The most influential scene in this piece has to be the scene where the man and woman look at all of the animals together. It’s Chris Marker’s way of solidifying the relationship between the man and the woman.
Throughout the entire film as the man and woman spend time together, neither expresses much emotion. Despite this, in this scene, both of them are seen laughing and touching. They seem extremely happy to be with one another which almost clinches the viewer’s thought that these two individuals must be married. Marker does an unbelievable job withholding emotion at the beginning of the piece and letting it all out in this one scene.
This is precisely what makes the scene so substantial. Marker uses the difference in emotion to get his point across to his viewers. He doesn’t explain what is going on or why things are different, he just shows it using the emotions of his characters. You can feel a shift in the mood and a shift in their relationship which is why, as a viewer, you’re left asking yourself, “Do things seem to be going a bit too smoothly right now?”
This scene also makes the viewer feel a little bit on edge though. It’s almost as if everything is going too smoothly and something bad is about to happen. This is exactly the case as this is the final scene between the man and the woman. You can feel the tide start to turn which is exactly what Chris Marker must have intended.
Not only are you captivated by the man and the woman in this scene, but you’re also captivated by the animals. There’s one image of the man and woman looking at a hippo and as the viewer, you can’t ignore the fact of how big and lifelike that hippo really is. The hippo’s head alone appears larger than both the man and the woman which is a bit breathtaking as it demonstrates how massive this animal truly is.
This scene marked the beginning of my appreciation for the piece. Marker did a great job building up the film and at this moment, I knew the relationship between the man and the woman was coming to an end. To be able to give the viewer this impression, with little words and no video is an incredible skill. I was extremely appreciative of Marker’s filmmaking ability during this scene. I had no clue this would just be the beginning of all of the chaos.
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