( Le Fond de l'air est rouge , 1977) is Chris Marker’s monumental three-hour "film-essay" that chronicles the rise and eventual fragmentation of the global New Left between 1967 and 1977. Its English title—a reference to the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland —symbolizes the "grin" of a revolution that remains as a lingering ideal even after its physical movements (the "cat") have vanished. Documentary Overview
: The film is divided into two distinct parts: A Grin Without A Cat subtitles Spanish
Finding versions with ( Subtitulada en Español ) is essential for understanding Marker’s dense, poetic commentary, which was originally recorded in French. A Grin Without a Cat — Cineaste Magazine ( Le Fond de l'air est rouge ,
—Examines the decline and disillusionment following the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and the tragic downfall of Salvador Allende’s government in Chile. A Grin Without a Cat — Cineaste Magazine
—Traces the early optimism and unity of socialist movements, from the Vietnam War to the death of Che Guevara and the May 1968 protests in France.