Film Persona

  Federico Fellini's "Juliet of the Spirits" It is not completely shocking that Federico Fellini couldn't follow up the masterpieces of " La Dolce Vita " and " 8 1/2 " with another masterpiece. His 1965 film " Juliet of the Spirits " is no masterpiece, but I should posit that it is no spring chicken either. I merely say this because it is incomparable to its predecessors. However, what " Juliet of the Spirits " does offer to its viewer is an engaging experience nonetheless.  The film stars Fellini's wife and muse Giulietta, as Giulietta (Juliet in the English translation), an upper-class housewife who begins to suspect that her emotionally distant husband is having an affair. During these spits of anxious wondering, she begins to have dreams and fantasies that blur the line between reality and her subconscious. She starts tapping into these fantasies, ultimately leading her to a greater self-awareness, and eventually, indepe...

  Ingmar Bergman's "Persona" After completing his trilogy on God's silence with " Through a Glass Darkly ," " Winter's Light ," and " The Silence ," Ingmar Bergman reached a point of stagnation. While he was completing these pieces on existentialism, French filmmakers like Jean-Luc Godard and Alain Resnais were making works of post-modernism. They were re-inventing the language of cinema and filmmakers all across the globe were following suite. With his next project, Bergman abandoned his more stoic, traditional, existential pieces and decided to post-modernize his work. When Godard made " Breathless ," he reinterpreted the relationship between the viewer and the subjects in the film. More specifically, he interjected himself, the director, into that relationship. In traditional cinema, the viewer observed the subjects interacting in a constructed context. What Godard did was remind the viewer of this constructed context and...

  Ingmar Bergman's "The Silence" There's something very bemusing about Ingmar Bergman's 1963 film " The Silence ." Based on the title, along with the notion that it is the final installment in a trilogy of films centered around 'the absence of God,' I went in believing that it would be emotionally devastated. What I received instead was confusion. Typically, this is a turn off for people. Not I. Confusion, as long as it doesn't signify a convolution in the plot, allows me to enjoy the film on an emotionally deeper level. Despite not completely understanding " The Silence ," I was enthralled by it.  Because the film was released in a post-" Hiroshima Mon Amour ," post-" L'Avventura " world, Bergman gets to craft something with a bit of modernity. By this, I mean the 'plot' is a bit more like the anti-plots found in an Antonioni film.  Two sisters, one with a 10-year-old son, arrive at a hotel in a fict...

  John Huston's "The Misfits" If there's one notable aspect about John Huston's 1961 film " The Misfits ," it's the notion that it was the final film appearances of both its leading stars, Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. Other than this piece of melancholic trivia, there is not much left to get interested over about this film. I am not that much of a John Huston enthusiast. " The Maltese Falcon " and " The Treasures of the Sierra Madre " are the only two films of any worth so far in his filmography. I had hoped " The Misfits " could alleviate this Huston malady of mine. Alas, it was of no avail. Written by Marilyn Monroe's then-husband, Arthur Miller, " The Misfits " centers on a newly divorced woman (played by Monroe) who becomes entangled in the lives of three men, an aging cowboy, a mechanic, and a quiet rodeo rider (Clark Gable, Eli Wallach, and Montgomery Clift respectively).  While I do recognize the ...

  Youssef Chahine's "Cairo Station" Egyptian audiences weren't quite ready for the social commentary that came from Youssef Chahine's 1958 film " Cairo Station ." This is precisely why the film did poorly in its homeland. However, throughout the decades, film appreciators have been kind to " Cairo Station ." Its deeper-than-melodrama subtext is precisely what makes it stand out in the echelons of both Egyptian cinema and global cinema.  The film centers on Qinawi, played by Chahine himself. Qinawi is a homeless, disabled newspaper peddler at Cairo Station. Qinawi, who keeps cut-outs of half-naked women in the shack that he sleeps in, is deeply sexually frustrated and mentally unstable. He becomes obsessed with Hannuma, a beautiful drink vendor. After she rejects his offer for marriage, Qinawi unravels and starts to behave violently.  Perhaps one of the reasons for Egyptian audiences' discomfort is due to the dark and evil behavior of its pr...

