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The Miracle Worker (1962)

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  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...
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The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

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  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...
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Long Day's Journey into Night (1962)

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  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. 
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Pitfall (1962)

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  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.
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The Inheritance (1962)

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  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.
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The End of Summer (1961)

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  Yasujiro Ozu's "The End of Summer" While its ending may have been too 'on the nose,' " The End of Summer " finds Ozu focusing far more on death and the disillusion of life itself, hence the film's title. It contains one of the largest casts Ozu has ever assembled, which is really saying something for the ensemble-favored director. The attention paid evenly among its characters would perhaps normally spread the emotionality too thin. However, in the hands of Ozu, this certainly isn't a problem. The film centers on a large family in the midst of the arranged marriages of a couple of its daughters. All the while, the patriarch is going off secretly to spend time with his 'other' family, a former mistress and her Westernized daughter. However, things get solemn when that patriarch suddenly has health complications. Ozu seems to be reckoning with his own mortality in " The End of Summer ," perhaps even dealing with his health probl...
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Three Daughters (1961)

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  Satyajit Ray's "Three Daughters" Perhaps the most uninteresting Satyajit Ray film I've seen thus far is his 1961 film " Three Daughters ." There is plenty to like in this anthological tale, but its loose connectivity and lack of thematic cohesion makes it far less engaging than the typical Ray affair. While there are many things to latch on to in this almost 3 hour event, I walked away feeling as though a certain amount of potential was ultimately lost. The film is separated into three non-connected stories. The first is short and centers on a schoolmaster who teaches a young orphan girl to read and write, only to disappoint her by moving away. The second is a supernatural tale about a wife obsessed with the jewels her husband buys her, only to turn into a ghost haunting the estate. The final conclusory story is about a village girl who becomes a bride for a law student, eventually succumbing to her circumstances.
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