Film Persona

  Preston Sturges' "The Lady Eve" The 1940s were the twilight years of the standard Hollywood genre of "screwball comedy." Its heyday in the 1930s had reached a more tired, standard format. Despite this, the genre was still flourishing with many of the day's high earning stars signing on to get their screwball on. One director who had spent plenty of time writing the screwball formula in the 1930s was Preston Sturges. By 1940, he became a director himself and was able to direct his own scripts, something that did not occur very often in the Hollywood industry. In 1941, he was able to enlist Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda, two of the biggest stars at the time, to star in his screwball comedy " The Lady Eve ."  " The Lady Eve " centers on a classy card shark named Jean who spends the entire film trying to both swindle and romantically entice an heir to an ale fortune, Charles.  After he finds out her intentions the first time, she transfo...

  Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger's "One of Our Aircrafts is Missing" Once again, another British propaganda film from the Powell & Pressburger gang during their nation's darkest hours. This time, 1942's " One of Our Aircrafts is Missing " plays like an inverted " 49th Parallel ." In " 49th Parallel ," it is the Nazi stranded in enemy territory (Canada), as their team begins to disintegrate due to in-fighting and being taken down one by one by the Allied forces. In " One of Our Aircraft is Missing ," it is the Allied forces who are stranded in enemy territory (Nazi-occupied Holland). Only, the Allied forces continue working together as a cohesive unit to make it out.  I've got to say that I much preferred " 49th Parallel " to this film. I felt as though " 49th Parallel " really engaged me in more complex ways, especially how the Nazi ideology continues to get challenged throughout the film...

  Max Ophuls' "La Ronde" After shooting his last U.S. film " The Reckless Moment ," Max Ophuls returned to Europe. He did not, however, go back to Germany, where he started his career. Instead, he entered the French film industry, an industry that was becoming known for producing far more creative and artistic ventures than its American counterpart. There, he and writer Jacques Natanson adapted the 1897 stage play " La Ronde " by Arthur Schnitzler into a feature length film. " La Ronde " is an anthology of stories all introduced to the viewer by a 'master of ceremonies.' We are told by this master of ceremonies that the stories we are seeing all center around love. We are shown various episodes, whereby one of the lovers from the previous episodes has another lover in the next. This goes all the way around until we end up on the Simone Signoret character we started from. As the master of ceremonies says, we've spun around 'la ...

  Anthony Asquith & Leslie Howard's "Pygmalion" I think we all know the story of " Pygmalion ," whether you realize it or not. Based on the famous 1913 stage play by George Bernard Shaw, " Pygmalion " tells the story of a linguist professor who turns a lowly street peddler into a duchess. Whether you know this story as " My Fair Lady ," " Educating Rita ," " Can't Buy Me Love ," " She's All That ," or even stories with a similar vein like " The Princess Diaries ," for example. Regardless of its form, the story is ever-present and always timely.  The main thematic conceit of the story regardless of the form it takes is that of class division and social mobility. By taking someone from a lower class, along with their lower-class behaviors and mannerisms, and instilling in them the behaviors of the upper class, you begin to draw analysis of the constructs between them. Proper grammar, proper po...

  George Cukor's "Holiday" George Cukor's 1938 film " Holiday " finds Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn reuniting after their on-screen dynamism of Howard Hawks' screwball comedy " Bringing Up Baby " from the same year. When Columbia pictures first purchased the rights of the film from the Broadway production, they had in mind to re-team Grant with his " The Awful Truth " co-star Irene Dunne. However, Hepburn was selected, as she had been the understudy for the part during its Broadway run. It's a good thing Hepburn secured the role, because I believe that she shines far more brightly with this performance as a free-spirited socialite than Dunne ever could have. The film centers on a wealthy family, in which one of the two daughters, Julia, plans to marry Johnny Case, a self-made man who has worked all his life. He manages to woo the entire family, including vivacious elder sister Linda. However, his plans to take a holiday from wo...

