Film Persona

  Pietro Germi's "Seduced and Abandoned" In the era of the Italian-style comedy, Pietro Germi rose above the rest as a master of the genre. After his phenomenal 1961 film " Divorce Italian Style ," he continued to master the form with " Seduced and Abandoned ." A belly-laughing critique of Sicilian social customs, " Seduced and Abandoned " is a whirlwind comedy full of hijinks and satire. The film stars Stefania Sandrelli as Agnese, who has a brief affair with with her sister's fiancé, Peppino. After her traditional parents discover this, her father embarks on a farcical journey to protect his family's reputation by convincing Peppino to marry Agnese. There are, of course, complications. The film is told in typical Italian-style comedy fashion, with absurd complications to the story and bellowing hijinks. To me, " Seduced and Abandoned " demonstrates a comfortability the genre has within itself. It ventures away from the rea...

  Martin Ritt's "Hud" By the 1960s, the Western genre had become far more of entertainment concept meant to placate the masses. There were numerous films still, but even more television series. The market was overrun with Westerns. So, when a subversive and more introspective Western like " Hud " comes around, it really stands out above the rest.  Starring the iconic Paul Newman, 1963's " Hud " centers on Hud - a morally bankrupt ranch-hand on his aging father's Texas cattle ranch. After it is discovered that their cattle all has foot-and-mouth disease, Hud's father is tasked with liquidating them - bringing an end to his life's work. Hud's selfishness and brazen disregard for tradition and honor causes domestic issues abound. What's interesting about this particular Western is how the 'society' that normally invades the traditional Western landscape happens from within. Hud himself represents this new societal change, n...

  Satyajit Ray's "The Big City" Based on a novel by Narendranath Mitra, Satyajit Ray's 1963 film " The Big City " centers on a conservative middle-class Bangali family shaken up by one of its women taking a job in the city. Taking place in the early 1950s, the film reflects upon the growing economic and social taking place and how it affects modern Indian social dynamics and roles.  Satyajit Ray is typically interested in the domestic life of Indian families and how that domesticity is directly related to social, political, and economic change. With " The Big City ," he explores how economic necessity creates the new world dynamics, as women in the workplace break the mold of conservative structures. Even more so, our protagonist - Arati - begins to grow in confidence as she becomes the primary earner of her household. This confidence boost disrupts the patriarchal mindset of the family members, as well as eventually the patriarchal mechanism of in...

  Lindsay Anderson's "This Sporting Life" Although a commercial failure upon its release, Lindsay Anderson's 1963 film " This Sporting Life " went on to become one of the standards of the British 'kitchen sink dramas.' The film stars Richard Harris as Frank, a bitter young coal miner who finally makes it in a local rugby league. The problem, however, is that he continues to be the heel of his own life, as his disposition pushes everyone around him away. My admiration for the film extends to the brilliant frustration both towards our protagonist as well as his inability to gain any respect or better life. It's not unfamiliar for the protagonist of a British kitchen sink drama to be unlikeable. In fact, it probably wouldn't be a kitchen sink drama without one. However, the external circumstances revolving around economic disparity and existential meaninglessness is what drives the unlikeable behavior of the protagonist.  When our protagonist - ...

  Elem Klimov's "Welcome, No Trespassing" I am far more familiar with Elem Klimov as the director behind the 1985 masterpiece " Come and See ." With his 1964 film " Welcome, No Trespassing ," we see a completely tonal opposite, transforming the hellscape and terror of the former into the more playful and whimsically pointed latter. The film centers on a group of children at a Soviet Young Pioneer camp attempting to hide the expelled Kostya from the tyrannical administrator, Dynin. The concentration on children and their fight against strict rules and oppressive adults is a common thematic scenario throughout films. " Welcome, No Trespassing " seems to borrow the same cinematic 'spirit of play' as Jean Vigo's " Zero for Conduct ," which also takes free expressionist liberties with visual cues, like exaggerative sequences that indicate a subjective viewpoint of the children.  The message of both the visual components and t...

  Youssef Chahine's "Saladin the Victorious" After the global success of his 1958 film " Cairo Station ," Youssef Chahine was given an enormous budget for a film centering on the iconic Kurdish commander who protected Jerusalem against the Crusaders during the 3rd Crusades. Filmed in color, " Saladin the Victorious " is a three hour epic detailing Saladin's heroic efforts against King Richard, the Lionhearted. Although the film is riddled with historical inaccuracies, it went on to be one of the most important Arabic films of all time. The film also seems to emulate the modern political circumstances happening in the Middle East at the time of its release (1963). Many have noted that the depiction of Saladin mirrors Gamal Abdel Nasser, who took power over Egypt shortly after its revolution in 1952. The Arabs fighting against the crusaders are representative of the modern Arabs fighting against European imperialism.  Under King Richard, the Crusader...