Welcome back to another look at a film from one of the many featured Letterboxd Lists! This week we take a look at the Golden Lion – Venice Film Festival list with… Last Year at Marienbad (1961).
Title: Last Year at Marienbad
Director: Alain Resnais
Released: May 25, 1961 (United States)
Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes
Available to stream on: Kanopy
As the movie opens, we hear someone narrating as we see every inch of the expansive and luxurious hotel that our guests are at. While the narrated passage is maybe a minute or so in length, we spend the first eight and a half minutes exploring the hotel. During that time, the same narration plays over and over. Almost like if you got stuck in The Haunted Mansion line and had to hear about how the walls are stretching on a continuous loop.
Eventually, we land in a ballroom and observe the guests watching the end of a play. After it ends, people are engaging in conversation, though we as the audience aren’t privy to those conversations. Instead, we drift in and out of random conversations. Sometimes we can hear the dialogue, sometimes there are captions, and other times music will play that drowns out all of the conversations in a given area as we drift on to the next one.
In time, we land on a conversation that sets up the loose plot. An unnamed man (Giorgio Albertazzi) is adamant about the fact that he has met this unnamed woman (Delphine Seyrig) before. In fact, he’s certain that it took place last year at a very similar hotel.
The only problem with his recollection is that the woman has no memory of ever meeting this man. The man attempts to jog her memory by recalling certain events that transpired. But for as quick as he can recall an event, she is equally as quick in refuting it and contradicting his recollection.
So who is correct in their version of events?
Or is there no truth to be found between the two of them?
The editing, cinematography, and production design on this were all incredible. One thing I really enjoyed was the intrigue of the dreamlike wandering through the hotel and the different versions of memories. As the viewer, you’re left to try and sort out each version of events. You felt the massive size of the hotel and also the confusion as to whether or not what you were experiencing ever actually occurred.
Though, if you prefer a structured narrative when you watch a movie, Last Year at Marienbad (1961) is going to challenge you and maybe even frustrate you.
While it teetered on being frustratingly aimless, it managed to win me over, in large part thanks to the editing and cinematography.
Will I rush to give this a rewatch? Probably not, but I will revisit it in time.
If you have a library card that grants you access to Kanopy, definitely give Last Year at Marienbad (1961) at least one viewing.
So, what about you? Have you seen Last Year at Marienbad (1961)?
If you have, leave a comment below or reach out on Bluesky and let me hear your thoughts on it!
As always, you can follow me over on Letterboxd to keep up with everything else that I’ve been watching lately.