  Victor Fleming's "The Wizard of Oz" I don't feel as though there could be anything too bold said about the iconic film that is " The Wizard of Oz ." It is a film that is apt to hyperbole, prone to conspiracy, recognized for achievement, and use for reinterpretation and reiteration. I would even argue that MGM's 1939 masterwork musical is perhaps the origin of cinematic consciousness. Like I said, there is no statement about " The Wizard of Oz " that is too bold.  In fact, I feel as though " The Wizard of Oz " is so embedded into the cinematic consciousness that I don't feel the need to reiterate the film's plot, as everyone surely knows it. Although I don't feel the need, I will do so for posterity's sake. A young Kansas girl, who lives on a farm with her aunt, uncle, and three farmhands, wishes there was more to life. She dreams of escaping. After a run-in with a cruel neighbor woman, the Kansas girl, Dorothy, decid...

  William Wyler' "Jezebel" I think the primary reason we as a film community look back on William Wyler's 1938 film " Jezebel " is for none other than Miss Bette Davis. Although it was her second Best Actress win, her performance in " Jezebel " typically stands above her performance in her previous win for " Dangerous ." However, many in the film criticism community note that the film's climactic moments seem to undermine the very thematic nature of the film and Davis' character.  Bette Davis' southern belle, Julie, is set to be married to Henry Fonda's Preston in 1852's New Orleans. However, because of her spoiled and entitled attitude and her desires to antagonize and clash with everyone she meets, Julie loses Preston. Upon Preston's return to New Orleans after a year away, he brings back a new wife, Amy. Julie spends the evening scheming her other suitor Buck to antagonize Preston until things go awry and Buck d...

  Sergio Leone's "For a Few Dollars More" After the success of the wildly popular " A Fistful of Dollars ," Sergio Leone and his team rushed to complete its follow up a year later with " For a Few Dollars More ." This would be the second film in a trilogy that many call " The Dollars Trilogy ," with " The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly " being the third and final installment. " For a Few Dollars More " continued to employ Leone's unique style of the post-modern Western and become the highest grossing film in Italy in 1967, proving to be far more successful that its predecessor.  The premise of the film is rather simple: two bounty hunters team up to go after a crazed and dangerous banker robber who plans on robbing the El Paso bank, the largest bank in the country.  I had a hard time connecting to this film the way I connected to " A Fistful of Dollars ." Perhaps that is because I was running sick with a cold an...

  Marcel Pagnol's "Le Jour Se Leve" After watching my third Marcel Carne film, 1939's " La Jour Se Leve ," it became clear to me that Carne is a very bleak filmmaker. In all three films I've seen of his, " Port of Shadows ," " Hotel du Nord ," and this film, there has been a bleak atmosphere in which characters harbor depressive outlooks and even commit suicide. " Le Jour Se Leve " is one of the final films in the French poetic realist movement, and perhaps one of the strongest. It also is perhaps the film that captures the depressive anxiety over the impending Nazi invasion and the overall sense of doom felt by the French populist.  The film stars iconic French actor Jean Gabin as Francois, a foundry worker who begins the film by killing a man in his apartment complex. After police arrive, Francois locks himself in his apartment and the subsequent larger portion of the film visually displays his reminiscing over how he got ...

  Henri-Georges Clouzot's "Quai des Orfevres" 1947's " Quai des Orfevres " was Henri-Georges Clouzot's first directorial effort after his controversial 1943 film " Le Corbeau ." Clouzot had been banned from filmmaking by the French government for his collaboration with a German film studio financing " Le Corbeau ." However, many didn't quite make the thematic connections with " Le Corbeau "'s anti-Nazi sentiment and felt that the film was critiquing France itself. One Clouzot's ban was lifted, he decided to adapt Stanislas-Andre Steeman's 1942 novel " L'egitime defense ."  Clouzot's film focuses on a married couple, Maurice Martineau and his theater performing wife, Jenny Lamour. After Jenny becomes acquainted with a sleazy businessman, Brignon, who promises her a film deal, the jealous Maurice goes to Brignon's home to kill him only to find him already dead. A police procedure initiated...

