Film Persona

  Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby" There aren't many films that have the kind of reputation of Roman Polanski's 1968 film " Rosemary's Baby ." Based on the 1967 novel by Ira Levin, the film follows a young newlywed who begins to suspect that her neighbors have sinister intentions regarding her and her baby. The reputation following the film is marked by a significant change in the Hollywood film industry at the time, with the film being emblematic of a new frontier of American filmmaking. The film centers on Rosemary Woodhouse, recently married to Guy, who moves into a large Gothic New York City apartment. The couple become acquainted with an elderly neighbor couple, Minnie and Roman Castevet, who suddenly become involved in their lives in ways Rosemary grows annoyed by. After they connect Rosemary with a selective caregiver, Rosemary's health begins to deteriorate as her pregnancy becomes impossible to bare. Rosemary begins to have indicat...

  Frantisek Vlacil's "Marketa Lazarova" Considered the greatest Czech film by a 1998 poll of Czech critics and publicists, Frantisek Vlacil's 1967 film " Marketa Kazarova " also happens to be one of the greatest historical films ever made. Set during the 13th century, the film centers on the daughter of a feudal lord who is kidnapped by neighboring robbers. During this period, Christianity was taking over native Paganism is Central Europe - a concept told more surrealistically in " Marketa Lazarova ." There is an unshakable ambiance to the film - something that nestles inside your mind and infects you with its heightened reality. The film reminds me some of Andrei Tarkovsky's " Andrei Rublev " from the previous year. The film is set in the 13th century, but it is shot using handheld, dolly, and other forms of shots that create an intimate, yet surrealistically disorienting experience. The black and white imagery, along with the starkn...

  Eric Rohmer's "The Collector" Although Eric Rohmer had released several feature-length films in his career, his 1967 film " The Collector " felt more like a spiritual and aesthetic beginning for him. The French New Wave movement had reached a stagnation point and Rohmer's visual calmness felt almost like a rebellion of the movement itself. This is ironic given that New Wave's entire thesis was of rebelling against the norm. However, many scholars consider " The Collector " an invigorating dimension of the New Wave movement, despite its seeming disconnect. After all, Rohmer was a decade older than his New Wave contemporaries, which allowed him to view the movement through a more objective and observational lens.  The brash nature of New Wave was becoming stale and as Rohmer posits in " The Collector ," perhaps subtly and reservation are more suitable for modern audiences. With " The Collector ," Rohmer manages to communicat...

  Sergei Bondarchuk's "War and Peace" The mighty task of adapting Leo Tolstoy's monumental novel " War and Peace " had already been done by Hollywood in 1956. King Vidor, the iconic director known for his giant, sweeping epics, was tasked with such a feat. The resulting film was good - albeit way too "Hollywood" to fulfil the existentialism of Tolstoy's original work.   When the Soviet film industry decided on adapting their own national literature, they spared no expense. The rubles spent on their adaptation of " War and Peace " was equal to $9.21 million U.S. dollars, making it the most expensive Soviet film in history. The expenses went to good use, as the film managed to sell approximately 135 million tickets in the USSR, along with garnishing critical praise by winning the Grand Prix at the Moscow International Film Festival, the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in the U.S., and the Academy Award for Best Foreign...

  Masaki Kobayashi's "Samurai Rebellion" By 1967, the Samurai genre had dominated Japanese cinema and was its primary global output going on two decades. In this way, it mirrored the American Western. Similarly to the American Western, the late 60s were the last frontier of this mainstay genre. By the 1970s, the genre, although still relevant, had diminished in both interest and production. To me, Masaki Kobabyshi's 1967 film " Samurai Rebellion " is a grand final thesis for this legendary genre. The film's plot takes place in 1725, during the Edo Period of Japan. Isaburo Sasahara, a vassal of the daimyo of the Aizu clan, is ordered to by the daimyo to marry his son to his ex-concubine. With much trepidation, the family agrees. However, after his son and his new wife fall in love after two years of marriage, the daimyo orders for her return. Angered by the audacity and corruption of his daimyo, Isaburo digs his heels in - challenging the state's rule...

  Mike Nichols's "The Graduate" My most recent excursion into Mike Nichols's " The Graduate " is a far different experience than when I first watched the film over a decade ago. I watched the film when I was in my late teens/early 20s and felt a kinship with the passivity and disconnect felt by Dustin Hoffman's Benjamin Braddock. However, as I enter my mid-30s, I no longer feel as emotionally connected to the character. In fact, I am far more critical and perturbed by Benjamin this go-around. For those that don't know, " The Graduate " centers on a college graduate, Benjamin, who returns to his parents' home in Pasadena to spend the summer until he can decide what to do with his life. Drifting by in a malaise, Benjamin spends his summer drifting in the pool. Oh, and having an affair with Mrs. Robinson, the married neighbor who is twice his age. After spending many nights with Mrs. Robinson, Benjamin falls in love with her daughter, Elai...