Additional resources for Anti War Graffiti

May 27, 2011 - 3:19 am 2 Comments
graffiti-creators Additional resources for Anti War Graffiti

Chris Marker holds a unique place in cinema, with an approach to his subjects that is intensely personal, philosophical and poetic. This film is a fascinating study of social and political state of Paris and French politics following the events of September 11th and the ensuing war in Iraq. It is not unlike “Le Joli Mai” a 1962 documentary by Marker that focused on the state of mind of Parisians immediately following the end of the Algerian War. Both films, made 40 years apart, capture with humor the ironies of political activism, of political manipulations, and of hopes lost and regained.The cat, an animal worshiped by Marker, is fiercely independent and “never on the side of power.” He serves here as the backdrop for Marker’s musings through the streets and the subway. The grinning cat appears over the rooftops of the city, in tunnels, on sidewalks, and finally in political protests. Real cats also punctuate the film, most notably “Bolero,” a cat who resides in the metro station of

How should I end my fictional story about peace?
Along the Atlantic coast, I sat gazing towards the ocean. My mind was at peace and was roaming freely. The waves were gently breaking as the seagulls were soaring high above me. I could have kept my composure if it wasn’t for a man’s voice.“Good evening, miss,” he called.I gave him a weak smile and squeaked out a hello. My eyes scanned his body from head to toe. He had kind, green eyes and smooth, pale skin. His smile was bright and paraded his confidence. His chocolate brown hair flowed just above his perfect eyebrows. He stood just shy of six feet with legs that seemed like they could go on forever. He was unbelievably handsome.“What are you doing out here all alone?” he questioned.I really didn’t know why I’d come here. All I do is sit in the sand and just think. I’ve been doing it ever since I could remember. I never really thought about it.“Just to enjoy the sound of the ocean, I guess,” I lied.I just sat with my bare feet buried in the sand as the emerald beauties of this stranger stared at me. He stood there a moment, looking as if he were contemplating what his next move was. He glanced over to a larger woman walking her pint-sized poodle then back at me. He flashed me a smile and shifted his weight from his left foot to his right. He lingered there, not saying anything for a moment, and then asked,“D’ya mind if I sit here?” He pointed to the sand next to me. I shook my head.After sitting together for a few minutes, we were talking like we’d known each other for years. We were talking and laughing for what seemed like forever when he asked,“Will you go somewhere with me?”Without thinking twice I jumped to my feet and said yes, eager to Anti War Graffiti get away from this familiar place. He led me to a sparkling, blue bicycle with a large basket attached to the handlebars. He swung his right leg over the seat, and commanded me to jump up to sit in the basket. I hesitated, but something about his smile made me want to jump into that basket and ride away with him to a far away place of peacefulness. I slowly put my hands on the handlebars and pushed off the ground with all my might and plopped my behind into the basket, letting my legs spill over the top of it. I reached for the handlebars and accidentally grasped the man’s hand. I quickly let go and my cheeks got hot. I glanced back and saw him smile and say,“Here we go, hold on!”We were riding for about ten minutes when we came to a halt near a large building with graffiti on the outside wall. He put the kickstand down and lifted his leg over the seat and stepped around in front of me. He put his hands around my waist and lifted me out of the basket and set me gently on the ground. I heard a crowd of voices coming from about a block away. He motioned me to follow him as he started to slide in between two buildings. I heard the voices getting louder as I inched my way between the buildings. After a minute or two, we reached the street where thousands of people stood before me. I wondered what they were here for. I glanced around and saw posters and signs that promoted peace.“Is this a peace rally?” I asked.The handsome stranger nodded. He started to walk towards a large stage upon which a person stood. We weaved in between children and older people holding “anti-war” signs before we reached the front of the stage. The speaker atop of the stage preached about how peace should be implanted in people’s minds and spread through their mouths. I agreed completely and smiled. I stood there a few minutes, listening, and then focused on music I heard a few yards away. I walked over to a booth that was playing rock music with the man close behind me. In the booth sat a woman with gray hair and wrinkles that were so deep that they looked as if they were intentionally cut into her flesh. I asked about the music.“It’s The Beatles, of course. They were one of the most influential, peace-spreading bands there ever was. We always play their albums at our rallies. Would you like to buy an album with their greatest hits?” The older woman asked.I looked at the sign that stated the amount of ten dollars for an album. I shoved my hand into my front pockets and then my back pockets and found nothing but twenty-two cents and some lint. As I was about to tell the woman that I just didn’t have enough money, the man I rode here with handed the woman a ten dollar bill and told me to choose an album. I chose the album titled “Revolver” and the woman placed it inside a tan, plastic bag and handed it to me.“Thanks!” the woman said as she looked at me.I grasped the bag and smiled at the man. I pointed at him and said,“Actually you should be thanking …”My voice trailed off as I realized I had never learned the man’s name. Without missing a beat the man said,“Gray.”“Gray.” I repeated.Over the last few hours we spent at the rally, my taste buds danced as I ate vegetarian dishes I’d never even heard ofbefore that day, my ear drums vibrated with pleasure as I listened to the peaceful sounds of The Beatles, Crosby Stills and Nash, and Joan Baez. Of all the lyrics and rhythms I heard, the sounds of The Beatles’ stuck in my mind.
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Anti War Graffiti

graffiti-creators Additional resources for Anti War Graffiti

2 Responses to “Additional resources for Anti War Graffiti”

  1. Idle Says:

    After seeing La Jetee, The Case of the Grinning Cat felt like a disappointment. The film is like a walk through Paris after 9/11, Marker follows protesters against Bush, Chirac, the Iraq war etc etc. Interspersed btwn the protests and related stuff are sightings of graffitti in the form of a grinning yellow cat (see the dvd cover). Marker finds this a mystery and tries to document the phenomenon. Here also follows some meditations on the cat as a symbol, and how it appears in stories like Alice in Wonderland etc.
    The cat part is the interesting part of this film. It reminds of the Glaneuse-movie by Markers french new wave collegaue Agnes Varda (but Vardasfilm is much better). Anyway, the cat is intriguing and Markers quest to find out more about it begins well. But what is less interesting is the protest-part of the film. This feels so non original and flat. And why do I have to hear Markers smug remarks upon the validity of the protests, especially when they just reproduce the streamline leftist view? Boring. This is interesting only as a document of the times around 2001 in Paris with protests against government and Bush. And the problem is that Marker seems to become so fascinated by the protests that he forgets the cat (ok, he sees the cat on a sign in one of the marches against something, and this is obviously super interesting to Marker).
    And can someone explain to me the last 10 minutes of the film? What has this story about an artist-turned-murderer got to do with anything? And what about the cat?
    Bottom line: this film is worth watching, esp if you’re into Marker and french film, but I can’t really say that it is worth paying $25 for.

  2. Mercer Says:

    I think this is a wonderful DVD. The main film is charming, clever, and has more to say than is obvious straight away. The shorts that are with it are worth the price of the DVD all by themseves. I particularly loved the short CAT LISTENING TO MUSIC. And there is a somewhat longer short doc (17 minutes) about whales which will break your heart. All together i think this is really one of Marker’s best.