Film Persona

  Louis Malle's "Elevator to the Gallows" There is one thing for certain that every film historian or critic agrees with about Louis Malle's debut directorial effort, 1958's " Elevator to the Gallows :" that its significance and place in film history is far more important that the film itself. The film itself is still an entertaining and engaging watch, mind you. However, what's even more interesting is the film's approach to filmmaking and the varying stylizations and aesthetics that Malle uses to tell his story.  The story itself plays off American film noir. A man, Julien Tavernier, assassinates his boss with the planning of the victim's wife, Mrs. Carala, as the two of them are secret lovers. However, after getting stuck in an elevator with his car running outside, Mrs. Carala is left waiting at the diner they agreed to meet at. After a street punk and a local flower shop girl steal Julien's car, Mrs. Carala sees them drive by believi

  Jean-Luc Godard's "A Married Woman" Every time I watch a Jean-Luc Godard film, I feel as though there is always something to engage with. There is always a level of intellectualism and post-modernism that allows for actual contemplation with the film you're watching. His 1964 film, " A Married Woman ," is perhaps my least favorite film of his filmography thus far. That being said, it is still an incredibly engaging and interesting watch that forced me to evaluate 'modern life' and all its mechanical and consumerist employs.  It centers on a married woman (hence the title) who lives in modern Paris. She is married and plays step mother to a young boy. At the same time, she sneaks away to pursue an affair with a theater actor. After finding out she is pregnant, she is torn between the two men. The story is relatively straight forward, but like all Godard films, the style in which the story is told is utterly unique. Godard has a way of inverting trad

  George Stevens' "The More the Merrier" The 1943 romantic comedy " The More the Merrier " signaled an end to an era for both director George Stevens and lead actress Jean Arthur, who made the film to finalize their contract with Columbia Pictures. After making this comedy, George Stevens traveled to North Africa with the U.S. Army's combat photography unit. After returning from the war, he would never make another comedy again and instead would focus on dramas and westerns. As for Jean Arthur, who is the one who got the production for the film off the ground, finished her contract with Columbia and only made 4 more films after. She ended up retiring from film all together in 1953.  The story centers on Jean Arthur's Connie Milligan, who agrees to rent part of her apartment to wealthy retiree, Benjamin Dingle, and soldier Joe Carter, due to the housing shortage in Washington D.C. in the middle of World War II. Although Connie is engaged to the unexciting

  Preston Sturges' "Sullivan's Travels" After the release of Preston Sturges' 1941 film " Sullivan's Travels ," many critics felt that Sturges did not live up to the quality he had produced in his previous efforts, like " The Great McGinty ," " Christmas in July ," and " The Lady Eve ." Many critics felt that Sturges was missing the very point that " Sullivan's Travels " was making. However, in retrospect, " Sullivan's Travels " is widely considered Sturges' greatest film of his filmography. The story centers on a Hollywood director named John L. Sullivan. Sullivan is tired of making comedies and wants to make the next great Capra-esque film that deals with real world issues of social and political importance. He decides to spend life as a travelling hobo to better help him understand poverty and low-economic living circumstances. However, after an incident at a train station, he gets arre

  Julien Duvivier's "Panique" The final film I will be watching in the filmography of French filmmaker Julien Duvivier is his post-war 1946 film " Panique ." I've got to say that I was completely enthralled with his picture and felt that Duvivier had reached the pinnacle of his creative peaks. That is to say, however, that it is not my personal favorite of Duvivier. But, I do think that " Panique " is perhaps his most interesting, his most explorative, and the bleakest film of his career. " Panique " centers on a young woman named Alice fresh from jail for taking the rap for a crime committed by her lover, Alfred. She then discovers that he has broken the law once again, this time more serious. After a botched holdup, Alfred brutally murdered an elderly woman. The only thing standing in their way from escaping the murder is town outcast, Monsieur Hire, who thinks he's trying to save Alice from Alfred by telling her he has proof of the

  Kenji Mizoguchi's "The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum" After the two films that Mizoguchi considered his initiation into artistic maturity, " Osaka Elegy " and " Sisters of the Gion ," he created something that took considerably more effort and perhaps even more maturity to make. That film would be 1939's " The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum ." The film would have relatively the same political and social outlook of the previous two, but Mizoguchi went on to expand those ideas into more of a broader, sweeping story that takes place over years and years.  The film centers on a young man, Kiku, who is the adopted son of a famous kabuki actor. Kiki, whom is failing as a successful actor, connects emotionally with his infant brother's wet nurse, Otoku. Kiki's father disapproves of his union with Otoku, so Kiki and Otoku go to Osaka to start a new life. In Osaka, Kiki attempts to start from the ground up as an actor. However, he is

  Jean Gremillon's "Remorques" Before this week, I was completely unaware of who Jean Gremillon was. After watching three of his films, I can definitely say that he is by far one of the more remarkable poetic realists in French cinema. After my superb viewing of his 1937 film " Lady Killer ," I sat down and watched the film that came out right at the onset of Germany's occupation of France. And I dare say that 1941's " Remorques ," despite its straightforward story, somehow feels very suited to the tone of this chaotic moment in French history. The film stars Jean Gabin as tugboat captain who spends his days rescuing cargo ships from dangerous storms. He has been married to his wife for a decade, but his wife is starting to feel restless with the life they are living. Gabin's Andre is completely stressed due to his wife's obsessions with a lifestyle change, his continued fatigue over his dangerous job, and the recent incident of a vesse

