Summary
Chris Marker’s A Grin Without a Cat is an epic political essay tracing the rise and decline of the global left from the 1960s to the 1970s. Through archival footage and commentary, the film examines revolutionary movements in France, Latin America, and beyond, reflecting on the ideals, failures, and fading hopes of a generation.
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At a glance
Critics vs audiences
Critics a little warmer than audiences (+5)
Critics 87Audiences 82GoodWatch 74
Running time
3 h
Longer than 9 in 10 documentaries, +84 min on the typical 96
typical 96180Half of all documentaries run 89–107 min.
Reach
Streams in 71 countries
+61
Released
1977
November 23, 1977
49 years ago
Genre
DocumentaryLanguage
French
Original language
Also spoken
EnglishSpanishMade in
France
César Awards1978
- Best Editing1978Nominated
20 people
- LGLaurence GuvillierNarrator (voice)
Davos HanichNarrator (voice)
François MasperoNarrator (voice)
Yves MontandNarrator (voice)
François PérierNarrator (voice)- SSSandra ScarnatiNarrator (voice)
Jorge SemprúnNarrator (voice)
Simone SignoretNarrator (voice)
Fidel CastroSelf (archive footage) (uncredited)
Salvador AllendeSelf (archive footage) (uncredited)
Vladimir LeninSelf (archive footage) (uncredited)
Joseph StalinSelf (archive footage) (uncredited)
Mao ZedongSelf (archive footage) (uncredited)
Qing JiangSelf (archive footage) (uncredited)
Zhou EnlaiSelf (archive footage) (uncredited)
Võ Nguyên GiápSelf (archive footage) (uncredited)
Charles de GaulleSelf (archive footage) (uncredited)
Georges PompidouSelf (archive footage) (uncredited)
Richard NixonSelf (archive footage) (uncredited)
Augusto PinochetSelf (archive footage) (uncredited)
Directing · 1
- Chris Marker Director, Writer, Editor
Camera · 2
- Willy Kurant Director of Photography
- Pierre-William Glenn Director of Photography
Sound · 1
- Luciano Berio Music
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