Sans Soleil (1983) review

Whimsical travelogue by the eccentric Marker, trying to understand the eccentric Japan while also taking time to examine African tribes (a la Jean Rouch), Hitchcock's San Francisco (Marker loves Vertigo) and Marker's own obsession with the relationship between time and memory. Almost universally regarded as a masterpiece and probably his greatest film (though I personally have only seen a fraction of them at this point), my only minor gripe is that it is structurally it can be a little all over the place at times, with the various 'points' tied together with (sometimes) loose segues, although aside from someone like Godard I can't think of anyone else confident enough in his/her abilities to try to tie all these disparate pieces and thoughts together. The overall effect of the imagery and poetic voice-over depends on the viewer, and I came away from this a little saddened - I'm not sure as to what Marker intended, but the theme of loss - whether it be the loss of individuality, of loved ones or of possessions like dolls and cats - creeps up continuously, giving the title itself ("Sunless") a slightly ominous air about it.