  Satyajit Ray's "Apur Sansar" " Apur Sansar " marks the final installment in Satyajit Ray's film trilogy centered around the character of Apu. Its global success, along with its preceding films " Pather Panchali " and " Aparajito " made Ray a recognized and respected filmmaker. He would go on to have a prolific career in cinema, but it was the Apu trilogy that is forever recognized as a changing moment in Indian cinema. " Apur Sansar " continues the story of Apu, who is now an unemployed graduate living in Calcutta. Apu struggles to write a novel while being unable to make rent. While attending a marriage ceremony with his friend, Pulu, Apu ends up marrying the bride, Aparna, instead. Aparna moves to Calcutta with Apu, where the two end up happy together. However, after a tragedy, Apu must decide what to do with his life. I can't help but feel that one cannot understand the full impact of the film without the weighted conte...

  Andrzej Wajda's "Kanal" There are certain times during a standard war film when one questions the validity of certain scenes or outlandish occurrences. Would these things have really happened? Or is this plot device for dramatic effect? If you ever wondered that about Andrzej Wajda's 1957 film " Kanal ," let me just stop you right there. " Kanal " centers on a group of Polish resistance fighters who get trapped in the last remaining refuse by the Nazis. After being cornered, they are forced into the underground sewers, where the toxic fumes from excrement, urine, and chemicals slowly starts to kill them. On top of this grueling way to die, the fumes send them into a delirium. The only choice remains is: should one keep fighting for the possibility of escaping? Or should one climb back up and face execution by the Nazis? This choice presents an unwinnable scenario for its characters. Die in excrement or die by the hands of the dreaded Nazis? Symbo...

  Elia Kazan's "A Face in the Crowd" Acting as a proto-" Network " long before Sidney Lumet's vision of modernity graced our film screens, Elia Kazan's 1957 film " A Face in the Crowd " is as prescient as a film could get. It stars the normally wholesome Andy Griffith in his feature film debut as a folksy down-on-his-luck drifter who becomes the 'voice of the people' across radio and television. If you're reminded of Howard Beale, then my 'proto-" Network " comment isn't far off.  Similarly to " Network ," this ability to be a 'voice for the people' by our charming and boisterous anti-hero begins by being critical of the established media and commercial structures. As time passes, however, this false prophet only integrates into the very structures of power he originally criticized. While this hypocrisy is apparent, it's not entirely the point.  For someone living in the 21st century, the poin...

  Stanley Kubrick's "Paths of Glory" "Paths of glory leads but to the graves" is one of the verses from Thomas Gray's 1751 poem, "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard." It was used in the title of Humphrey Cobb's 1935 novel " Paths of Glory ," along with Stanley Kubrick's 1957 adaptation of the novel. In Kubrick's film, three soldiers are chosen at random, tried for treason, and finally executed after their unit failed to march forward in a suicide mission. Its success earned Kubrick both global recognition, along with controversy. The controversy surrounding the film stemmed from both the film's bleak anti-war subject matter and the use of French soldiers. Rather than have a French-speaking cast playing French soldiers, Kubrick instead used American, English-speaking actors. This is why the French banned the film until 1975. While I do get frustrated with American films representing different nationalities with American,...

  Satyajit Ray's "Aparajito" After the wild success of his debut feature film, 1955's " Pather Panchali ," Satyajit Ray followed it up with a direct sequel. 1956's "Aparajito" is the second film in a three film trilogy based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 novel " Pather Panchali ," which details the coming-of-age of Apu. Ray's 1956 sequel, " Aparajito " picks up where the previous film left off, with Apu and his family moving to Varanasi.  " Aparajito " details the last part of Bandyopadhyay's novel. After Apu's family moves to Varanasi, his father passes away from an illness. This leaves him all alone with only his mother. After encouraging his mother to enlist him in the nearby school, Apu begins to receive high praise from the administrators. He is granted a scholarship to go and study in Calcutta, much to his mother's chagrin. This is one of the most predominant changes from the nove...

  Stanley Donen's "Funny Face" As Audrey Hepburn was hitting her peak as a Hollywood star in the mid 1950s, legendary music man Fred Astaire was entering the final stages of his career in film. Their collaboration on 1957's " Funny Face " unites the classic with the contemporary for a colorful musical that fits right into 1950s Hollywood. Written by Leonard Gershe and directed by Stanley Donen, acclaimed director of " Singin' in the Rain ," " Funny Face " didn't end up turning a profit until its re-release in 1964, after the vibrant success of Hepburn's " My Fair Lady ." While I find the plot very nonsensical and the musical components utterly boring, I did find Donen's direction of the film completely captivating. Perhaps his direction is the only captivating element of the entire picture. There doesn't seem to be any coherence of a theme or grander ideas. Rather, its an amalgamation of half-baked notions on...

