Film Persona

  Robert Aldrich's "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" It was very striking to see icons from the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1962 classic " Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? " Both Joan Crawford and Bette Davis were legends of their time and their performances in this film certainly prove that they're still dynamic. Even better, they prove their some of the greatest screen performers of all time.  The plot centers on two sisters: one confined to a wheelchair, the other descending into a troubling mental state. Davis plays the titular 'Baby Jane,' a former child star who now is the ward of her crippled sister, Blanche. Wanting to get back into stardom, Jane imprisons Blanche and keep her in solitude. Blanche's physical health begins to fade as rapidly as Jane's mental health.  There was a somewhat 'black comedy' aspect to the film, aided even more so by some of its camp. Rather than making it a sour experience, it was rather delicious....

  Arthur Penn's "The Miracle Worker" My impressions of " The Miracle Worker " before ever having seen the film was something far more akin to that of " Mary Poppins ." Unfit parents are at their wits end with their children and a nice, calming presence comes along instilling patience and understand that allows the children to learn and thrive. However, this is not at all anything like " The Miracle Worker ," and for good reason. The film is based on the 1959 stage play of the same name, which in turn was based on the real events of Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Arthur Penn, the stage director for the play was tasked with bringing it to the big screen. The studio originally wanted Elizabeth Taylor for the part of Ms. Sullivan. But, Penn instead went against the studio and chose Anne Bancroft, who starred in his stage production. Patty Duke, although she was fifteen years old at the time, was brought from the stage performance to...

  John Frankenheimer's "The Manchurian Candidate" In the first thirty minutes of John Frankenheimer's " The Manchurian Candidate ," I was instantly turned off by the perceived propagandic nature of the film. After a decade of McCarthyism, it seemed very politically motivated to suggest that Communist China hypnotized American troops to act as puppets for their attacks on American political figures. However, as the film progresses, it becomes clear that the perspective is a little more balanced than I was anticipating. Aside from the more ridiculous plotline I just mentioned, the film reveals that the 'anti-Communist' political movement is using Communist fear (the "Red Scare") to motivate and manipulate Americans. It directly mocks McCarthyism as a scare tactic and illustrates the paranoia and fear of the time of its release. Its release was extremely timely, given that the Cuban Missile Crisis was happening that very week.  Despite some si...

  Sidney Lumet's "Long Day's Journey into Night" Eugene O'Neill's award winning play, 1956's " Long Day's Journey into Night, " was adapted into a feature-length film in 1962. Written by O'Neill himself and directed by Sidney Lumet, the film is a three hour direct-to-screen, word-for-word adaptation. The only actor from the stage play that transitioned to the film version was Jason Robards. Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, and Dean Stockwell were selected to fill out the rest of the cast. Although the film was received critical praise at the time, it doesn't seem to have any kinetic energy to it. To me, the film is utterly droning. Three hours of self-important drudgery acting as a vanity project for its writer. I might have enjoyed the live production of it in a theater, but watching it as a three hour cinematic experience felt completely draining. 

  Hiroshi Teshigahara's "Pitfall" Based on the play " Rengoku " by Kobo Abe, Hiroshi Teshigahara's 1962 film " Pitfall " is an often surreal experience. Although not completely in the surrealist camp, Teshigahara's unique directing style and experimental editing makes it a very kinetic watch. Centering on a conspiracy involving the exploitation of coal miners, " Pitfall " dives into the avant-garde with its inclusion of undead spirits. Despite some of the convolutions of the plot, the film never fails to be completely engaging. What caught my eye most was Teshigahara's unflinching willingness to make dramatic edits and directional choices. The film can be a bit messy in its execution and its themes constantly swaying from one thing to another, but overall the experience was something of a net positive.

  Masaki Kobayashi's "The Inheritance" After his megalithic film series, " The Human Condition ," Masaki Kobayashi returned to a smaller, more restrained story with 1962's " The Inheritance ." Obviously framed in noir stylings and jazz scores, the film's plot concerns a dying businessman orchestrating his will. The surrounding cast of characters plot and scheme to acquire his inheritance. There was a certain moody charm to this film. Everything is so slick and the characters are so morally duplicitous, hence the noir aesthetic. Kobayashi does an impeccable job of situating these money-chasing characters into the cold, industrial modern world. Their environment is an extension of them and them an extension of their environment. " The Inheritance " certainly displays Kobayashi's bleak outlook on modern greed and corruption.