Olympia 52

Screening on Film
Directed by Chris Marker.
France, 1952, 16mm, black & white, 82 min.
French with English subtitles.

Marker's rarely seen first documentary feature offers a fascinating early, still not fully formed, expression of his distinct style and essayistic approach. A chronicle of the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Marker's debut film is noted for its lightness of touch, for the ways the camera constantly wanders away from the athletic spectacles to linger on the apparition of a face in a crowd, or the comic antics of a seal, or the ironic unfurling and pomp of a Coca-Cola flag.

Preceded by a free screening at 3:30pm of Un regard neuf sur Olympia 52 (Julien Faraut 2013, digital video, color, 80 min)

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