It is famous for its enigmatic narrative structure, in which truth and fiction are difficult to distinguish, and the exact temporal and spatial relationship of the events is open to question. The oneiric nature of the film has fascinated and baffled audiences and critics, some hailing it as a masterpiece, whilst others find it incomprehensible.
Influences
Perhaps the most striking visual images of the film are the scenes showing the formal gardens. These disquieting images are reminiscent of the works of Max Ernst, Giorgio de Chirico, Yves Tanguy and Paul Delvaux. Whilst figures move about within the static environment of the gardens, the gardens themselves appear insubstantial, casting no shadows.The film was inspired by the 1940 novel ''The Invention of Morel'' by Adolfo Bioy Casares.
Miscellaneous
In some of the movie's most memorable sequences, characters engage in a version of the game Nim.Marienbad (Mariánské Lázně) is a town in the Czech Republic. The film's setting is unclear (although almost certainly not Marienbad), but was actually filmed at the Nymphenburg Palace, Munich, Germany.
Awards and legacy
The film was nominated for the 1963 Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay (Alain Robbe-Grillet), and it won the Golden Lion at the 1961 Venice Film Festival. In 1963 Adonis Kyrou declared the film a total triumph in his influential ''Le Surréalisme au Cinéma'' (p.206), recognizing the ambiguous environment and obscure motives within the film as representing many of the concerns of Surrealism in narrative cinema.The cinematographic influence of this film is enormous: it has entered the visual language of popular culture, and audiences are now unwittingly aware of the film prior to viewing it. As well as influencing films, it has had an enormous influence on the evolution of music videos.
See also
* Cutting on actionFurther reading
*Ado Kyrou ''Le Surréalisme au Cinéma'', (not located): Le Terrain Vague, 1963*Jean-Louis Leutrat, ''L'Année dernière à Marienbad'', London: British Film Institute, 2000
