A 1960s-vintage art-house film by Chris Marker. It was remade as 12 Monkeys (which kicks ass in the cost factor), but doesn't have the visceral impact this black and white film still retains.
Link to entire Video provided by spiregrain:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5354377779883726771&hl=en
SPOILER ALERT- don't read this if you are planning to ever watch it.
The entire film consist of stills that fade into each other, with an anonymous narrator telling the story. The music and the narrator's tone, as well as a series of beautiful done B&W images, lets you create far more meaning than may actually exist in the film.
The only exception in the film, is one brief moment of actual movement, which by that very factor hits the viewer with a sledgehammer of meaning.
I had to watch this film in Film School and never forgot it. I imagine you have to speak French to really appreciate it, but even watching it with subtitles, it was powerful and disturbing because of the story.
Won a Cannes award.
"It goes farther because it is so reduced. Your imagination allows you to take it further."
~~ Scott Stark ~~