  Alexander Mackendrick's "Sweet Smell of Success" It is very bizarre to me that Alexander Mackendrick's 1957 film " Sweet Smell of Success " was a commercial and critical success upon its release. If you go look up retrospective analysis of the film now, you will see nothing but praise. And for good reason. In fact, many consider " Sweet Smell of Success " one of the greatest American films of the 1950s. The film centers on Sidney Falco, a slick, up-and-coming press agent who does the bidding of popular journalist J.J. Hunsecker. Hunsecker is a media kingpin who is powerful in the entertainment world. Wanting Hunsecker to publish his clients, Falco agrees to help Hunsecker separate his little sister from her romance with a local jazz musician. Through blackmail, brides, extortion, and any other corrupt practice under the sun, Falco manages to enact Hunsecker's demands, even to the point of his own fallout. The world of this local Manhattan sce...

  Roberto Rossellini's "Amore" I will admit that the 1948 Robert Rossellini film " Amore " is a great experiment in cinema. It is a film that is split between two episodes, both centering on actress Anna Magnani. The first episodes takes place entirely in her character's apartment with no other characters present. She speaks to an unnamed man on the phone as their seemingly volatile relationship begins to come to a close. The second act is Magnani playing a village peasant, believing the man who intoxicated and raped her to be St. Joseph and the child inside her to be a gift from God.  All in all, the very existence of the film itself is a welcome experiment in cinema. It's dual narrative combined with an isolated performance creates an interesting watch. However, I feel as though, despite the creativity, it doesn't quite provide any sort of meaningful insight or emotion. Above all, the greatest aspect of this film is the groundbreaking performances ...

  Samuel Fuller's "Pickup on South Street" While watching Samuel Fuller's 1953 film " Pickup on South Street ," I noticed it very of it's moment. The themes of the film fit in quite nicely with the Cold War mania happening in the 1950s, especially the 'Red Scare.' However, when the film was released, its reception was wildly varied.  The film stars a young woman tasked with delivering a piece of film. Unbeknownst to her and the man who steals her wallet on the subway, the piece of film she's delivering contains Communist secrets. In an effort to track down the man who stole her wallet, both the police and the Communists she works for go on a mad scramble, with our unlucky young woman caught in the middle. Fuller direction contains many noir-ish elements, which is probably why the film is billed as a 'noir' by its studio. However, the film falls more in to the category of spy thriller. However, I did enjoy the stark and crisp black and...

  George Stevens' "Swing Time" The only other film I can really compare " Swing Time " to is the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers dance musical from the previous year, " Top Hat ." I can't in good conscious say that I've been enjoying the Hollywood musicals from the 1930s, as there is not a lot to grab on to save the incredible dancing performances. However, the Astaire/Rogers films are a cut above the standard.  In comparing the two, I would say that " Top Hat " has a far more engaging storyline than " Swing Time ," but " Swing Time " has far more engaging musical numbers. In this way, the two sort of cancel each other out, making both a relatively similar experience. However, the climatic moment I was waiting for with " Top Hat " occurred off-screen, rendering the whole storyline experience frustrating. For that reason, " Swing Time ," although lackluster in story, doesn't leave me with any hars...

  Marcel Carne's "Hotel du Nord" There is something that strikes me when watching French films that were filmed and released just before the outbreak of war in late 1939. These films seem to carry a certain melancholic nihilism, as the sentiment in France was bleak in knowing full well that an invasion of their homeland was imminent. Whether it is the hopeless inescapability of " Pepe le Moko " or the suffocating self destruction in " Port of Shadows ," these films seem to carry with them the same sense of dread that many French citizens were feeling at the time. With Marcel Carne's " Hotel du Nord ," this trend continued.  " Hotel du Nord " centers on a young couple who get a room at the Hotel du Nord for the night, planning on doing a joint suicide pact. However, the plan goes awry when the man flees after shooting the woman. The woman survives and begins working at the hotel as a maid while the man is arrested. The woman pull...

