Film Persona

  Stuart Rosenberg's "Cool Hand Luke" There is something overtly charming about the 1967 Hollywood film " Cool Hand Luke ." Perhaps because the central character, Luke, is so damn charming. Beyond its charm, the film surprisingly became a touchstone of its era - a film that stood out amongst the stale products being churned out by Hollywood. Even more so, it had allegorical touches - clearly anti-establishment and nodding to the emerging opposition to the ongoing war in Vietnam.  The film stars the incomparable Paul Newman as Luke, a decorated World War II veteran sentenced to two years on a chain gang after drunkenly destroying parking meters. In the gang, Luke refuses to observe orders, albeit always with a cool and sly demeanor. After gaining the respect of the other prisoners, Luke makes several escape attempts and is eventually beaten and broken down by the authoritative staff.  At the time of the film's release, anti-establishment was a spreading senti...

  Luchino Visconti's "The Stranger" Going into Luchino Visconti's rendition of the 1942 Albert Camus novel " The Stranger, " I was already trepidatious. Having read Camus's novel and watched the 2025 Francois Ozon adaptation, I have been fully immersed in the story. What a story it is. However, Visconti's rendition didn't strike well with me, and left me feeling as though the artist didn't quite understand the work he was adapting.  Visconti takes the text and literalizes it. In doing so, he creates a hollow reenactment of the novel. It doesn't feel as though the story understands what it is supposed to be. It feels as though the filmmakers are simply recounting the literal events as they unfold in the novel without fully understanding and expressing the more abstract and philosophical grasp.

  Stanley Kramer's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" With civil rights and racial tensions heating up in the 1960s, Hollywood made an effort to reflect the state of social life in America. One such example of a film is 1967's " Guess Who's Coming to Dinner ." Starring Sidney Poitier, Katharine Houghton, Spencer Tracy, and Katharine Hepburn, the film centers around a mixed-raced couple introducing their partners to their parents for the first time. The film is a far cry from Poitier's " In the Heat of the Night " from the same year. Outright, even dangerous, racists aren't the issue here. Rather, its the fear of public perception by progressive parents. The dramatic differences between these two films require their respective genre and approach to the subject matter. In this case, the trepidation of the characters must be ironed out through consistent discussion and consideration (whereas the former mostly deals in action).  For the mos...

  Larisa Shepitko's "Wings" What struck me most about Larisa Shepitko's 1966 film " Wings " is that it feels like a work coming from an aging direction. Given its subject matters involving aging, nostalgia, regrets, and and feeling out of touch and underappreciated from the current generation, " Wings " does not feel like the work of a director in her 20s. Of course, Shepitko is more prominently known for her 1977 film " The Ascent ," but " Wings"  is a beautiful debut that demonstrates her unique ability to communicate tone and feeling. The film centers on a former fighter pilot, Nadezhda, who now spends her 40s living a quiet but unfulfilling life as the principal of a trade school. Once considered a hero of World War II, Nadezhda struggles to connect with the generation that follows her. Despite giving her time and energy for her public service, she is constantly met with derision from others. As she struggles to connect with...

  Jean-Pierre Melville's "Le Samourai" At the crossroads between the French Nouvelle Vague and the New Hollywood movements lies one particular film: 1967's " Le Samourai ." Of course, its eccentricities play in certain New Wave arena, but the film was far more influential overseas in America, where it was used for many templates of aesthetic for certain New Hollywood pictures. " Le Samourai " is a film that has been re-modeled and its visual style used time and time again, making it one of the more influential films to come out of an already potent decade. The film centers on a hitman named Jef Costello. He lives in a single-room Paris apartment and keeps only a small bird as any sort of engagement. After carrying out the contract killing of a nightclub owner, he is brought in by the police as a suspect. However, the alibi created by Jef is airtight, along with the added benefit of one of the witnesses claiming that it wasn't him. However, the ...

  Mike Nichols's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" There are some films adapted from Broadway productions that far outshine their source. The 1966 film " Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is perhaps one of those films. Not only did the film feature Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the greatest performances of their career, it was iconic Hollywood director Mike Nichols's debut feature. The film was a major success and earned Academy Award nominations aplenty. It even had the distinguished accolade of being one of the films, along with Michelangelo Antonioni's " Blow-Up " of the same year to force the MPAA to adopt a film rating system due to their excessive profanity.  The film centers on a college professor, George, and his wife, Martha. George works as a history professor in a small New England college which is head by Martha's father. After a late night out, the two begrudgingly welcome the company of Nick and his wife Honey ...