Posts

Morning for the Osone Family (1946)

Image
  Keisuke Kinoshita's "Morning for the Osone Family" After watching Keisuke Kinoshita's 1946 Japanese family drama " Morning for the Osone Family ," I was struck by how little writing there is about the film. I was so enthralled and moved by the film, that I felt that there was for sure a lot more to be said by the film community about such a flick. I personally found the film a marvel. The film centers on the Osone family between the years of 1943 and 1945. As war rages on in their country, the family is torn apart by a headstrong military uncle who is able to enlist all of the boys, much to the chagrin of the mother and sister of the family. The young boys go off to war (some against their desire), the father is arrested by the police for writing a paper against the war effort, and the mother and sister are left behind to deal with the abrasive privilege of the military uncle. By the end of the war, children are dead and Japan is in a state of turmoil.  I
Post a Comment
Read more

The Killers (1946)

Image
  Robert Siodmak's "The Killers" I once again return to the world of film noir with my watch of Robert Siodmak's 1946 film " The Killers ." Often considered one of the greatest film noirs ever made, " The Killers " also happens to be the first film that actor Burt Lancaster ever performed in. It was a critical and commercial success at the time of its release and is an Ernest Hemingway adaptation that Hemingway considers the only good Hollywood adaption of his work. The film centers on a insurance investigator who gets engrossed in a murder mystery involving a former boxer. Although it was meant to be a quick investigation, the various twists and turns of the mystery only lead the investigator further and further into revealing the insidious truth.  I've got to say that the more 'film noirs' I watch, the more I feel as though that I'm not a big fan of the film noir as a genre and concept. " The Killers " certainly checks a
Post a Comment
Read more

Record of a Tenement Gentleman (1947)

  Yasujiro Ozu's "Record of a Tenement Gentleman" Review to come later
Post a Comment
Read more

I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)

Image
  Michael Powell & Eric Pressburger's "I Know Where I'm Going!" As best described by Eric Pressburger himself, the Powell-Pressburger 1945 film " I Know Where I'm Going! " takes the themes of anti-materialism present in " A Canterbury Tale " and presents them in a more accessible romantic comedy format. Because of this romantic comedy element of the film, I found it rather wavering in any thematic interest for me. The film centers on a young woman who travels from her home in Manchester to the Hebribes to marry a wealthy, much older industrialist. However, along the way, she gets stranded on the Isle of Mull due to inclement weather. There, she meets Torquil, a member of the Royal Navy. The two fall in love, bringing our protagonist's journey for wealth to an end.
Post a Comment
Read more

Mildred Pierce (1945)

Image
  Michael Curtiz's "Mildred Pierce" In adapting the 1941 James Cain novel " Mildred Pierce " to the big screen, Michael Curtiz also created an enduring Hollywood classic. When the script was first being shopped by Warner Brothers, no Hollywood actress wanted to play the titular role due to the implication of her age by having a teenage daughter. However, after leaving MGM for Warner Brothers, Joan Crawford campaigned herself for the role and eventually got it. Her performance in 1945's " Mildred Pierce " wound up being the greatest performance of her career and garnished her a "Best Actress" Academy Award. The story centers on Mildred, a woman who, after separating from her husband, must become a waitress in order to provide for her spoiled 16-year-old daughter Veda. After honing her skills as a waitress, she eventually gains her own restaurant business, along with a new business partner and a new husband in Monte. However, both Veda and
Post a Comment
Read more

Miracle in Milan (1951)

Image
  Vittorio De Sica's "Miracle in Milan" The general visual style, along with the subject matter, of Vittorio De Sica's 1951 film " Miracle in Milan " fits into the same style that is typical of De Sica's previous work. He helped establish the neo-realist movement in Italy that dealt with impoverished citizens in a post-war landscape. " Miracle in Milan " was much the same. However, " Miracle in Milan " finds De Sica experimenting with the format of neo-realism by injecting some magical realism.  The film centers on Toto, an optimistic young man who finds himself in a shantytown on the outskirts of Milan. Toto brings the shantytown community together with his warmth and optimism and turns it into a bright, tight-knit community of people working together. When the community discovers that petroleum erupts out of the ground easily, a businessman who owns the land arrives to kick the inhabitants off, bringing the police with him. Suddenly
Post a Comment
Read more

White Nights (1957)

Image
  Luchino Visconti's "White Nights" With his 1957 film " White Nights ," Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti took Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 1848 short story of the same name and adapted it to the film screen. Starring Marcello Mastroianni and Maria Schell as a man and woman who meet one winter night, the film details their continued meetings and the woman's pining over a man she's been waiting on a bridge for. What is most notable about this film is the dreamlike quality it possesses. The dreamlike quality of the film can partially be attributed to the constructed street set that possessed this nighttime atmosphere.  Although there appears to be quite acclaim regarding the film, both contemporary acclaim and acclaim at the time of the film's release, I wasn't as struck by it as most. That being said, I still enjoyed the film. What I took most out of it was the desperation and loneliness of every character, even smaller, more insignificant character
Post a Comment
Read more