12 Monkeys is an odd film, because it has a big Hollywood star in it (three, even!), a pretty big budget, and a talented director known for quirky films, but it gets forgotten in many circles. This article gives it a critical examination that it deserves, I think, and brings out some of the things that make it such an excellent film.
I love 12 Monkeys! I thought the Salon article was very well written. I had never really thought about the paralells between 12 Monkeys and Vertigo before. But I strongly object to her charactarization of Brazil as “overrated.”
I’ve never seen La Jeet. My local alternative video store has a copy on the “cool stuff” shelf next to the counter. Every time I rent a video there I see it as I’m checking out and say to myself “Next time I’ve got to remember to rent that!” Who’s seen it? How does it compare to 12 Monkeys?
I remember seeing an interview with Bruce Willis soon after the movie came out. He was not very enthusiastic about the movie at that time, and I have since heard that he didn’t get along with Gilliam and didn’t particularly care for the movie. I think it’s his best screen role ever, with the possible exception of Pulp Fiction. Certainly his best leading role!
12 Monkeys is definitely one of my favorite roles for Bruce Willis, though in the end I’d have to say that I liked him in Unbreakable a little better. He turned in such an amazingly subtle performance there… but he was great in 12 Monkeys too!
I haven’t yet seen La Jetee (sp?), but I’d love to, if my podunk video store would get it. Anyone else seen it?
I’ve seen I’ve seen La Jetée and it is quite a remarkable film. It runs about 25 mins and consists entirely of b&w still photographs with voice-over narration and accompanying soundtrack. Due to its short length, the story is very impressionistic and quite haunting in places. The narrative is poetic and evocative. For example, in reference to World War III that drove the survivors underground, our narrator states that “the victors stand guard over a kingdom of rats”.
12 Monkeys contains many of the same themes and plot elements as La Jetée such as a convict living in a post-apocalyptic world haunted by his memories, time travel and tragic love. Both movies deal with the nature of memory and dreams.
However, 12 Monkeys expands on these themes and gives them some new twists. For instance, Gilliam adds his own peculiar obsession with madness that, coupled with the updating of the apocalypse from WWIII to a deadly viral outbreak, allows him explore the infectious nature of dreams and delusions.
I highly recommend that any 12 Monkeys fan track down La Jetée because, although they are very different, both movies are excellent and complement each other very well.
I also quite liked the Salon article, although I wish she had made more mention of La Jetée.
It was an ok article. I’m not sure that Vertigo was that prominent an influence. Having listened to Gilliam’s comentary track it on the DVD I can’t remember too many references about it.
I disagree abouty her imprssion of the hope in the end.
My view of the movie is pretty bleak. I think I mentioned them briefly in another thread but here goes.(Spoilers ahoy so see the movie first)
The events in the movie were pre ordained. Cole was a pawn in a play to maintain the status quo by the Scientists that ruled the future world.
Even before Cole was “Volunteered” the events had happened already and the scientists were simply pushing events to their inevitable conclusion.
Think about it, they had all of the tapes and all of the images that Cole left in the past. Therfore they knew the Army of the Twelve Monkeys did not spread the disease. (I know they later would say it took them a while to piece together the tapes but that could be a deception) They probably used others to spy on him in the past to figure how he did things so they could guide him along (such as sending him to 1990 at first and to WWI)
The events that lead to the release of the disease were all caused by Cole’s interference of the timeline. He Meets Goines in 1990 and tells him about the germs that in turn also gives Goines an indirect idea about the Army of the 12 Monkeys.
He also meets Dr. Railly. His story and disapearence gives her the idea to work on her “Cassandra Syndrome” works. Her later lecture gives our red headed assitant the idea to use a disease to help end the world.
Cole’s return and confrontation with Goines causes him to accelerate plans for releasing the animals but also causes Railley to contact Goines father warning him of a potential threat to the germs he is working on by his son.
That threat makes him tighten security which in turn forces the Red head to make the ultimate now or never choice.
The gun is given to Cole to make sure he is finally taken out of the equation.
My guess is the final line of the movie (“I’m in insurance”) could mean that she made sure the disease was spread and events unfolded as they should. Why? Because in that future the scientists are in control of society. They hold the power.
If the disease was never spread they would never become the leaders.
So what do you think of that theory?
La Jetée is beautiful, though it is extremely difficult to see a good print of it, most prints are pretty murky, although some of that is on purpose. There is only one very brief shot of actual movement in the film (hint: if you blink, you’ll miss it.)
The series of still images gives the film a story book quality and the narration is poetic in its simplicity. As Hodge said, the short length of it, it’s quite haunting – again, like a child’s picture book, it requires you till fill in such vast conceptual information that you are compelled to mull it over for quite a long while.
Think of coming across old, faded photos in an attic. The faces are familiar and must be some long-forgotten ancestors of yours, but you don’t know who they are… That’s the kind of feeling you get after La Jetée. It’s compelling and you can’t help think about it.
