Film Persona

  Joseph L. Mankiewicz's "Cleopatra" There is perhaps not a drier nor neverending historical epic than Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1963 film " Cleopatra ." Not even Elizabeth Taylor's beauty can inject any semblance of flavor into the film. The biggest concern I have with it is that it is far too stiff and lacks any emotional or dramatic engagement. A tower achievement in mediocrity.  

  Tony Richardson's "Tom Jones" Based on the 1749 novel " The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling ," Tony Richardson's 1963 adaptation " Tom Jones " is full of irreverent debauchery. Lauded in its time, the film is visual spectacle of Eastman color, bringing forth the picturesque qualities of its original novel into a literal picturesque film. The film had both critical and commercial success. Not only did it win Best Picture at the 36th Academy Awards, it was third in British box office receipts and fourth in the U.S. The film centers on Tom Jones, growing up as the illegitimate son of a wealthy landowner. Because he does not hold the same position as his highly father figure, he is treated widely with disdain. He does, however, make his way through an assortment of willing and eager women who find him completely charming. Despite this, jealous mean threaten his safety and contrive plans to have him arrested and hanged.  The story is thematically si...

  Robert Bresson's "The Devil, Probably" As Robert Bresson grew in age, he only got more and more 'Bressionian.' His characters became far less emotive and his films felt more and more clinical and cold. It became necessary as he continued his complex themes regarding the malaise of our modern world. His 1977 film " The Devil, Probably " most directly taps into that notion. The film centers on Charles, a disillusioned student living in Paris. He is detached from society and struggles with a growing sense of alienation. The friend group around him does not understand his turmoil and try various methods to get him out of it. His depressive and detached manner extends from his growing hopelessness in the modern world.  Although I do not particularly think it is one of Bresson's best works, there is something quietly shattering about " The Devil, Probably ." It seems as timely now in 2026 as it most likely felt in 1977. The state of the world c...

  Dino Risi's "Il Sorpasso" By 1962, the Italian-style comedies had become the mainstream in Italy. Films like 1958's " Big Deal on Madonna Street " and 1961's " Divorce Italian Style " had swept the public into a new era of Italian cinema. Although they are an evolution of the neo-realist style, Italian-style comedies depart from neo-realism's strict adherence to reality. With the economic rise the country was going through at the time, the stark and unflinching observations of economic destitution that neo-realism typically thrives on had to make way for much farcical and satirical styles (hence the Italian-style comedy).  One of the most famous and commercially successful Italian-style comedies is Dino Risi's 1962 film " Il Sorpasso ." The film stars Jean-Louis Trintignant as a timid college student, Roberto, who gets swept away by a charismatic and impulsive Bruno. The two spend the entire day together and Roberto begins e...

  Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Mamma Roma" Pier Paolo Pasolini's films would get far more controversial into his directing career, but even his more neo-realist pieces in the early 1960s had some edge to them. His second directorial effort, 1962's " Mamma Roma ," which starred the incomparable Anna Magnani, had a police complaint filed the day of its release for being "offensive to good morals" and "contrary to public decency." Pasolini was even confronted by neo-fascists in front of the Quattro Fontane Cinema, where he got into a scuffle.  Personally, I don't understand the outrage over the film. There was nothing inherently sadistic about the film, beyond some of the thematic points it was making. Perhaps its inclusion of prostitution, or its sympathies with a petty criminal were enough to drive people over the edge. " Mamma Roma " centers on former prostitute Momma Roma, who starts a new life as a marketer in Rome after her...

  Jean-Pierre Melville's "Le Doulos" After the critical and commercial success of 1961's " Leon Morin, Priest ," Jean-Pierre Melville returned to a familiar crime formula with 1962's " Le Doulos ." Another commercial success, " Le Doulos " and its crime thriller format would become a normality for Melville. Aside from the simplicities that the genre provides, Melville still manages to inject this format with bleak, fatalistic themes. The plot at times can be a bit convulsive. This is perhaps the intention, given that there is a bit of a revelation that clarifies things later in the plot. This confusion also adds to the lack of distinction between good and evil, cop and crook, etc. There is so much double-crossing, informing, and manipulative measures that is sufficient to make one's head spin.  The ending of the film, along with its thematic point, reminded me a bit of Martin Scorsese's 2006 film " The Departed ." En...