Film Persona

  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...

  Masaki Kobayashi's "Harakiri" Masaki Kobayashi's 1962 jidaigeki film " Harakiri " is one of the most striking and subversive samurai films of its era. Starring the incomparable Tatsuya Nakadai, the film centers on a ronin in 1930 who presents himself before the estate of the Iyi clan wanting to commit seppuku within their courtyard palace. What really drives the film is the mystery surrounding the reason of this request.  Aspects of Kobayashi's direction felt Hitchcockian to me. There's a solemn intensity in the atmosphere that creates an inherent sense of suspense. Kobayashi is very kinetic with his shots and camerawork. Throughout the formal environment of the estate, he seems to revel in an anti-formalist approach to his direction. This deftly benefits the sense of growing intrigue. The plot creeps along knowing its audience is anticipating its next step. As we continue down the path of revelation, the protagonists intentions grow increasingly c...

  Yasujiro Ozu's "An Autumn Afternoon" A bittersweet end to the great career of Yasujiro Ozu, 1962's " An Autumn Afternoon " is a summation of a great man's oeuvre. I find myself melancholic after having watched his expansive career of the past several years of my life. His films are gentle, yet impactful. My comfort with his familiar style meshes with the domesticity of his characters. Watching an Ozu film almost feels like returning home. Before dying at the age of 60 the following year, Ozu completed " An Autumn Afternoon ," in which he institutes themes of finality and coming to terms with the ever-changing nature of life. It centers on an aging widower who enlists the help of his family to get his two unmarried children married. The plot is not very atypical of an Ozu, nor is his quiet musings on life's loneliness.  Chishu Ryu, who had worked in Ozu films since Ozu's debut in 1928, plays the aging widower. In in a way, Ryu is a sta...