  George Cukor's "Camille" I have to say that I'm getting rather bored of these Hollywood vehicles for Greta Garbo. I feel like Garbo is a great actress and I'm not bashing her performances in these films, however the choices of films the studio puts her on have been less than desirable. I do admire a few, especially her silent films, as well as her best film, Ernst Lubitsch's " Ninotchka ." That being said, this film, George Cukor's " Camille ," provided me no emotional resonance of any kind.  The film centers on a French courtesan named Marguerite Gautier living in 19th century Paris. Because of a terminal illness, she desires simple pleasures in life. One day she meets a young man, but must break his heart before he can know the truth. I found the plot to be utterly empty. I found Cukor's direction to be standard for Hollywood films at the time. I found Garbo's performances to be typical of her career. I normally do not bash ...

  Julien Duvivier's "Un Carnet de Bal" Julien Duvivier had an incredible year in 1937, making two important and resonant films, the first being his iconic " Pepe le Moko ." The second, " Un Carnet de Bal ," often gets overshadowed by the first but is an incredible film in its own right. Starring an array of iconic French actors, from Harry Bauer to Raimu to Francoise Rosay, " Un Carnet de Bal " is the kind of film that doesn't use romance, action, or any spectacle as a crutch. Rather, its a melancholic look at life, love, and memory. The film centers on a woman whose husband just died. In the midst of grieving, she remembers a ball she attended at the age of 16 and all the dance partners who signed her card. She decides to go and visit each former suitor and view how they are, where they are, and what has happened to them since that fateful night. " Un Carnet de Bal " centers on themes of nostalgia and the 'what could have b...

  Fred Zinnemann's "High Noon" There seems to be a lot of external discussion about Fred Zinnemann's 1952 Western " High Noon ." In fact, I feel as though there is far more interesting discussion happening outside the frame than inside. I found " High Noon " to be a moderate Western morality play, with occasional interesting elements that leave one pondering. Beyond that, I felt it was no masterpiece and certainly not up there amongst the all-time great Westerns (for me). However, that doesn't seem to be the case with many film historians and scholars, who consider " High Noon " to be an all-time great. I can recognize the value in the film and its moral questions. However, what's far more interesting to me is how the film was perceived after its release. The movie stars Gary Cooper as a local town sheriff ready to leave town with his new Quaker wife and finally retire. However, when a dastardly villain is reported to return to to...

  Francois Truffaut's "Jules and Jim" I have watched Francois Truffuat's lauded 1962 French New Wave film " Jules and Jim " twice now and both times has confounded me. I feel as confounded by the film itself as I do about its lead female protagonist, Catherine, played brilliantly by French icon Jeanne Moreau. This sentiment I feel with the film seems to validated by many interpretations of the film. Let me point out that the plotline of the film is not what is confusing or confounded, not at all. Rather, the complexity of human emotion, the reason and logic of behavior, and the artistic narrative of the picture is what causes such astounding feelings of uncertainty and mysterious intrigue.  The film revolves around two male friends, Jules and Jim, from 1912 to the early 1930s. In the onset of the film, the two spend all of their time in joyous adventure as they navigate early adulthood and all its freedoms. The pair then meet Catherine, whom both love. Cathe...

  Julien Duvivier's "Pepe le Moko" While watching Julien Duvivier's landmark 1937 film " Pepe le Moko ," I couldn't help but notice the immense influences that spring forth from the film screen. Gangster films from the more contemporary Martin Scorsese, for example. More examples include " Casablanca ," " The Third Man ," and even the " Looney Tunes ." All in all, " Pepe le Moko " had an enormous and influential reach and helped continue to expansion of the French Poetic Realism movement happening in the 1930s.  The film stars Jean Gabin as a wanted gangster who has been hiding in the labyrinthine Casbah for two years evading capture from the police. He is also constantly staving off attempts of informing from people within his circle. When a beautiful Parisian woman visiting Casbah meets him, he becomes obsessed and decides to escape with her. However, things go not as expected. Many film scholars note " Pepe...

  Victor Fleming's "Captains Courageous" When people think of Victor Fleming, they think of two very distinct films, both revolutions in filmmaking and both coming out in 1939: " The Wizard of Oz " and " Gone with the Wind ." In looking at his full filmography, there aren't many other films that really stand out, however. That is certainly not to say he doesn't have a fine track record in the Hollywood studio director system. Regardless, those two 1939 films have made his director career something of note and one other film that gained him recognition was his 1937 adventure film " Captains Courageous ." " Captains Courageous " centers on a young, spoiled rich kid who happens to fall off of a boat while sailing to Europe. He is picked up by Manuel, a deep sea fisherman. The boy is taken back to a fishing schooner where he must wait several weeks before the schooner heads back to port. In those two weeks, he grows closer to Ma...