  Koreyoshi Kurahara's "I Am Waiting" One of Koreyoshi Kurahara's earliest success as a filmmaker was his 1957 film " I Am Waiting ." In order to compete with American and French films at the Japanese box office, " I Am Waiting " was stylized after the popular American noir. American noir had started to die down at this point in favor of epic color films, but the style was still hanging around and attracting audiences, so Japanese filmmakers felt they needed to compete. " I Am Waiting " is a reunion of its two main stars, Yujiro Ishiara and Mie Kitahara. Both starred previously in 1956's " Crazed Fruit ," a seminal work in the Sun Tribe genre. " I Am Waiting " centers on a former boxer, Joji, and a nightclub singer, Saeko, as they attempt to run away from their dark past. Joji is running away from accidentally beating someone to death in a club. In doing so, we awaits the return of his brother who recently voyaged ...

  Masaki Kobayashi's "Black River" Masaki Kobayashi's 1957 film " Black River " finds a group of tenants in a shack around a U.S. military base in Japan. As the landlady attempts to sell, drama stirs between the inhabitants. The central story focuses on a love triangle between a good-natured student, his innocent girlfriend, and a coldhearted petty criminal. " Black River " demonstrates the sordid lawlessness and rampant corruption that occurred during the U.S. occupation of Japan. While the good-natured characters attempt to fight against this corruption, everyone else just seems to fall in line.

  Michel Boisrond's "The Parisian" I scoured the far reaches of the internet to find a French film that was released in 1957 of any sort of lasting note. It was a very difficult feat, as there were few films that had any sort of lasting impact. One film, however, made a splash. Michel Boisrand's " Une Parisienne " for selling its distribution rights to the U.S. for a then-record $550,000. No foreign film in the U.S. at that time had ever cost so much to distribute. The reason for this record-setting sell was due to the film's star, Brigitte Bardot, and her newly emerging iconography as France's sex symbol. " Une Parisienne " centers on a newlywed couple forced into their marriage after a miscommunication. To rebel against her uncaring husband, Brigitte Bardot's Brigitte spends time with a prince. When the husband finally becomes jealous, Brigitte feels like she has won him back. I didn't find the plot or execution of said plot at al...

  Sidney Lumet's "12 Angry Men" Despite being an all-time classic, Sidney Lumet's 1957 courtroom drama " 12 Angry Men " was a box office disappointment at the time of its release. Perhaps the main reason for this was the variety of color pictures that engulfed the market at the time, rendering American audiences spoiled to these visual spectacles. A black-and-white picture like " 12 Angry Men ," in which the entirety of the film's plot takes place in a single room, perhaps did not seem very attractive to commercial audiences.  The plot of the film revolves around 12 men that must determine the guilt or innocence of a young 18-year-old boy on trial for stabbing his father to death. Most of the men believe him to be guilty, citing that the lawyers made the verdict obvious. However, one juror, Juror #8, believes that it's possible the boy did not kill his father. He thinks that, in order to send the boy to the electric chair, there needs to be...

  Ingmar Bergman's "Through a Glass Darkly" I find it very difficult to speak about Ingmar Bergman's 1961 film " Through a Glass Darkly ." I try to find the words to express how I feel about what I just witnessed, but it is rather difficult. When one watches a film that completely kicks out the feet that are under you, you are left on your back. However, I will do my best to articulate the feelings I have about this immensely emotional experience. " Through a Glass Darkly " is the first installment in what Bergman calls a trilogy of films, preceded by " Winter Light " and " The Silence ." The reason for this moniker of 'trilogy' is due to the running theme on the absence of God. " Through a Glass Darkly " starts off this thematic run with a bleak and harrowing depiction of a family dealing with the mental decline of a loved one. The film only contains four characters, all on a remote island in a 24-hour period....

