Sans soleil (Sunless) (1982)

92% of critics liked it
(12 reviews)
88% of users liked it
(3,529 ratings)

Titled after a song cycle by Mussorgsky, Sans Soleil is a 1982 nonlinear essay film by elusive documentary filmmaker Chris Marker. It's a collage of images gathered from Japan, Africa, Iceland, San Francisco, and France -- all presented without direct sound. The soundtrack consists of occasional… More Titled after a song cycle by Mussorgsky, Sans Soleil is a 1982 nonlinear essay film by elusive documentary filmmaker Chris Marker. It's a collage of images gathered from Japan, Africa, Iceland, San Francisco, and France -- all presented without direct sound. The soundtrack consists of occasional spells of electronic music while an unseen woman's voice (Alexandra Stewart) narrates letters written by a possibly fictional traveler in poetic verse. Beginning with the phrase "He wrote me," each segment explores some philosophical inquiry of matters as broad as modern culture, technology, consciousness, Japanese television, and even the act of filming itself. Some of the first images include children in Iceland, a ferry in Hokkido, a carnival in Guinea-Bissau, girls in Cape Verde, and a shrine to cats in Tokyo. There's also a creepy JFK robot, petrified animals left by desert drought, and teenagers dancing in a public square. The seemingly miscellaneous footage is made up of archive clips, synthesized video sequences, and some images collected by Marker's colleagues. It's randomly assembled, jumping from one continent to another in the same breath. It remains one of the director's masterpiece accomplishments. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Chris Marker
Written By: Chris Marker
Genres: Documentary, Art House & International, Special Interest

In Theaters: Feb 1, 1983 Wide
On DVD: Jun 16, 1993

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle
Unforgettable movie.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The amazing Sans Soleil more or less documents a trip to Tokyo, focusing on small moments and rituals as well as agreements between subject and camera.
Eric Melin, Scene-Stealers.com
It challenges you to look at images with multiple contexts and ponder differing perspectives, which is really what film is all about in the end.
Jaime N. Christley, Slant Magazine
This needs to be on your shelf, whether you picked up the 2007 DVD or you're eyeballing this one. Maybe you were waiting for Marker's low-tech genius to be reproduced in high-def. It was worth it the wait.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Sans soleil is more intuitive than rational, and that makes it a singular, overpowering experience.
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
Criterion has entered the zone. But here's to hoping they can expand through time and space to bring some of Marker's less famed works to Region 1.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
There's little chance such a bizarre thinking man's film will have a wide appeal, but for those it reaches this is a one of a kind masterpiece.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner
Sans Soleil makes up a tapestry of memories that questions the entire nature of memory, while celebrating that of cinema.
Phil Hall, Film Threat
For masochists only.

Read all 9 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Greg S

Difficult-to-describe, stream-of-consciousness essay travelogue; essentially, it's an arthouse mondo movie. Remarkable images include the disturbing slaughter of a giraffe and a Japanese temple devoted to ceramic cats; it seems random, but every shot is accompanied by a keen… More
Difficult-to-describe, stream-of-consciousness essay travelogue; essentially, it's an arthouse mondo movie. Remarkable images include the disturbing slaughter of a giraffe and a Japanese temple devoted to ceramic cats; it seems random, but every shot is accompanied by a keen observation on culture and humanity. Dreamlike, floating, and poetic, it's a must-see for the intelligent and adventurous viewer.
Conner R

Incredibly bizarre way to present a documentary, but it's very effective. It's almost as if the film itself had ADHD and was constantly switching topics and moving around in order to stay entertained. There are some great shots of Japan and I actually feel like I learned a… More
Incredibly bizarre way to present a documentary, but it's very effective. It's almost as if the film itself had ADHD and was constantly switching topics and moving around in order to stay entertained. There are some great shots of Japan and I actually feel like I learned a tremendous amount about the culture.
Eric B

"Sans Soleil" deserves academic respect, but this is among the most exasperatingly tedious films I've ever sat through. At least it's unusual -- the most apt comparison may be "Koyaaniqatsi," as director Chris Marker's camera roams through Japan,… More
"Sans Soleil" deserves academic respect, but this is among the most exasperatingly tedious films I've ever sat through. At least it's unusual -- the most apt comparison may be "Koyaaniqatsi," as director Chris Marker's camera roams through Japan, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, Paris and San Francisco capturing documentary glimpses of local culture. Ceremonial rites of Tokyo are especially prominent. As with "Koyaaniqatsi," the film is artfully detached and stresses editing rhythm as much as thematic content. No problem so far, but then comes the narration. You'll never see a movie where you wish so much that the narrator would simply shut her yap. The text takes the stilted form of a monotone female quoting letters from a fictionalized cameraman, so the ideas are constantly prefaced with "He wrote that..." and "He wrote me that...." This tic grows old fast. And all the heady philosophizing (memory over time is the dominant motif) is so maddeningly dense and persistent that the accompanying images never get a chance to breathe. What an exhausting film. And unlike "Koyaaniqatsi," it doesn't even have a strong score. Little beyond bubbling synthesizer effects. A caution to sensitive parties: Some borrowed footage of a giraffe being gunned down is extremely disturbing.
Chris B

This is Chris Marker's free form travelogue that was released in 1983 (RT is wrong about it being released in 2002) and is a meditation of life on earth and societies impact on man. While this is a film that most modern audiences would be lost with and probably bored by,… More
This is Chris Marker's free form travelogue that was released in 1983 (RT is wrong about it being released in 2002) and is a meditation of life on earth and societies impact on man. While this is a film that most modern audiences would be lost with and probably bored by, "Sans Soleil" is an artistic documentary that is a multiple layered conceptual look into society and mankind as a whole. The film uses a combination of film elements including archival footage, nature footage, animal kingdom footage and mostly of man living in their own world. This is a thinking man's documentary and is both serious and humorous as it explored such topics as sexuality, capitalism, and our basic human desires. The film is narrated by Florence Delay and her calming voice overlaps most shots in the film and along with the meditative score, really add a sense of calm to the overall feel of the movie. All of this adds up to a deeply personal yet equally immersive experience for the viewer. Be warned that there are scenes of both graphic nudity, sexual content, and other mature topics throughout the film.
Robert F

Sans Soleil is more intuitive than rational, so proceed with caution.
Tom S

I can't even write about this. It just has to be experienced.