On This Day

"La Jetée", French film directed by Chris Marker, starring Hélène Chatelain, Davos Hanich and Jacques Ledoux, is release

"La Jetée", French film directed by Chris Marker, starring Hélène Chatelain, Davos Hanich and Jacques Ledoux, is released

La Jetée is a 1962 French science fiction featurette written and directed by Chris Marker and associated with the Left Bank artistic movement. Constructed almost entirely from still photos, it tells the stable time loop story of a post-nuclear war experiment in time travel. It is 28 minutes long and shot in black and white.

It won the Prix Jean Vigo for short film. The 1995 science fiction film 12 Monkeys was inspired by and borrows several concepts directly from La Jetée, as does the 2015 TV series of the same name.

Historical Significance

La Jetée is a 1962 French science fiction featurette written and directed by Chris Marker and associated with the Left Bank artistic movement.

Events Before

  1. Gabrielle Carteris is born

    Gabrielle Carteris is born

  2. Longest recorded strike ends as Danish barbers' assistants end their 33-year strike

    Longest recorded strike ends as Danish barbers' assistants end their 33-year strike

  3. Berry Gordy signs The Supremes to Motown Records

    The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes.

  4. First live, nationally televised presidential news conference, held by JFK

    First live, nationally televised presidential news conference, held by JFK

  5. "I Fall to Pieces" single released by Patsy Cline (Billboard Song of the Year 1961)

    "I Fall to Pieces" is a song written by Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard that was originally recorded by Patsy Cline.

Events After

  1. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech

    Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, calling for an end to racism in the United States.

  2. David Cone is born

    David Cone athlete, known for american baseball player and analyst, was born on 1963-01-02.

  3. American banker George Woods succeeds Eugene Black as president of the World Bank

    George David Woods (July 27, 1901 – August 20, 1982) was an American investment banker and financier. He served as the fourth President of the World Bank, from January 1963 until March 1968.

  4. Beatles release the single "Please Please Me" / "Ask Me Why"; peaks at #2 in UK, and #3 in US

    Introducing... The Beatles is the first studio album released by the English rock band the Beatles in the United States.

  5. Los Angeles night club and music venue The Whiskey A-Go-Go opens (inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2006)

    The Yardbirds are an English rock band formed in London in 1963. The band started the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton (1963–1965), Jeff Beck (1965–1966) and Jimmy Page...

More from the 1960s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on February 16, 1962?
La Jetée is a 1962 French science fiction featurette written and directed by Chris Marker and associated with the Left Bank artistic movement. Constructed almost entirely from still photos, it tells the stable time loop story of a post-nuclear war experiment in time travel. It is 28 minutes long and shot in black and white.
Why is "La Jetée", French film directed by Chris Marker, starring Hélène Chatelain, ... significant?
La Jetée is a 1962 French science fiction featurette written and directed by Chris Marker and associated with the Left Bank artistic movement.

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