  Vincente Minnelli's "Lust for Life" Vincente Minnelli seemed to be a master of color at a time when Hollywood was transitioning to fully color films in the 1950s. His 1956 film " Lust for Life " proves his expertise in color scheme and visual composition. " Lust for Life " tells the life story of the famous painter Vincent van Gogh, from his time as a minister-in-training to his eventual suicide at the age of 37. Minnelli's visual components are worthy of seeing the film, yet the meticulous beat-by-beat narrative of the story renders it a tad dull. I do admit that some of the themes of the film are a bit intriguing: the quest for artistry, the reason for suffering, and the attempt to find passion in life when it all seems so dull and passionless. There were moments in the film in which I felt it could have really dug deeper into these elements. However, Minnelli attempts to keep those notions as a safe distance and stick to the standard format of...

  Yasujiro Ozu's "Early Spring" By the time " Early Spring " was released in 1956, Yasujiro Ozu had not made a film in three years - since his 1953 masterpiece " Tokyo Story ." For most directors, that's not entirely noteworthy. However, as it was typical of Ozu to crank out a film a year, this hiatus was felt. And with " Tokyo Story " being the global phenomenon it was, the pressure was on for Ozu to deliver something great. " Early Spring " centers on a childless couple whose marriage fractures after the husband, Shoji, has an affair with a woman who works in his office. Shoji, a white collar salaried employee, passively engages with everything in his empty life. His wife, Masako, stays at home while he is at work all day, passing the time with friends and family visits. Their lives are empty and hollow due to both their aimlessness professionally, along with the recent death of their infant son. On the surface, this film seem...

  Pietro Germi's "The Railroad Man" Pietro Germi was a Renaissance man of Italian cinema, working both behind and in front of the camera. One of his first notable films, 1956's " The Railroad Man " carried the tradition of Italian neo-realism and was a special mention at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. Despite being known primarily for his Commedia all'italiana films, Germi churched out something far more in the realms of drama with " The Railroad Man ."  The film centers on a young boy who witnesses his family fracture after his alcoholic father loses his job as a train operator. In the spirit of neo-realism, the film's characters are trapped by economic circumstances that force them into personal decisions that cost them pieces of their humanity.  The film is a neo-realist piece, but also primarily is a coming-of-age story. The protagonist spends the film trying to understand the adult landscape happening around him. What's interesting...

  Vittorio De Sica's "The Roof" Vittorio De Sica's " The Roof " has everything you need for a De Sica film. It is neo-realist, centers on people under economically destitute circumstances, and critiques the environment that conforms its characters to these conditions. On paper, it is a knockout. However, I felt this has been the weakest De Sica film I've encountered thus far. That's not to say that " The Roof " is a poor film. On the contrary, I enjoyed it. I am simply saying that it doesn't not live up to the magic of De Sica's greatest.  The film centers on a newlywed couple who don't have a permanent place to live. Due to a loophole in the law, as long as they can construct a house in an entire night by morning (and it has a roof), they cannot be evicted. They attempt to construct a shack on the outskirts of Rome with a little help from their friends.  " The Roof " is definitely a noteworthy film in De Sica's fi...

  Ko Nakahira's "Crazed Fruit" Much like how " Rebel Without a Cause " ushered in a fresh perspective on the  youth culture of America, a genre known as the 'Sun Tribe' sprung up in Japan, centering on the troubled youth of the post-war culture. The 1950s were evidently a period of intense social upheaval in Japan, and the sprawling success of Japanese cinema was able to tap into this frustrating period. With the 'Sun Tribe' films, audiences were introduced to a new, troubling perspective that completely shook the older generations to their core.  The films of the 'Sun Tribe' demonstrated a moral panic that Japanese youth were being sent into. After the devastation of the war, existential nihilism took root in younger cultures, cultivating through teenagers and young adults who completely disregarded the traditional morals of their elders in favor of consumerism, sexual liberty, and self-satisfaction. The older generations of Japan saw th...

  George Stevens's "Giant" Maybe since I'm from the state of Texas, I am a bit biased when I praise George Stevens's 1956 epic " Giant. " I don't think I've ever seen a film so adamant for its viewer to know what state the film takes place, but " Giant " certainly does just that. They say "everything is bigger in Texas" and that is certainly the case with everything involving this film, including its 3 and a half hour runtime. Everything about " Giant " is big and epic in scope. Its title, its stars, its runtime, and its scope all are 'big' and 'grand.'  The film centers on a Texas cattle rancher named Bick Benedict, who owns half a million acres of Texas land. His new wife, a Maryland native named Leslie, doesn't quite fit in with the big, brass Texas lifestyle. While the couple continue to grow the Benedict cattle empire, lowly farmhand Jett Rink becomes rich after finding oil on his small plot ...