Film Review: Sans Soleil
Sans Soleil is a montage-style documentary regarding human memory, the passage of time, and culture throughout the world. You can infer your own threads of thought throughout the film, and I think that's one of the reasons that this documentary is so compelling. Sans Soleil revolves around the video recordings and letters of a fictitious camera man on his travels, largely through Japan and Guinea-Bissau (although I wasn't aware that he was fictional until I checked the IMDb after I watched the film).
Putting any fictional cameraman thoughts aside, Sans Soleil was a friendly walk through different cultures, as if heard from a friend or an old home video. At times, images unified the different places, and other times the images bore witness to the stark differences of a thriving metropolis and a jungle society.
There were many delightful editing choices, and I find myself discovering something new each time I watch Sans Soleil. For instance, towards the middle of the film, the sleeping passengers on the train echoed the opening scenes of similar people on a ferry. Both of these sections are contrasted by the loud, rhythmic parade scenes. The monotonous sounds throughout the film guided me into this near-trance state, where I was intently looking at the images, studying each and every curve. This happened during the slower-moving sections, but it was heightened when the images moved or changed at a faster rate.
The cut from the man shooting a gun to the giraffe dying increased the fear factor of both images. The man was pointing the gun towards the viewer, which causes a panic response. The next clip is a giraffe, which appears to be shot from the direction away from the viewer, or as if the viewer is the one now shooting the giraffe. This contrast in motion helps to bring the viewer in on the action, an take a personal emotional interest in what's happening on the screen. For a moment, I really felt as if the bullet hit me, and then I shot the giraffe. As I watched the giraffe die, I felt the pains on being a helpless bystander.
The overall feel and theme of Sans Soleil is captured, not only in the little nuisances and editing choices, but for the overall tone of the film. Narrated as if my friend is sharing his recent adventures with me, I was automatically emotionally attached to what was going on on the screen. I think we all like to know what other people's lives are like, and Sans Soleil jumps into that idea head first. As the film progresses, the images and tones increase in intensity. Near the end, chaotic images with inverted colors litter the screen while the narrator reads of the people who are not people. This is a far cry from the mellow, sentimental images and thoughts at the beginning of the film. This change in tone not only kept my interest in the film, but it echoed the ways of life. At times, our lives and our memories are pleasant and calm, then in an instant we could be plunging into chaos.
Did you watch Sans Soleil? If so, what are your thoughts on the film? Leave a comment below!
If you haven't seen this film, then what are you waiting for? Go watch it, come back here, and leave a comment so that we can chat about it!
Here's the first minute of Sans Soleil:
Putting any fictional cameraman thoughts aside, Sans Soleil was a friendly walk through different cultures, as if heard from a friend or an old home video. At times, images unified the different places, and other times the images bore witness to the stark differences of a thriving metropolis and a jungle society.
There were many delightful editing choices, and I find myself discovering something new each time I watch Sans Soleil. For instance, towards the middle of the film, the sleeping passengers on the train echoed the opening scenes of similar people on a ferry. Both of these sections are contrasted by the loud, rhythmic parade scenes. The monotonous sounds throughout the film guided me into this near-trance state, where I was intently looking at the images, studying each and every curve. This happened during the slower-moving sections, but it was heightened when the images moved or changed at a faster rate.
The cut from the man shooting a gun to the giraffe dying increased the fear factor of both images. The man was pointing the gun towards the viewer, which causes a panic response. The next clip is a giraffe, which appears to be shot from the direction away from the viewer, or as if the viewer is the one now shooting the giraffe. This contrast in motion helps to bring the viewer in on the action, an take a personal emotional interest in what's happening on the screen. For a moment, I really felt as if the bullet hit me, and then I shot the giraffe. As I watched the giraffe die, I felt the pains on being a helpless bystander.
The overall feel and theme of Sans Soleil is captured, not only in the little nuisances and editing choices, but for the overall tone of the film. Narrated as if my friend is sharing his recent adventures with me, I was automatically emotionally attached to what was going on on the screen. I think we all like to know what other people's lives are like, and Sans Soleil jumps into that idea head first. As the film progresses, the images and tones increase in intensity. Near the end, chaotic images with inverted colors litter the screen while the narrator reads of the people who are not people. This is a far cry from the mellow, sentimental images and thoughts at the beginning of the film. This change in tone not only kept my interest in the film, but it echoed the ways of life. At times, our lives and our memories are pleasant and calm, then in an instant we could be plunging into chaos.
Did you watch Sans Soleil? If so, what are your thoughts on the film? Leave a comment below!
If you haven't seen this film, then what are you waiting for? Go watch it, come back here, and leave a comment so that we can chat about it!
Here's the first minute of Sans Soleil:
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