L'ambasciata

There is no denying that Chris Marker was a master of cinema, one of the finest filmmakers working in documentary/avant garde/short movie-making; however, this does not necessarily mean that the man could "do no wrong". while I most certainly appreciated and liked "The Embassy", I still feel the need to criticize it to an extent. Yes, I know, I, myself, am no Chris Marker and I will probably never in my future years even match his brilliance as an artist, but all artists are flaws and this is my opinion so let me be-have I not already stated that I love Marker and his works?!? (also, I am aware that I'm basically talking to a nonexistent straw-man but still). Anyway, the main thing this film has going against it is the narration. Now, I did not listen to this in the original French and instead watched the film in English, and the narrator was so boring that I nearly rolled my eyes every time he spoke. And the narration itself was quite decent and well written too, which is a real shame. Otherwise, this short is pretty great despite having its fair share of slow moments. The documentary like style Marker uses in this fictional drama is convincing and brilliantly pulled off. Intentional scratches scrape across the filmstrip as Marker's intelligent work of political cinema is presented in all of its brilliance and tediousness. If it sounds interesting to you, definitely check it out, it's only twenty minutes and, despite its flaws, it is a genuinely well made, unique, and smart short that I'm extremely glad I saw.