Film Persona

  Martin Ritt's "The Spy Who Came In from the Cold" Based on the 1963 novel of the same name by John le Carre, Martin Ritt's 1965 " The Spy Who Came In from the Cold " is yet another great film that exemplifies Cold War paranoia. Starring the incomparable Richard Burton, the film follows a British spy infiltrating the East German Intelligence Service. Although it did not rake in a substantial box office receipt, it received a few Academy Award nominations and remains a sought after artifact of its era. Although we are loosely told the nature of our protagonist's mission, there are specificities that are kept from the audience. So, certain plot points are left for us to determine if they are indeed part of the 'mission' or not, leaving a certain level of suspense and uncertainty to the mission's success or failure. This creates more drama than a typical spy film in which you are simply watching them try to execute a laid-out plan. However, the...

  Pierre Etaix's "Yoyo" I am not familiar with the works of France's Pierre Etaix and his 1965 film " Yoyo " is my first time visiting his filmography. He seems to carry the spirit of the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and other vaudeville-esque cinematic acts. " Yoyo " uses this vaudeville spirit to striking effects and the 'callback' to that style fits very neatly in the thematic point Etaix seems to be making with the film.  The film opens as a silent picture taking place in the 1920s. An unnamed millionaire living in a chateau feels unhappy with his pampered life. After the stock market crash of '29, he leaves to become a circus performer with his former lover and their young son. The young son, after becoming trained as clown all his life, grows up to be Yoyo, the clown. After having experienced World War II, he rises to become a successful actor and uses his new wealth to buy back his father's old chateau. One of the...

  Stanley Kubrick's "A Space Odyssey" Writing about a work as full of depth as Stanley Kubrick's " 2001: A Space Odyssey " is just as daunting as watching the film itself. Not only is it one of the most iconic films ever made, its vastness of ideas has made it one of the most analyzes and discussed films ever. Its images and concepts opened the doors to filmmakers like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and spring boarded the new era of Hollywood to create massive, technologically advanced filmmaking. It is hands-down one of the most influential and sought after works in film history. Despite its depth, the plot is somewhat simple. The opening acts finds early man as apes. With the arrival of a strange, black monolith, the apes reach a new level of consciousness and begin using tools. Specifically, the apes use the bones of dead animals as weapons to attack neighboring apes to gain access to their water supply. The second act finds humanity in a fictionalized...

  Hiroshi Teshigahara's "Woman in the Dunes" Hiroshi Teshigahara's 1965 film " Woman in the Dunes " is perhaps one of the strangest and enigmatic films I've ever seen. The film's eccentricity stems primarily from its plot. From there, Teshigahara's direction takes Nouvelle Vague-esque turns and really creates a haunting atmosphere. The film is often called one of the greatest Japanese films ever made, as its ambiguity creates a singularly unique experience. The film's plot centers on a schoolteacher and amateur entomologist named Junpei who leaves Tokyo for a rural coastal village to collect insects. There, he misses the last bus and is forced to find accommodation in the village. The villagers take him to a house located at the bottom of a sand dune, where he is lowered down by ladder.  The dune house is occupied by an unnamed woman, who shovels sand into buckets for the villagers to pull up and sell. Junpei quickly discovers that he has bee...

  Seijun Suzuki's "Story of a Prostitute" I think the thematic point of Seijun Suzuki's " Story of a Prostitute " serves more than the actual film does. While it's not at all a bad movie or a poor watch, it feels like treaded ground from a lot of previous Japanese filmmakers, like Kenji Mizoguchi and Masaki Kobayashi. Stories involving woman and prostitutes, as well as stories about soldiers, are all films I have seen time and time again. This isn't typically a bad thing, but I feel as though " Story of a Prostitute " does nothing unique to separate itself from the pack. The one thing that really had me interested was linking the prostitution of the women to the servitude of the soldiers. However, I don't feel as though the film really takes this premise and exercises it to its fullest extent.

  Hideo Gosha's "Sword of the Beast" Despite its underrated status, Hideo Gosha's " Sword of the Beast " deserves a bit of merit for its entertaining story. It follows a fugitive samurai in 1857 getting involved in a scheme to poach gold after just having killed his counselor. Each character the samurai interacts with displays the same animalistic and savage impulses, thus creating a brazen world of everyone being out for themselves. However, as he begins to interact with a select few, he slowly realizes the error of this savagery, which transforms both his relationships and himself. All in all, " Sword of the Beast " was a great, fun ride. Perhaps the most impressive feat of the film is the kineticism of all its actions. Particularly, all the sword fighting is exhilarating. On top of the visual stimulus, our characters are each worthy of engaged viewing. The film really brings together the best aspects of Japanese filmmaking and touts it splendidl...