Online Response #6

Authenticity is something for which we, as human beings always search.  When it is reached, (if that even is possible with a camera or an audience) it is something to remember.  And that very act of remembering and experiencing hits on the encounter of the three players involved.  Nichols suggests that “there are at least three stories that intertwine: the filmmaker’s, the film’s, and the audience’s.” (pg. 94)  Obviously, Chronicle of a Summer came from somewhere and someone.  The filmmakers set out to ask people about their happiness level and experience with French society, and chose to center their study in on a few of the social actors who seemed to have the most compelling stories. 

In the beginning of the film, the filmmakers themselves question whether or not it is possible to be natural and sincere in front of a camera.  And while there are clearly staged meetings and directed flow of conversation, it seemed the moments that were the most honest and most raw were also those where the camera was kept at a physical (with Marceline as she walked down the street recounting a moment in the concentration camp with her father and speaking to him as the camera distances itself from her.  Here, we are left with the image of a solitary woman, trying to be brave amidst all of the horrific experiences that have brought her to this specific place and time.)

Or emotional distance (as is the case with Marilu, who must be drunk and coaxed to let her real fears and feelings show through).  It is in these moments, that the camera seems to fall from the concern of the social actors and what is left is an honest encounter. 

That said, the question still remains: Could such moments have occurred without the presence of a camera and aid of the filmmakers in creating the circumstances that led to such a display?  Would Marceline ever have had the opportunity to share her story and connect with the African immigrants and fellow Frenchmen who led very different lives without the presence of Rouch and his company?  Would Marilu have had the moments of introspection and discovery without someone there to patiently listen and question her situation? 

Nichols further suggests that we need to look at “what the film revels about the relation between the filmmaker and the subject and what, for documentary, the film reveals about the world we occupy.” (pg. 96)  Chronicle of a Summer affected me deeply, much more so that (I think) my classmates.  I clearly have my own predispositions and experiences that cannot be screened out entirely.  After serving a mission in Italy and interacting with Italians who were struggling to understand their predicament and living with a French roommate, I have my own encounter with this film that really did “activate my social consciousness.” (pg. 104)  It worries me about the world in which we live and how we respond to that world.  And perhaps, that was the point.