Film Persona

  Satyajit Ray's "The Big City" Based on a novel by Narendranath Mitra, Satyajit Ray's 1963 film " The Big City " centers on a conservative middle-class Bangali family shaken up by one of its women taking a job in the city. Taking place in the early 1950s, the film reflects upon the growing economic and social taking place and how it affects modern Indian social dynamics and roles.  Satyajit Ray is typically interested in the domestic life of Indian families and how that domesticity is directly related to social, political, and economic change. With " The Big City ," he explores how economic necessity creates the new world dynamics, as women in the workplace break the mold of conservative structures. Even more so, our protagonist - Arati - begins to grow in confidence as she becomes the primary earner of her household. This confidence boost disrupts the patriarchal mindset of the family members, as well as eventually the patriarchal mechanism of in...

  Lindsay Anderson's "This Sporting Life" Although a commercial failure upon its release, Lindsay Anderson's 1963 film " This Sporting Life " went on to become one of the standards of the British 'kitchen sink dramas.' The film stars Richard Harris as Frank, a bitter young coal miner who finally makes it in a local rugby league. The problem, however, is that he continues to be the heel of his own life, as his disposition pushes everyone around him away. My admiration for the film extends to the brilliant frustration both towards our protagonist as well as his inability to gain any respect or better life. It's not unfamiliar for the protagonist of a British kitchen sink drama to be unlikeable. In fact, it probably wouldn't be a kitchen sink drama without one. However, the external circumstances revolving around economic disparity and existential meaninglessness is what drives the unlikeable behavior of the protagonist.  When our protagonist - ...

  Elem Klimov's "Welcome, No Trespassing" I am far more familiar with Elem Klimov as the director behind the 1985 masterpiece " Come and See ." With his 1964 film " Welcome, No Trespassing ," we see a completely tonal opposite, transforming the hellscape and terror of the former into the more playful and whimsically pointed latter. The film centers on a group of children at a Soviet Young Pioneer camp attempting to hide the expelled Kostya from the tyrannical administrator, Dynin. The concentration on children and their fight against strict rules and oppressive adults is a common thematic scenario throughout films. " Welcome, No Trespassing " seems to borrow the same cinematic 'spirit of play' as Jean Vigo's " Zero for Conduct ," which also takes free expressionist liberties with visual cues, like exaggerative sequences that indicate a subjective viewpoint of the children.  The message of both the visual components and t...

  Youssef Chahine's "Saladin the Victorious" After the global success of his 1958 film " Cairo Station ," Youssef Chahine was given an enormous budget for a film centering on the iconic Kurdish commander who protected Jerusalem against the Crusaders during the 3rd Crusades. Filmed in color, " Saladin the Victorious " is a three hour epic detailing Saladin's heroic efforts against King Richard, the Lionhearted. Although the film is riddled with historical inaccuracies, it went on to be one of the most important Arabic films of all time. The film also seems to emulate the modern political circumstances happening in the Middle East at the time of its release (1963). Many have noted that the depiction of Saladin mirrors Gamal Abdel Nasser, who took power over Egypt shortly after its revolution in 1952. The Arabs fighting against the crusaders are representative of the modern Arabs fighting against European imperialism.  Under King Richard, the Crusader...

  Elia Kazan's "America, America" Although " America, America " is a bit of a propagandic and nationalistic film by its end, there is still a semblance of true belief in its confines. Written and directed by the controversial Elia Kazan, and adapted from his very own novel, " America, America " tells the story of a young boy determined to get to America from Turkey. Coming from economic desolate means, he stops at nothing to secure passage, even if it means morally denigrating himself. While the whirlwind story is ultimately captivating, the final note seems to embody the notion that getting to America will automatically make you rich. Despite this silly final note, the protagonist's determination to get the 'American Dream' is worthwhile given the contextual circumstances. The drive towards a haven of grace is what truly propels the story forward and brings forth its dramatic points. 

  Ermanno Olmi's "The Fiancés" There's something very unique about the films of Ermanno Olmi. It's even stranger given the notion that they are Italian films, as Italians film are often full of kinetic energy - bouncy and exaggerative. The films of Olmi, on the other hand, are more akin to the works of Michelangelo Antonioni, slower and arid. His 1963 film, " The Fiancés ," adheres to this dry, aimless quality.  The film centers on a factory welder named Giovanni, who has been offered a job in Sicily with the prospect of a promotion. He accepts the offer and leaves behind his fiancé, Liliana, for eight months. However, the days and nights in Sicily are lonely and hollow. The expectations of the job are not what he expected, either.  The intention behind Olmi's film seems not too dissimilar from an Antonioni feature. However, Olmi has added the classic element of economic disparity to the equation, which is a far more familiar theme in Italian cinema....