12 Monkeys Film Relation to La Jetée Film

12 Monkeys is an American science-fiction movie that aired in the year 1995. The film was directed by Terry Gilliam and starred Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Brad Pitt. It was produced under Universal Studios, and the public received it well. The film's plot begins when a deadly virus that claims the lives of almost every human being on Earth is released in 1996. The few survivors, including the 12 Monkeys army, hide underground in a compound in Philadelphia. Cole, one of the survivors, is sent back in time to ensure the scientist does not release the virus (Kamal, 2012). However, he jumps through time loops and encounters various individuals and situations. The 12 monkey army is faced with allegations of being the mastermind behind the virus. Futuristic concepts are largely employed in the film, making it entertaining. 12 Monkeys is a borrowed concept from La Jetée, horrific conditions, time traveling, role of women, and power of memory are some of the themes present in both films; however, they differ in terms of historical condition during and the place of production.  

The 12 monkeys film is an intralingual translation of a French film called La Jetée. Intralligual translation involves summarizing, paraphrasing, or building on a given material. La Jetée was a French short film produced by Chris Maker in 1962 (Kamal, 2012). The plot of La Jetée was quite similar to that of the 12 Monkeys. It was a featurette that lasted for approximately 28 minutes. It was composed of entirely still photos in black and white. The film told the story of a world after the post-nuclear war and its effects. It also analyzes the concept of time travel. The film 12 monkeys built its foundation from this film (Kamal, 2012). The only difference between the two films is the setting of the film. In fact, Universal studios bought the rights to remake La Jetée as a full-length film. Therefore, the science fiction concept borrowed from La Jetée establishes the intralingual relation between the two films.  Both films deal with horrific conditions that have claimed the lives of many individuals. La Jetée is based on a period after a post-apocalyptic war. There was world war III, which led to the death of numerous individuals (Kamal, 2012). The survivors hide underground in Palais de Chaillot galleries as they try to uncover ways to deal with their current predicament.12 Monkeys, the film is based in a time when a deadly virus had been released and claimed several lives. The 12 Monkey soldiers, who are among the few survivors, hide underground in a compound in Philadelphia. Therefore, both films are centered on a period after a deadly occurrence.              

The concept of time travel is employed in both films. Some of the cast members in both films are forced to time travel through certain periods of life. Jean, one of the post-apocalyptic war survivors in La Jetée, is forced to travel through time. He travels into the past and meets a beautiful woman, whom they fall in love with. He also travels into the future to try and amend the effects of the war (Kamal, 2012). Through these travels, he meets and interacts with different individuals. In 12 Monkeys, Cole is the character that travels through time. He travels to 1990, where he is placed in a mental hospital. He travels to 2035, where he meets high-tech and developed humans. He also travels to 1996, before the virus is released, to try and warn the scientists of its effects. Therefore, both films employ the concept of traveling through time.             

The two travelers have a connection to a certain woman in their past. In La Jetée, the narrator travels back in time, meets a beautiful woman, and begins a romantic relationship. This whole time, the narrator questions whether the relationship is real or if he is real. He is later transferred to the future and has to leave the woman behind. After accomplishing his mission, he decided to return to his past and reunite with the woman. This is where he faces death and notices his childhood version witnessing his death (Kamal, 2012). In 12 Monkey, Cole meets with Dr. Kathryn Railly. They seem to have a good relationship and know each other from the past. At the end of the film, Cole dies in her hands, and she realizes his childhood version is watching as the events occur (Kamal, 2012). The woman is embodied as a crucial part of these individuals' escapades through time. Therefore, both films utilize a woman's or feminine energy's contextual significance. The memory of the cast members plays a significant role in their time travel. When Jean is returned to his past in the film La Jetée, he realizes that his childhood self is also present there at the same time. His childhood self witnesses his killing, which forms the basis of his nightmare (Kamal, 2012). In the film 12 Monkeys, Cole goes through the same epiphany. He tries to push his way through airport security when Dr. Peters shoots him. As he lies there dying, Railly scans the area and notices young Cole witnessing his death. Therefore, both Cole and Jean have a strong memory that enables them to travel through sequences of time.              

The two films were based on different genres and context. La Jetée was based in Paris after World war III. The context of the film was of French origin, including a majority of the cast members. 12 Monkeys was based in the United States, specifically Philadelphia (Kamal, 2012). The film is based on scientists releasing toxic viruses that negatively impact human survival. There is a difference of approximately thirty-three years in the film's production. La Jetée was produced first, followed by 12 Monkeys. Also, the two films have different duration, with 12 Monkeys being the highest. Therefore, the two films differentiate in terms of the genres they are based on.              

The social and cultural construction during the two films' production differ. La Jetée was produced in the 1960s, during the New French wave era. It was a period where there were limited creative resources. However, creators were given full liberty to manipulate their work to their liking. Artists were allowed to go beyond the conventional film-making policies and embrace their art. This is why the film La Jetée is quite bizarre. It is composed of still pictures narrating a unique storyline at the time. On the other hand, 12 Monkeys is a film released during the height of Hollywood. Scriptwriters based their storyline from La Jetée on a big percentage (Kamal, 2012). The film also follows the Hollywood convention of film productions. Also, its production was supported by mass resources. There are even live animals from the zoo on set. Therefore, the cultural construction difference between the two films' production marks the difference. 

In conclusion, film-making is a creative process that involves a range of technicalities. 12 Monkeys and La Jetée are genius films that explore the concept of science-fiction. La Jetée was the first to be produced in the form of still, black and white pictures. It narrates the story of a world after a great war and how the survivors try to solve their current predicaments. It encompasses time-traveling escapades for the narrator. The significance of memory is also explored in the film. 12 Monkeys expounded on the concept explained in La Jetée. However, 12 Monkeys takes the trajectory of a world after a deadly virus has been released.           

References 

Kamal, N. (2012). Remake/Remodel: La jetée (1962) vs. 12 Monkeys (1995). Spectrum Culture. https://doi.org/https://spectrumculture.com/2012/08/12/remakeremodel-la-jetee-1962-vs-12-monkeys