Film Persona

  Martin Scorsese's "Who's That Knocking at My Door?" It was very strange to sit down and watch Martin Scorsese's debut feature film, 1967's " Who's That Knocking at My Door? " The reason for this strangeness is not because of any fault within the film (although it certainly has many faults). It is because the film is so bare-bones Scorsese. All of his elements are here. It's interesting to see an artist you're so familiar with at his most elemental and amateur. The film centers on J.R., a Catholic Italian-American young man who spends most of his time drinking, partying, and engaging in violence with his do-nothing friends in New York City. He meets a girl he believes to be a virgin. After getting involved into a sexual and romantic relationship, she confides in him that she was raped by her former boyfriend. He angrily rejects her and returns to partying with his friends. After attempting to reconcile with her, she rejects him back. He ...

  Roberto Rossellini's "The Taking of Power by Louis XIV" I genuinely think that Roberto Rossellini's 1966 French TV film " The Taking of Power by Louis XIV " is one of the most clinical depictions of monarchy I've ever seen. By 'clinical,' I mean that Rossellini creates a very dry sentimentality that is neither exuberant of the titular leader and neither condemning. Even the way in which characters speak is very clinical, beyond a few.  The film centers on Louis XIV, King of France, after the death of his most powerful advisor, Cardinal Mazarin. Throughout the film, Louis deals with his mother and court nobles, all assuming that Mazarin's death will give them greater power. However, Louis plans on consolidating power through the monarchy. Because the film is so 'clinical,' as I said, there is little affection or intrigued derived from viewing it. There is a certain biographical quality to the film that certainly allows for some under...

  Tony Richardson's "A Taste of Honey" Before watching Tony Richardson's 1961 film " A Taste of Honey ," my understanding of the British "kitchen sink drama" was limited to films about angry young heterosexual men: 1959's " Look Back in Anger " and 1960's " Saturday Night and Sunday Morning ." However, " A Taste of Honey " completely flipped this format on its head. Not only does this newfound exploration of Britain's lower class troubles feature a young woman as its lead, it unflinchingly observes the entire caste of the lower class's identity. The film centers on a 17-year-old girl named Jo living in Salford with her single mother. Jo develops with a relationship with Jimmy, a young black sailor, while her mother strikes up a romantic involvement with a man named Peter. After Jo and Jimmy sleep together, Jimmy leaves, promising to come back. While awaiting his return, Jo's mother abandons her to l...

  Ermanno Olmi's "Il Posto" Going into Ermanno Olmi's 1961 film " Il Posto ," I wasn't sure what to expect. After having watched the film, I still don't know what to make of it. I was never familiar with Ermanno Olmi or his work. " Il Posto " was Olmi's second feature-length film after switching from documentary to fictional narratives. Utilizing neo-realism that had cemented Italy as a foundation of global cinema for the past two decades, Olmi was able to elevate the aesthetic into the more tonal works that would arise from global cinema in the 1960s. The film centers on a teenager, Domenico, who forgoes his education and travels to the big city to get a low-level job at a major corporation. While applying the job, he interacts with Antonietta, a young girl who similarly has forgone her schooling to earn money to support her mother. Domenico receives a job as a messenger and spends his time trying to find Antonietta again, despite thei...

  Roman Polanski's "Cul-de-sac" I have to admit: the first half of Roman Polanski's 1966 film " Cul-de-sac " left me worried that I was watching something that lacked any aim or purpose. While that still may be true, the second half of the film (although not so dramatically different than the first) left me enjoyingly confounded. Wow, what a bizarre film.  The film centers on an American gangster named Dickey who takes up an impromptu temporary residence at the castle of wealthy Englishman, George, and his French wife, Teresa, after a botched bank robbery. Dickey is gruff and aggressive, bullying the cowardly George. When friends come to visit George, the group must not reveal the true state of their situation. I don't even know where to start with this film. Me describing the loose plot doesn't accurately portray the absurdity of both the situation and the tone that Polanski instills. It makes me recall Polanski's debut, 1962's " Knife ...

  Yasujiro Ozu's "Late Autumn" It's safe to say that Yasujiro Ozu is one of the finest artists to ever make films. Because for a film like " Late Autumn " to be as good as it is and not getting near the greatness of his other works is really saying something about Ozu's mastery. While Ozu often makes films of a similar ilk, style, and cadence, there is always such new life in each one. " Late Autumn " is no different. The film centers on three older men trying to help the widow of their late friend by marrying off her daughter. While the daughter is adamant that she does not want to marry, the friends believe that marrying off her mother will make the daughter feel better about leaving her. However, the situation gets complicated, as the mother and daughter begin to form a misunderstanding. One of the things that really stands out in the film are the discussions of love and marriage - and how those two things are not mutually exclusive. Typical...

