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Chris Marker

Chris Marker

Director, writer, editor and cinematographer, also producer, actor and composer · Died July 29, 2012, aged 91 · Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France

Christian François Bouche-Villeneuve, better known as Chris Marker (France, 29 July 1921 – 29 July 2012), was a French writer, poet, activist, critic, photographer, traveler, journalist, film essayist, multimedia artist, and documentary filmmaker. He began his career as part of the French Rive Gauche group—parallel to but distinct from the Nouvelle Vague—with which he would later share certain themes and collaborators. Marker is credited with developing the subjective documentary and is considered a pioneer of collective cinema in France. His films are known for their poetic, essayistic, and often experimental qualities, blending a reflective voice with a fascination for memory, art, war, politics, culture, and nature. Over six decades of work, he observed the world with meticulous curiosity, irony, and compassion, continually experimenting with new forms of image manipulation and montage. He was also famously elusive. For many years, few people knew what Chris Marker looked like—he disliked being photographed, and no confirmed portraits were publicly available. He often amused himself by giving contradictory accounts of his life in the rare interviews he granted. As Philippe Dubois observed, “Chris Marker is, in a way, the most celebrated of the unknown filmmakers.” His official website adds: “Rather than a man without qualities, he is a man without biography.” Marker also worked under numerous pseudonyms, including Hayao Yamaneko, Jacopo Berenzini, Kosinki, Michel Krasna, Sandor Krasna, and Guillaume-en-Égypte (his feline avatar), though his best-known identity remains Chris Marker. Among his most significant works are La Jetée (1962), Sans Soleil (1983), Far from Vietnam (1967), A Grin Without a Cat (1977), A.K. (1985), Level Five (1997), and One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich (1999). He also explored interactive and digital media with the CD-ROM Immemory (1997), maintained a website titled Gorgomancy, a YouTube channel called Kosinki, and created a virtual gallery, Ouvroir, within the online world Second Life.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 29, 1921
Died
July 29, 2012 (aged 91)
From
Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France
Works as
Director, writer, editor and cinematographer, also producer, actor and composer
Titles
14 on MovieCove · 111 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 38% in 30 days

What are Chris Marker's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Ideas and Society.

Themes

share of theme weight
Ideas
32%
Society
21%
Self
13%
Survival
12%
Morality
10%
Power
9%
Bonds
3%
Truth6 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy3 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeWar2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 7

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 4 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 7 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Full focus: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their full focus movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 9

Ambiguous: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their ambiguous movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 6

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
8
Tense
4
Melancholic
5
Warm
4
Elegiac
3
Other
5

How their films linger

Thought-provoking10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Bittersweet1
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous7

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Chris Marker's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Chris Marker's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

111 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 10 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • L’indispensable (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Photos/Extrait

  • Ten Lives of a Cat: A Film about Chris Marker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Kaibyō (archive footage)

  • Lluvia de jaulas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Thanks

  • The Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Short Story

  • La Jétee (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Story

  • Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Writer

  • 20 Little Films (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director

  • iDead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director

  • Kino (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director

  • Imagine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director

  • Stopover in Dubai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director · Editor

  • ROYAL POLKA.mov (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director

  • Tempo Risoluto (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director · Editor

  • Overnight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director · Writer

  • Ouvroir the Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Writer

  • The Morning After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director · Editor

  • Henchman Glance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director

  • Pictures at an Exhibition (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director

  • Metrotopia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director · Writer

  • Guillaume Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director · Writer

  • A Year of TV Seen by Guillaume (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director · Editor

  • Leila Attacks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director · Cinematographer

  • The Andrei Tarkovsky Companion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director

  • The Case of the Grinning Cat(2004)

    Director · Cinematographer · Composer · Editor · Writer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Green Vinyl(2004)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Remembrance of Things to Come(2001)

    Director · Composer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • A Mayor in Kosovo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Director

  • Eclipse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevitch(1987)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Writer · as Self (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Level Five (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director · Cinematographer · Composer · Writer · as Self (voice) (uncredited)

  • 12 Monkeys(1995)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Blue Helmet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • Silent Movie (Edit 2) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director

  • The Last Bolshevik(1993)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Writer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Bullfight in Okinawa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • Owl Gets in Your Eyes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • Petite Ceinture (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • Tchaïka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Editor

  • Three Haiku Videos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Prime Time in the Camps (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Director

  • Slon Tango (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Director

  • Theory of Sets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director · Producer

  • Berlin 1990 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • An Owl Is an Owl Is an Owl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director

  • Berlin 1990 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director

  • Zoo Piece (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director

  • Rush - Voyage à Moscou (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director · as Self

  • Détour Ceausescu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director · Writer

  • Zapping Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director

  • L'héritage de la chouette(1989)