  Jean Gremillon's "Lady Killer" Another fine example of in the canon of the French poetic realism of the 1930s, Jean Gremillon's " Lady Killer " enlists Jean Gabin in yet another incredible performance. I felt very ambivalent about this one going in, and boy was I certainly caught off guard by how much I was sucked in to this picture. As the 1930s started coming to an end, I feel as though the French poetic realist movement started borrowing a lot more from the German Expressionist movement from the decade prior. It certainly proves effective, as the subject matter, like with " Lady Killer ," started to get more and more fatalistic.  " Lady Killer " stars Jean Gabin as a military under-officer whom everyone knows by the nickname " Gueule d'amour ." The reason for this nickname is because he has such an affect over women, and is considered to be a typical 'womanizer.' " Gueule d'amour " also happens to

  Jean Gremillon's "The Lighthouse Keepers" Jean Gremillon's 1929 silent film " The Lighthouse Keepers " is an interesting work that sets itself apart from the other films in the final days of silent cinema. Adapted from a stage play by Jacques Feyder, " The Lighthouse Keepers " follows a father and son who arrive to spend their next month attending to a lighthouse. However, things get bad after the son is bitten by a rabid dog. He starts hallucinating and experiences what can only be described as a form of rabies. Gremillon is able to edit sequences together to make them feel surreal. The claustrophobia of the lighthouse, along with some dizzying editing, and psychedelic sequences make for an interesting watch of a young man descending into insanity. 

  Leo McCarey's "Love Affair" Well, gosh darn if Leo McCarey's 1939 romance film " Love Affair " isn't one of the most sweetest and delightful films of the 1930s. The film stars Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne as two star-crossed lovers who agree to meet at the top of the Empire State Building in 6 months time after they leave their current partners. However, tragedy strikes when one isn't able to attend, leaving the other to wonder about the circumstances of the one that got away. I have to say that I went into the film not really excited nor interested in such a premise or with this certain director. Don't get me wrong, I've liked a couple of McCarey films before, namely 1933's " Duck Soup " and 1937's " Make Way for Tomorrow ." However, McCarey isn't a director that strikes a lot of interest in me, and can have unremarkable duds. That being said, " Love Affair " really pulled me in with its utter cha

  Jean-Pierre Melville's "Le Silence de la Mer" It has been explained to me that Jean-Pierre Melville has the same philosophy about cinema that the New Wave directors did. Perhaps this is why he is called the spiritual father of the French New Wave movement. He considered cinema to be 'done,' in a sense. There was nothing left to do in the realm of cinema that hadn't already been done before. The only thing left was to go inward and examine the subconscious through the art of cinema. Sure, stories needed narrative and plot, along with traditional means to capture this narrative. However, Melville took a very minimalist approach to this. This minimalism is how he was able to hit a more existential tone with his work. With his debut feature film, 1949's " Le Silence de la Mer ," he began his filmmaking career by creating a minimalist piece that dove into the soul of a Nazi officer.  Based on the 1942 book by the same name written by Jean Bruller, &

  Agnes Varda's "Le Bonheur" I've got to say that I feel as though Agnes Varda's 1965 film " Le Bonheur " is one of her strangest films that I've come across. It tells the story of a man who seems incredibly happy in his home life: he's got a beautiful and adoring young wife, two lovely children, and spends his days laughing, playing, and spending time with them. However, he decides to take on an attractive postal worker as a lover, and feels that it would only increase the happiness that he already feels. After telling his wife, she kills herself and he replaces her with this new lover as a wife and mother. This whole strange affair is filmed by Varda through a 'picturesque' lens. Not only is this film beautifully shot with great use of color, but Varda surrounds her images with that of the beauty of nature. We are even shown a blossoming sunflower right off the bat when the film begins. We are continually surrounded by beauty and visual

  Satyajit Ray's "Pather Panchali" It is not an overstatement to say that Satyajit Ray's 1955 debut film " Pather Panchali " not only changed Indian cinema in the 20th Century, but is a landmark film in the global film community all together. I would even venture as far to say that " Pather Panchali " is one of the greatest films ever made. It depicts the impoverished life of little Apu and his family, as they try to navigate in their small hut with little to nothing to eat, live on, or do. Despite this desolation, Ray's camera and its ability to capture these narrative events somehow elevates it to the spiritual realm. The film established Ray as a force to be reckoned with in the global market and started his career as a true film auteur.  Ray started his journey as a visual artist in 1940, at the age of 19, when he attended Visva-Bharati University at the insistence of his mother. There, he fell in love with the visual arts, especially Orien

  Federico Fellini's "Nights of Cabiria" By 1957, Federico Fellini had established himself as a creative force in the Italian film industry. He had already won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival as well as an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in the U.S., both accolades for his incredible 1954 film " La Strada ." For his next film, he wanted a story centered on a waifish prostitute. The only problem is that no one was willing to fund a film feature prostitutes as heroines. Nobody except Dino De Laurentiis, the Italian film producer and businessman who produced or co-produced over 500 films in his lifetime, including classic films that would stand the test of time, like Sidney Lumet's " Serpico ,' David Lynch's " Blue Velvet ," and Federico Fellini's iconic 1957 feature film " Nights of Cabiria ."  The film centers on a lowly prostitute named Cabiria who time and time again gets let down by various life