Film Persona

  Kon Ichikawa's "An Actor's Revenge" Based on the 1934 novel by Otokichi Mikami, the 1963 film " An Actor's Revenge"  centers on a Kabuki actor in late Edo Japan who seeks revenge on those responsible for his parent's death. The novel had been adapted to the screen numerous times before, the first time by Teinosuke Kinugasa in 1935. Coincidentally, the lead role in both the 1935 version and the 1963 version were both played by Kazuo Hasegawa.  The basic story elements work well and are structured in a dramatic and engaging way. However, there is a bit of excess to the film that makes it feel somewhat bloated. A more stripped down version could have sufficed. However, one positive aspects from this perceived bloat is that the climatic final reckoning feels more weighted.  Overall, I liked the film. However, there was some aspect of it that was missing for me. I'm unsure of what that is, but it felt incomplete as a dramatic piece.

  Robert Wise's "The Haunting" Adapted from the 1959 novel " The Haunting of Hill House " by Shirley Jackson, the 1963 Robert Wise directed " The Haunting " centers on a group of paranormal investigators who spend the week at a haunted house. Although the film is meant as a horror film, it leans more into the branches of the psychological horror than tactile horror. That being said, the film remains a classic of the genre. I, however, was very uninspired by the film. Firstly, whether it was the original Jackson novel that is to blame for this or the screenwriter, but I believe that much of the film doesn't quite make sense tonally. Plot-wise and structurally, it couldn't be more coherently simple. However, the insufferability of the protagonist renders all other plot points unfeasible. I simply could not get past the protagonist's lack of psychological coherence and the lack of logic in the remaining relationships they build throughout the ...

  Stanley Kramer's "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" The very first thing I noticed about the 1963 comedy " It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World " wasn't its expansive and explosive cast. Rather, it was the impeccable crispness of its color formatting and its incredible use of widescreen. This feat wasn't too shocking, given its director, Stanley Kramer, was more attuned to social dramas and not comedies.  The film has an enormous cast, with innumerable comedic icons appearing. It centers on a group of strangers who are in a desperate hurry to acquire a mysterious briefcase of cash after the death of its owner. During their race to get there first, they encounter many comedic and slapstick situations. Despite Kramer wanting the film to be over 3 hours in length, the 2 1/2 hour version I watched was still a tad too long for my taste. It would've been more suitable if the comedy was a tad stronger. I'm not saying the film wasn't funny. I jus...

  Samuel Fuller's "Shock Corridor" Described by American film critic Andrew Sarris as a "Baroque B-picture," Samuel Fuller's " Shock Corridor " manages to contain the aesthetic of older Hollywood films. Released in 1963, this psychological drama exemplifies Fuller's edgy and oft controversial style. There are plenty of taboo subject matters littered throughout the film that would cause some to feel it was meant for its B-picture status. The film centers on Johnny Barrett, an ambitious journalist bent on winning a Pulitzer Prize. To achieve this feat, he concocts a plan to fake insanity to get into a mental hospital so that he can solve an unsolved murder. In doing so, he surrounds himself with chaotic insanity that only disintegrates any semblance of stability he initially had. The mental institution (and the film itself) is allegorical of America in 1963. The reason for many of the patients' insanity derives from external pressures from so...

  Vittorio De Sica's "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" In the age of the Italian-style comedy, getting two huge stars like Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren would be a guaranteed box office smash. That's exactly what happened with the 1963 comedy " Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow ." Not only did it become the third highest grossing film in North America, it cemented Sophia Loren as one of the most famous actresses on the planet. The film is an anthology. It is divided into three 'chapters.' The first centers on a working-class couple in 1954 who decide to continuously have children to avoid jail time. The second involves the wealthy wife of an industrialist who takes a drive with her lower-class lover. The final act concerns a prostitute who must convince her neighbor's son to maintain his path to priesthood. The 'Italian-style comedy' is a byproduct of the neo-realist movement, which shifts social and economic themes instead to sexual dy...

  Alain Resnais's "Muriel" After an explosive beginning to his career in narrative fiction with " Hiroshima mon Amour " and " Last Year at Marienbad ," Alain Resnais's follow-ups, " Muriel " and " The War is Over " were a little bit of a let-down for me. With 1963's " Muriel ," especially. The film certainly is understandable in both theme and plot. And yet, somehow, it leaves much to be desired. The film follows Helene, a middle-aged widow, living with her stepson Bernard in Boulogne-sur-Mer. When an old a past lover of Helene's, Alphonse, visits her, the two of them share memories of wartime. Everyone is the story is pained by memory. They obsess over what has happened and the lost moments they will never get back. Although the thematic point of the story makes for a promising experience, I don't feel as though it contained enough internal or external drama to allow for any attachment with the audience. P...