Film Persona

  Jean Cocteau's "The Blood of a Poet" When I started to watch Jean Cocteau's 1932 short film " The Blood of a Poet ," the surrealist nature of the film drew in my wife's attention, as she is one of prefer surrealist cinema to more straightforward pieces of art or entertainment. As we watched, my wife and I began to interpret the images we were seeing. Our interpretations came down to: the life of an artist who feels he has the ability to speak through his work. However, as he travels through the mirror, he confronts his own demons and misunderstanding of things. We he gets back on the other side, he realizes that his duty is to speak the truth. This truth is that he is privileged and a member of the bourgeois class he's meant to be taking aim at through his art. His position in his class compromises him as an artist and as a human.  Is this the correct interpretation of " The Blood of a Poet ?" My guess is....probably not! Despite this, th...

  Roberto Rossellini's "Rome, Open City" Written during the Nazi occupation of Italy and filmed after Rome's liberation, Robert Rossellini's " Rome Open City " is one of the most staggering achievements in Italian cinema. During its filming, only Rome was liberated while the rest of Italy was under siege. It's openness and blatant manner, along with its stark realism, helped pave the way for Italian neorealist cinema and provided one of the most important documents of World War II ever put to film.  When watching the film, I was utterly struck by the starkness of subject matter, themes, and visual photography. The film tackles fictional events of a group of Italian citizens trying to hide and move Francesco, a resistance fighter. Despite the tragic consequences of their journey, these characters must splay themselves open for the viewer to witness their true character. In the difficulty of their traumatic circumstances, these characters demonstrate w...

  Luchino Visconti's "Ossessione" From what I've read, it seems film scholars are pretty split down the middle as to whether they consider Luchino Visconti's debut feature film, 1943's " Ossessione " to be the very first neorealist film is Italian cinema. There are certain elements that might disqualify it from being considered the ignition point of the movement. One of these disqualifiers is that it has two popular actors of Italian cinema, Massimo Girotti and Clara Calamai, as opposed to non-actors. However, when I watch the film, I see the stark realism that would come to trademark the film movement, along with the focus on gritty, street-level life and the affects economic disparity has on its inhabitants.  The film centers on a drifter who becomes attracted to the wife of a gas station owner. The unhappy wife, Giovana, seduces our protagonist, Gino, and then convinces him to murder her husband. However, this decision doesn't make a happy end...

  Julien Duvivier's "Poil de Carotte" I began watching Julien Duvivier's 1932 film " Poil de Carotte " last night and noticed that my wife and daughter started to become intrigued. The film tells the story of a young boy whom everyone refers to as 'Poil de Carotte' or "Carrot-top" in English. Poil de Carotte is physically and psychologically abused by his mother while his father remains oblivious and perhaps uncaring. Eventually, with the help of a new maid, the father begins to realize the levels to which Poil de Carotte is being abused by his wife.  The tragic sadness of this child is palpable, as he even tries to commit suicide at various points in the film. Poil de Carotte is just like any boy: he loves to play, be silly, and is scared of the dark. The universal qualities of his behavior form a connection to the audience, which only makes his abuse even more troubling. Eventually, my wife and daughter got up and left to do their own res...

  Yasujiro Ozu's "I Was Born, But..." In my time as a film watcher, I have only seen one Yasujiro Ozu film, 1954's " Tokyo Story ." However, I am fully aware of the style in which Ozu directs and constructs his films, as well as their themes. His 1932 silent film " I Was Born, But... " is a great official introduction to Ozu. I can already align what I know about the famous director with this work.  The film tells the story of two young boys as they navigate their new hometown. They laugh and play with other children, but also face bullies as well. Soon, they slowly begin to learn that their father is not some big, important man, but rather a lowly employee for their fellow playmates' father. This becomes distressing for the children, as they act out against their father and mother. After disappointment, anger, and eventually reconciliation, the boys gain a new perspective on their father and even life itself. I really enjoyed the film and foun...

  John Huston's "The Maltese Falcon" As far as film noirs go, John Huston's directorial debut " The Maltese Falcon " stands as one of the most memorable in Hollywood history. It doesn't seem like the visual aesthetics of the 'noir' film would come about until a few years later when Billy Wilder injected high-contrast darkness with the zenith of all film noirs, " Double Indemnity ." However, despite lacking the visual congruency with the genre, " The Maltese Falcon " could be called a 'proto-noir,' given that the film lay many of the structural framework of the genre. Like with most noir films, " The Maltese Falcon " follows a detective, played by Humphrey Bogart. Bogart's detective untangles a web of crime and intrigue, following the mysterious happenings of a woman and two men looking for a priceless artifact dubbed the 'Maltese Falcon.' As the story progresses, what these group of people (includ...

  Howard Hawks' "Rio Bravo" To conclude the filmography of Howard Hawks, I watched his 1959 western film " Rio Bravo ." I've got to say that I was expecting a lot more out of this picture based on all the praise for the film. That is not to say that I didn't like it, it was a fine time at the cinema (I was not at the cinema, I was at home). I can't say that I should have expected more, as I'm not entirely that big of a fan of Howard Hawks. Even his best film (to me), " The Big Sleep " is arguably one of the weaker film noirs that I've seen. " Rio Bravo " is a film that apparently is a response to 1952's " High Noon ," which was an allegory about Hollywood's blacklisting and McCarthyism. Howard Hawks and John Wayne felt the film was anti-American and instead made " Rio Bravo " to broadcast an alternative perspective in which the hero of the story doesn't shy away from justice. I personally ha...

  Howard Hawks' "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" What is there to say about Howard Hawks' 1953 studio film " Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ?" Well...it's a film whose sole desire is to show off Marilyn Monroe in glorious 35mm technicolor. Other than that, the film is a hollow shell. Sure, it wasn't a horrible experience. But, there was nothing more to the film other than Marilyn's schtick. I do recognize her performance of " Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend " as being one of the most iconic pop culture moments of the 20th century. But the film overall has little going for it.

  Howard Hawks' "Red River" Howard Hawks' first foray into the Western genre, " Red River ," is a film that I desperately would like to watch again. Throughout the entire film, I was enthralled. The gripping psychological battle between the young Montgomery Cliff and the old John Wayne was something I found deeply engaging. The only problem for me was a problem that many people seem to have with the film, the ending. All throughout the film, we see beautiful, stark white landscapes of the Wild West, contrasted with the stark black palette of the night. The two, white and black, can be mirrored through the white, young Montgomery Cliff and the old, black-hat-wearing villainous John Wayne. John Wayne's character, Thomas Duncan, is not a 'villain' in the classical Hollywood sense of the word. In the film, he is a far more complex character. As with the story of America itself, Thomas Duncan, is a hard, bitter man looking to secure his property, asse...