    Show 13 episodes · Director · Creator · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Tokyo Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Writer · as Self (voice) (uncredited)

  • Cat Listening to Music (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director

  • Havre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Thanks

  • Mémoires pour Simone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director

  • Matta '85 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

  • A. K. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director · Editor · Writer · as Self - Narrator (voice)

  • From Chris to Christo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

  • 2084: Video Clip for the Trade Unions' Reflection and Pleasure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • Sans Soleil(1983)

    Director · Cinematographer · Composer · Editor · Visual Effects · Writer · as Self (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Junkopia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director · Composer · Editor · Writer

  • The Battle of Chile: Part III (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Other · Producer

  • When the Century Took Shape (War and Revolution) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • A Grin Without a Cat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • La spirale(1976)

    Editor · Writer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Battle of Chile: Part II(1976)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Loneliness of the Long Distance Singer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director · Editor

  • Les Deux mémoires (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Editor

  • The Embassy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director · Cinematographer · Writer

  • You Speak of Chile: What Allende Said (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director

  • We Maintain It Is Possible (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director

  • Kashima Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Writer · as Narrator (voice)

  • Three Cheers for the Whale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director · Editor · Sound · Writer

  • The Train Rolls On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • You Speak of Paris: Maspero. Words Have Meaning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director

  • You Speak of Prague: The Second Trial of Artur London (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director

  • Congo Oyé (We Have Come Back) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Editor

  • Cuba: Battle of the 10,000,000 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director

  • Report on Brazil: Carlos Marighella (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • The Confession(1970)

    Still Photographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Jour de tournage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director

  • Report on Brazil: Torture (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director · Writer

  • The Sixth Side of the Pentagon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Actor

  • Cinétracts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director · Writer

  • Be Seeing You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director

  • Far from Vietnam(1967)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • If I Had Four Dromedaries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Writer

  • The Forbidden Volcano (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Screenplay · Writer

  • The Koumiko Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Writer · as Narrator

  • The Heat of a Thousand Suns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Editor

  • From a Distant Gaze (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Cinematographer

  • Valparaiso (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Screenplay

  • The Lovely Month of May (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Director · Writer · as Self / Interviewer (voice)

  • Playtime in Paris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Editor

  • La Jetée(1962)

    Director · Cinematographer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • ¡Cuba Sí! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Director · Cinematographer · Screenplay · Writer

  • Description of a Struggle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Director · Writer

  • America as Seen by a Frenchman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Writer

  • The Astronauts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • Broadway by Light (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Writer

  • Des Hommes Dans Le Ciel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Writer

  • Les hommes de la baleine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Writer

  • The Sea and the Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Writer

  • Letter from Siberia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director · Writer · as Stargazer (uncredited)

  • The Mystery of Workshop 15 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Writer

  • Django Reinhardt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Screenplay

  • Sunday in Peking (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director · Cinematographer · Writer

  • Night and Fog(1956)

    Assistant Director · Script Editor

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Statues Also Die (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Director · Writer

  • Olympia 52 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Director · Writer

  • Concours de rêve : La Clé des songes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 6 episodes · Director · Creator · Writer

  • The End of the World Seen by the Angel Gabriel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Writer

Career shape

A full career of 111 titles from 1947 to 2026.

Biggest box office

12 Monkeys (1995)

$169M worldwide

Highest rated

La Jetée (1962)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

12 Monkeys (1995)

Film career

  • 1957Screen debut· Letter from Siberia

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting6 of 111: 2 only acting, 4 with another roleDirecting82 of 111: 34 only directing, 48 with another role · typical Midcredits score91stWriting55 of 111: 13 only writing, 42 with another role · typical Midcredits score94thProducing7 of 111: 1 only producing, 6 with another roleMusic5 of 111: 0 only music, 5 with another roleCinematography16 of 111: 1 only cinematography, 15 with another role · typical Midcredits score95thEditing29 of 111: 5 only editing, 24 with another role · typical Midcredits score92ndOther crew9 of 111: 4 only other crew, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score95th

111 titles, 51 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 39 of them.

By decade

1940s1 · crew1950s13 · 1 acting · 13 crew1960s18 · 2 acting · 18 crew1970s19 · 1 acting · 19 crew1980s11 · crew1990s22 · crew2000s12 · crew2010s13 · crew2020s2 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Chris Marker's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 95th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 92nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

92ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

92ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up14

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 14 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved9
  • Crowd Pleaser5

Most divisive · director, writer, producer

L'héritage de la chouette (1989)

51st percentile spread · 11% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Night and Fog (1956)

Midcredits 99th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 77/100 and the pacing 47/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Chris Marker's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 66 · intenseMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Chris Marker work with?

People who share at least 2 of Chris Marker's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Marina Vlady shares the most, 2.

Actors

Editors

Producers

Mixed roles