Film Persona

  Michelangelo Antonioni's "L'eclisse" After watching Michelangelo Antonioni's 1962 film " L'eclisse ," I think it's safe to say that Antonioni is one of my all-time favorite directors. From what I understand, Antonioni can be considered a controversial director, as many consider his film 'too pretentious' or 'self-indulgent.' But while others choose to see the visual poetry of Antonioni as too frustrating to equate to something existential or artistic, I find it to be a totally elevated form of cinema, something worth reaching for even in our contemporary times.  The film centers on a young woman named Vittoria, who begins the film breaking up with her longtime partner Riccardo. After the breakup, Vittoria begins to fall in love with Piero, a young stockbroker who assists Vittoria's mother with stocks. Vittorio is unsure if she wants the relationship with Piero, and the two remain playfully entangled.  I think one of the reas...

  John Huston's "Key Largo" After the instant classics that " The Maltese Falcon " and " The Treasures of the Sierra Madre " became, John Huston became a high valued director in the studio system. With his 1948 film " Key Largo ," he teamed up once again with his lead collaborating actor Humphrey Bogart. The film starred Bogart and his famous wife Lauren Bacall and would be the last film the couple would ever appear in together.  The film centers on an Army veteran named Frank who travels to the Florida Keys in order to visit the family of an old Army comrade. While there, the hotel the family runs is overtaken by a notorious gangster who is hellbent on escaping by boat. The only problem is that when a terrible hurricane arrives, the group must hunker down with the gangster and his posse and survive the night. " Key Largo ," for me, is one of those classic Hollywood 1940s pulpy noiresque thrillers that doesn't have a whole lot o...

  Jean-Pierre Melville's "Bob le Flambeur" I've always read that many of the most prominent French New Wave directors were really drawn to Jean-Pierre Melville, especially his 1956 film " Bob le Flambeur ." While I cannot say that I was very keen on the film myself, I do understand some of the visual elements that really drew them in. For example, the use of handheld camera was an incredibly stark and notable visual in one of the sequences. This use of handheld would become a feature of the French New Wave film movement. On top of this, the playful single jump cuts were also elements of " Bob le Flambeur " that transitioned into the burgeoning New Wave. " Bob le Flambeur " centers on an aging gambler and former bank robber who attempts one last job of robbing the casino in Deauville. He gathers an ensemble to help him perform this feat, only for things to go sideways and he ends up arrested.  The film did not interest me as much as I was ...

  Jules Dassin's "The Naked City" Filmed entirely in New York City, Jules Dassin's 1948 film " The Naked City " is a police procedural centering on the murder of a young model. As you navigate the specific murder case, the viewer follows along as clues and evidence lead them down a rabbit hole of local corruption. The film was a success upon its release and even garnished two Academy Award nominations in the process.  Overall, I felt the film was a bit boring and by-the-books. I wasn't really interested in the stories, in the characters, or in the actual procedure at play.

  Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger's "The Red Shoes" After watching the 1948 British film " The Red Shoes ," there is absolutely no doubt that it is directing duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's greatest work. Not only is the film is absolutely gorgeous visual technicolor feat, it also perfectly encapsulates the greatest concerns of the arts and being an artist. Perhaps this is why the film comes across so passionately made, it presumably hits pretty close to the chest.  The film centers on a ballerina named Victoria Page, who aspires to far heights in the ballet world through the assistance of the world-renowned ballet impresario, Boris Lermontov. Boris, who believes that great heights in artistry can be achieved through renouncing all human emotional distractions, attempts to make Victoria the greatest ballet dancer in the world. The only issues comes when she develops a romance with composer Julian Craster, who attempts to wed her and start...

  Ingmar Bergman's "The Virgin Spring" I have watched many of Ingmar Bergman's films up until 1960 and I've got to say that his 1960 film " The Virgin Spring " is by far his most brutal. The film delves into themes regarding belief, vengeance, and the absence (or presence) of God. Although many of Bergman's films deal with dark subject matter, none have dealt with it so unflinchingly. So much so that the film was banned in many places upon its release. The film is set in medieval Sweden, where a prosperous Christian ranger sends his daughter off to deliver candles to the church. After the brutal rape and murder of the daughter Karin by a group of three herdsman, the herdsman wander onto the family farm to ask for work. After discovering one of Karin's garments with the travelers, the father decides to enact vengeance upon them, even killing an innocent child in the process. After feeling guilty of his son, he locates the body of his daughter and ...

  Yasujiro Ozu's "Late Spring" It's very interesting that " Late Spring " is often considered the starting point to Yasujiro Ozu's most prominent period of his filmography because by the time the film was released in 1949, Ozu already had two decades of great work under his belt. I think it is safe to say that most of Ozu's work has a certain level of quality to it, regardless of what period it emerged from. That being said, the post-war period was a creative leap for not only Ozu, but the entirety of Japanese cinema.  " Late Spring " centers on a young woman named Noriko who lives with her widowed father. Her father, her aunt, and even her 'modern' divorced friend wants Noriko to leave her father's house and get married. Noriko, however, is perfectly content with her life and feels as though marrying off to someone would entrap her for the rest of her life. Despite her resistance, her friends and family are successful in their ...