Description d'un combat

Third Side of the Coin
Third Side of the Coin
Directed by	Chris Marker
Written by	Chris Marker
Produced by	André Valio-Cavaglione ; Lia van Leer ; Wim Van Leer
Narrated by	Jean Vilar (French version); Yaakov Malkin (Hebrew version); Howard Vernon (German version)
Cinematography	Ghislain Cloquet
Edited by	Eva Zora
Release date	1960;
Running time	57 minutes
Country	Israel
Languages	Hebrew, French, English, German

Third Side of the Coin (French: "Description d'un Combat") is a 1960 French documentary film directed by Chris Marker. It is a cinematic essay exploring the complexities and contradictions of Israeli society in the late 1950s, about 12 years after the state's founding.^[1] Marker approaches Israel through reflective, lyrical, and often ironic observations that mix visual poetry with political commentary. The film won the Golden Bear at the 11th Berlin International Film Festival in 1961.

The film meditates on the country's rapid modernization, the tension between ancient tradition and contemporary realities, and the deep contradictions embedded in the Zionist project. Marker documents everyday life, from kibbutz socialism to bustling city streets, juxtaposing scenes of hope, innovation, and vitality with critical reflections on social inequality, ethnic tensions, and the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict. ^[2]^[3]

In 2025, more than one thousand photographs taken by Marker during filming were found by Israel Museum staff at the Cinémathèque Française in Paris. The Israel Museum staff turned the photographs into an exhibit, titled "Chris Marker: The Lost Photographs of Israel."^[4]

Marker himself tried to hinder screenings and distribution of the film^[5], for reasons that later commentators assumed were not only artistic but political,^[6] the director feeling, according to them, that the evolution of the country was far from being what he had expected.^[7]

References

^ Gombeaud, Adrien (April 2017). "Description d'un combat & description d'un souvenir". Positif. No. 674.
^ Riba, Naama (5 May 2025). "The Never-before-seen Photos of Young Israel That Turned Out to Be Prophetic". Haaretz. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
^ "Reprise : Chris Marker face à l'utopie et aux défis d'Israël" (in French). 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
^ Barr, Neria (11 May 2025). "A poetic lens on Israel's past". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
^ Brarda, Nicola (2017-02-21). "Description d'un combat". Critikat (in French). Retrieved 2025-08-15.
^ "Description d'un combat". DVDClassik.com (in French). Retrieved 2025-08-15.
^ Ariel Schweitzer, "Le film caché de Chris Marker", Les Cahiers du cinéma, October 2013 (n° 693, p. 59),