  Jean-Luc Godard's "Band of Outsiders" When people think of the French New Wave movement, they typically think of something like Jean-Luc Godard's 1964 film " Band of Outsiders ." Perhaps this is because " Band of Outsiders " is Godard's most accessible film or because it carries all of typical institutions of the New Wave format. Even famed Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino mimicked this film and its New Wave sentiments for his early films. He even went as far as calling his production company "A Band Apart." Through all the influence and homage it has caused, it stands as one of Godard's most accessible and recognized films.  The film details a series of circumstances in which a young, sheltered woman meets a group of troublemaking bandits hatch a plan to steal a large sum of money from her aunt and uncle. Through the interactions with the men, the young woman 'lets her hair down' and experiences some impromptu shena...

  Leo McCarey's "The Awful Truth" Did I enjoy Leo McCarey's 1937 screwball comedy " The Awful Truth ?" Sure, certainly. It was entertaining. However, I found nothing of note in the film and felt no sense of connection to it in any way. That being said, its very apparent that Cary Grant is the king of the screwball comedy and can do no wrong in that particular genre. As far as Irene Dunne, she is completely forgettable. As for Leo McCarey, I know he is a very typical studio director and in most cases, directs comedies. I have no issues with McCarey, but find his films to be rather lacking. All in all, I was mildly amused by the screwball antics of " The Awful Truth ," but it is certainly not worth writing home about.

  Sadao Yamanaka's "Humanity and Paper Balloons" In his very brief career, Japanese director Sadao Yamanaka only made 3 feature length films. All 3 made an enormous impact in Japanese culture and are still praised by the film community today. The final of the 3 films he made, 1937's " Humanity and Paper Balloons " is perhaps the very reason his life was cut short. At the time of the film's release, the Japanese government had already invaded China and was exponentially building its militia. They felt as though Yamanka's film damaged the nationalistic and militaristic viewpoint they were trying to instill in the country. Because they were so displeased with the 'message' of the film, they sent Yamanaka to the Chinese front, where he died a year later in 1938. The reason for this retribution by the Japanese government was because the film focuses on a group of characters who actively display the worst attributes of Japanese society. Yamanaka...

  Michael Powell's "49th Parallel" When the Nazis started their war campaign in 1939, the British Ministry of Information approached Michael Powell to make a propaganda film. Powell used this opportunity to make a film that would hopefully sway the then-neutral United States to join the war effort. The resulting film, " 49th Parallel " was released in the fall of 1941 in the United Kingdom. However, by the time the U.S. distributed the film in the spring of 1942, they had already entered the war. Despite this, the film was a huge success and remains a great wartime film about the war itself. The film centers on a group of Nazis who become stranded in Canada after their U-boat is sunk by RCAF bombers. As they make their way through the democratic land of Canada, they are not only hunted for their crimes, but also face varying ideological and political disagreements with the Canadian locals. One by one, the original party of 6 Nazis becomes smaller and smaller unt...

  Max Ophuls' "The Reckless Moment" I feel as though Max Ophuls is being very limited in his U.S. productions. After watching his 1933 German film " Liebelei ," I felt as though I were watching a director with a lot of promise. From what I understand, this promise becomes fulfilled with his French filmography in the 1950s. However, with his late 1930s and 1940s productions, it feels more like Ophuls is limited by his studios. The only U.S. film of his I found particularly fascinating with 1948's " Letter from an Unknown Woman ." Although, one of his films that came out only a year after, " The Reckless Moment " is still an enjoyable watch nonetheless, despite it not blowing me away. The film stars Joan Bennett as a mother attempting to protect her daughter from the sleazy gangster she's dating. After the gangster and the daughter get into an argument, the daughter accidentally kills him (unbeknownst to her). After the mother disposes ...