  Gillo Pontecorvo's "Kapo" I think Gillo Pontecorvo's 1960 film " Kapo " is one of the very first films to really demonstrate the horrific specificities of the Holocaust and concentration camps in implicit detail. Obviously, films on the Holocaust were aplenty from 1945 to 1960. However, there is a level of detail and intimacy that is brought forth in " Kapo " that illustrates the true horror of what some of the civilian prisoners had to endure.  The film centers on a 14-year-old French Jew who is separated from her parents and taken to a concentration camp. There, beyond the unimaginable cruelty she endures (along with having to witness it), she does everything possible to survive. Adopting the alias Nicole, she sells her body to Nazi soldiers and, after years, becomes a Kapo - someone who is put in charge of the prisoners. She hardens and thereby alienates herself from the other women. One day, she is tasked with choosing between risking herself...

  Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" There's nothing that I could ever write that would contribute in any way to the infinitely abundant commentary that Francis Ford Coppola's " The Godfather " has already collected. It's one of the most lauded and spoken about films in all of film history. It has been analyzed and over-analyzed throughout the last five decades. So, I will simply illustrate my relationship with the film and how it has grown and evolved over the last (almost) two decades of watching it.  At what point does one suddenly become interested in 'film' as a concept? Certainly, I was enthralled with cinema since childhood. I loved films like " Star Wars " and " The Wizard of Oz " because they grabbed my attention and never let go. However, as a teenager, there was a moment in which I felt the pull towards, not just a specific film that excited me, but the concept of cinema. That moment was when I saw the eyes ...

  William Friedkin's "The French Connection" Going into " The French Connection ," I wasn't sure what 'kind' of film to expect. Obviously, it's a police thriller of sorts. But, because of how lauded it is, how critically praised it was at the time of its release, and the number of Academy Awards it won (5), I was curious as to how people were so affected. After watching the film, I came to my own conclusion. " The French Connection " is a good film, not a great one. To me, William Friedkin's 1971 crime drama contains some of the most stereotypical 'police' stories one would expect from the genre's format. Its story, its pacing, and its basic scenario of 'finding a global drug kingpin' all make it something not so different from a TV cop show. That being said, fitted within this standard framework lies Friedkin's kinetic energy, his stylized execution, and his ability to pull the viewer into 'the chase....

  Francois Truffaut's "Love on the Run" Francois Truffaut's 1979 film " Love on the Run " is the third and final installment in a series that focuses on his iconic fictional character, Antoine Doniel. Many were wondering if Truffaut would continue with his character for decades to come (had Truffaut not tragically passed away 5 years later). However, Truffaut felt he could not properly evolve the character on his own. He felt like a parent watching over their child. To Truffaut, the child could not properly grow up with his continued influence. In " Love on the Run ," Antoine is now 30 and getting a divorce from Christine. While they are both sharing in parenting responsibilities, Antoine is dating a woman named Sabine. Collette, a former girlfriend of Antoine, sees Antoine at the courthouse and decides to pick up his autobiographical novel at a bookstore owned by a love interest. After reading some less-than-factual things about her, she tells Ant...

  Vittorio De Sica's "Two Women" Many will remember Vittorio De Sica's 1960 film " Two Women " as the film that won Sophia Loren her only Academy Award. In fact, it might be considered her "breakthrough performance." In the film, she plays a widowed shopkeeper who must traverse the provinces of central Italy with her daughter during the height of war in 1944. While there are certain aspects of her performance that one could consider to be acclaim-worthy, I had a difficult time connecting to her character. Obviously, the tragedies and hardships that befall her and her daughter are objectively horrendous. However, the typical emotional pull that De Sica instills in most of his work was not entirely working on me for this one. To me, I felt that the film was pretty standard for a World War II-set film. Again, the dramatics are as dramatic as one could get. However, due to the abundance of WWII 'trauma' stories, one has to distinguish themselve...

  Kaneto Shindo's "The Naked Island" I spend quite a bit of time watching films in my life. It doesn't happen frequently when a film will stop me dead in my tracks, as I typically have the 'seen it' mentality of most things I view. However, there are certain films that catch you off-guard. Kaneto Shindo's 1960 film " The Naked Island " is an example of a film that totally swept me off my feet. The film centers on a small peasant family: a husband, a wife, and two sons. They are the only residents of a small island off the coast of Seto Inland Sea. We watch them through the cycling of an entire year. They repeatedly carry water for their potato plants up the island mountain.  Beyond the simplicity of the film's plot, there is another element of the film that many will notice at some point during their watch. I noticed about halfway through the film that there is no dialogue. We are simply watching this family in silence as they work to keep th...