{"id":94106,"date":"2023-12-21T12:57:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T19:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=94106"},"modified":"2023-12-22T12:06:29","modified_gmt":"2023-12-22T19:06:29","slug":"last-year-at-marienbad-1961","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=94106","title":{"rendered":"Last Year at Marienbad (1961)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;You know you are ready to leave.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Marienbad-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Marienbad-Poster-201x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"201\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-94107\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Marienbad-Poster-201x300.png 201w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Marienbad-Poster-86x128.png 86w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Marienbad-Poster-181x270.png 181w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Marienbad-Poster.png 632w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAt a baroque European hotel, a tall skinny man (Sacha Pito\u00ebff) challenges inhabitants to the game of Nim while an elegant man (Giorgio Albertazzi) continuously insists to a woman (Delphine Seyrig) &#8212; perhaps Pito\u00ebff&#8217;s spouse &#8212; that they had an affair the prior year.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Alain Resnais Films<\/li>\n<li>Delphine Seyrig Films<\/li>\n<li>French Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAlain Resnais&#8217;s follow-up to <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=77210\"><em>Hiroshima Mon Amour<\/em> (1959)<\/a> was this collaboration with writer <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Alain_Robbe-Grillet\">Alain Robbe-Grillet<\/a>, resulting in one of the most unusual, provocative, and inscrutable entries in the French New Wave. None of the characters have names, and there is no storyline to speak of other than Albertazzi&#8217;s repetitive pursuit (gaslighting?) of luminous Seyrig across various spaces in and around the unnamed hotel. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig-Walking.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig-Walking-1024x420.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"263\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-94122\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig-Walking-1024x420.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig-Walking-300x123.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig-Walking-128x52.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig-Walking-768x315.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig-Walking-604x248.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig-Walking.png 1300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We have no idea &#8212; and (SPOILER) never learn &#8212; what&#8217;s actually going on here. Albertazzi tells Seyrig things like: &#8220;You were waiting for me.&#8221; &#8220;No,&#8221; she replies, &#8220;why should I be?&#8221; His response: &#8220;I&#8217;ve waited a long time for you.&#8221; Later he says: &#8220;You&#8217;re running away again.&#8221; She replies: &#8220;What do you mean? I don&#8217;t understand a word.&#8221; He responds: &#8220;If it were a dream, why should you be afraid?&#8221; &#8220;Tell me,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Stairs.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Stairs-1024x437.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"273\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-94112\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Stairs-1024x437.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Stairs-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Stairs-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Stairs-768x327.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Stairs-604x258.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Stairs.png 1283w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And on and on. Later he adds: &#8220;You asked me not to see you. But of course we met, the day after or the next, or the day after that. Perhaps it was by accident. I insisted on your leaving with me. You said it was impossible, of course. But now, you know it&#8217;s the only thing left for you to do.&#8221; And so we hear, relentlessly, why he believes they were once together and should be again. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Its-Already-Too-Late.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Its-Already-Too-Late-1024x443.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"277\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-94118\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Its-Already-Too-Late-1024x443.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Its-Already-Too-Late-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Its-Already-Too-Late-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Its-Already-Too-Late-768x332.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Its-Already-Too-Late-604x261.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Its-Already-Too-Late.png 1269w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Statues.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Statues-1024x433.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"271\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-94119\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Statues-1024x433.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Statues-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Statues-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Statues-768x325.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Statues-604x256.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Statues.png 1293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Does Seyrig want to believe this is true? It&#8217;s not clear &#8212; and perhaps not relevant, given that this is Albertazzi&#8217;s dream (or reality, or intention), and Seyrig simply plays a key role-of-desire, with Pito\u00ebff showing up every now and then as a not-so-menacing third wheel presence. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Trio.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Trio-1024x432.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"270\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-94110\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Trio-1024x432.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Trio-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Trio-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Trio-768x324.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Trio-604x255.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Trio.png 1281w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>To that end, there are two repetitive games going on throughout the film: Pito\u00ebff&#8217;s matches with various players (he always wins):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Nim.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Nim-1024x432.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"270\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-94124\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Nim-1024x432.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Nim-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Nim-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Nim-768x324.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Nim-604x255.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Nim.png 1287w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and Albertazzi&#8217;s insistent pursuit of Seyrig. Does he get her in the end? I will leave that to you to find out, since it&#8217;s the sole narrative hook of the entire venture. <\/p>\n<p>Watch for a subtle image of Hitchcock on the right during an early sequence; I had to go back to look for it once I learned it was there. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Hitchcock.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Hitchcock-1024x439.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"274\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-94114\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Hitchcock-1024x439.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Hitchcock-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Hitchcock-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Hitchcock-768x329.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Hitchcock-604x259.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Hitchcock.png 1282w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Elegant costumes and production design<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig2-1024x424.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"265\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-94126\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig2-1024x424.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig2-300x124.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig2-128x53.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig2-768x318.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig2-604x250.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Seyrig2.png 1297w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Still.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Still-1024x409.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"256\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-94115\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Still-1024x409.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Still-300x120.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Still-128x51.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Still-768x307.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Still-604x241.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Still.png 1271w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Sacha Vierny&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Card.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Card-1024x435.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-94113\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Card-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Card-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Card-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Card-768x327.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Card-604x257.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Last-Year-Card.png 1291w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its historical relevance. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0054632\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/80968\/last-year-at-marienbad#articles-reviews?articleId=88461\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2944year.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/review\/2247\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/current\/posts\/1177-last-year-at-marienbad-which-year-at-where\">Criterion Essay<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;You know you are ready to leave.&#8221; Synopsis: At a baroque European hotel, a tall skinny man (Sacha Pito\u00ebff) challenges inhabitants to the game of Nim while an elegant man (Giorgio Albertazzi) continuously insists to a woman (Delphine Seyrig) &#8212; perhaps Pito\u00ebff&#8217;s spouse &#8212; that they had an affair the prior year. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Alain Resnais Films Delphine Seyrig Films French Films Review: Alain Resnais&#8217;s follow-up to Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959) was this collaboration with writer Alain&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=94106\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94106"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94219,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94106\/revisions\/94219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}