epic.