Film Persona

  Samuel Fuller's "Shock Corridor" Described by American film critic Andrew Sarris as a "Baroque B-picture," Samuel Fuller's " Shock Corridor " manages to contain the aesthetic of older Hollywood films. Released in 1963, this psychological drama exemplifies Fuller's edgy and oft controversial style. There are plenty of taboo subject matters littered throughout the film that would cause some to feel it was meant for its B-picture status. The film centers on Johnny Barrett, an ambitious journalist bent on winning a Pulitzer Prize. To achieve this feat, he concocts a plan to fake insanity to get into a mental hospital so that he can solve an unsolved murder. In doing so, he surrounds himself with chaotic insanity that only disintegrates any semblance of stability he initially had. The mental institution (and the film itself) is allegorical of America in 1963. The reason for many of the patients' insanity derives from external pressures from so...

  Vittorio De Sica's "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" In the age of the Italian-style comedy, getting two huge stars like Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren would be a guaranteed box office smash. That's exactly what happened with the 1963 comedy " Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow ." Not only did it become the third highest grossing film in North America, it cemented Sophia Loren as one of the most famous actresses on the planet. The film is an anthology. It is divided into three 'chapters.' The first centers on a working-class couple in 1954 who decide to continuously have children to avoid jail time. The second involves the wealthy wife of an industrialist who takes a drive with her lower-class lover. The final act concerns a prostitute who must convince her neighbor's son to maintain his path to priesthood. The 'Italian-style comedy' is a byproduct of the neo-realist movement, which shifts social and economic themes instead to sexual dy...

  Alain Resnais's "Muriel" After an explosive beginning to his career in narrative fiction with " Hiroshima mon Amour " and " Last Year at Marienbad ," Alain Resnais's follow-ups, " Muriel " and " The War is Over " were a little bit of a let-down for me. With 1963's " Muriel ," especially. The film certainly is understandable in both theme and plot. And yet, somehow, it leaves much to be desired. The film follows Helene, a middle-aged widow, living with her stepson Bernard in Boulogne-sur-Mer. When an old a past lover of Helene's, Alphonse, visits her, the two of them share memories of wartime. Everyone is the story is pained by memory. They obsess over what has happened and the lost moments they will never get back. Although the thematic point of the story makes for a promising experience, I don't feel as though it contained enough internal or external drama to allow for any attachment with the audience. P...

  Chris Marker's "La Jetee" Although it is a 'short' film (with only 28 minutes in length), Chris Marker's " La Jetee " has the same effect and influence as anything considered "feature length." And unlike other films, La Jetee " is composed completely of stills and uses a voiceover to narrate the story. Does that even qualify this as a 'film?' I would argue yes.  In fact, the exclusive use of stills only aids in the film's concept. It centers on a prisoner in a post-apocalyptic Paris who is used as a lab rat for the experiments of scientists attempting to travel in time. Because our prisoner has such a deep connection to his past, this makes him the perfect subject. While 'visiting' the past, he is able to reach out and connect to a woman he once saw when he was a child. As the experiment continues day-by-day, his time spent with her is his only solace. The use of stills is thematically valuable in two ways. Firstl...

  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...