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Sans Soleil 1983Chris MarkerA better essay film has never been made and it's almost certainly Marker's essential work. Sans Soleil (Sunless) is a travelogue that is as political as it is poetic. Mostly set in Japan, though also featuring the people and histories of Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Paris, Iceland, and the San Francisco of Vertigo. It Cold War tale, shot and edited throughout the 1970s. Tokyo is the avant-garde of the late 20th century. Hypermodern masses whose uses of tradition and ritual are inseparable from their modernity. The narrator reads letters from the mystery at the heart of the film, always Marker himself. Political meaning is made through the dialectics of its edit. But also humor and irony. Its synchronous and somewhat synthetic audio track is as essential as every other piece. It's an immensely beautiful and haunting film. It is a masterpiece.French language narration. An English version is also available like many of Marker's other films of the period.*****mp4 with hardcoded french subs