Film Persona

  Dino Risi's "Il Sorpasso" By 1962, the Italian-style comedies had become the mainstream in Italy. Films like 1958's " Big Deal on Madonna Street " and 1961's " Divorce Italian Style " had swept the public into a new era of Italian cinema. Although they are an evolution of the neo-realist style, Italian-style comedies depart from neo-realism's strict adherence to reality. With the economic rise the country was going through at the time, the stark and unflinching observations of economic destitution that neo-realism typically thrives on had to make way for much farcical and satirical styles (hence the Italian-style comedy).  One of the most famous and commercially successful Italian-style comedies is Dino Risi's 1962 film " Il Sorpasso ." The film stars Jean-Louis Trintignant as a timid college student, Roberto, who gets swept away by a charismatic and impulsive Bruno. The two spend the entire day together and Roberto begins e...

  Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Mamma Roma" Pier Paolo Pasolini's films would get far more controversial into his directing career, but even his more neo-realist pieces in the early 1960s had some edge to them. His second directorial effort, 1962's " Mamma Roma ," which starred the incomparable Anna Magnani, had a police complaint filed the day of its release for being "offensive to good morals" and "contrary to public decency." Pasolini was even confronted by neo-fascists in front of the Quattro Fontane Cinema, where he got into a scuffle.  Personally, I don't understand the outrage over the film. There was nothing inherently sadistic about the film, beyond some of the thematic points it was making. Perhaps its inclusion of prostitution, or its sympathies with a petty criminal were enough to drive people over the edge. " Mamma Roma " centers on former prostitute Momma Roma, who starts a new life as a marketer in Rome after her...

  Jean-Pierre Melville's "Le Doulos" After the critical and commercial success of 1961's " Leon Morin, Priest ," Jean-Pierre Melville returned to a familiar crime formula with 1962's " Le Doulos ." Another commercial success, " Le Doulos " and its crime thriller format would become a normality for Melville. Aside from the simplicities that the genre provides, Melville still manages to inject this format with bleak, fatalistic themes. The plot at times can be a bit convulsive. This is perhaps the intention, given that there is a bit of a revelation that clarifies things later in the plot. This confusion also adds to the lack of distinction between good and evil, cop and crook, etc. There is so much double-crossing, informing, and manipulative measures that is sufficient to make one's head spin.  The ending of the film, along with its thematic point, reminded me a bit of Martin Scorsese's 2006 film " The Departed ." En...

  Masaki Kobayashi's "Harakiri" Masaki Kobayashi's 1962 jidaigeki film " Harakiri " is one of the most striking and subversive samurai films of its era. Starring the incomparable Tatsuya Nakadai, the film centers on a ronin in 1930 who presents himself before the estate of the Iyi clan wanting to commit seppuku within their courtyard palace. What really drives the film is the mystery surrounding the reason of this request.  Aspects of Kobayashi's direction felt Hitchcockian to me. There's a solemn intensity in the atmosphere that creates an inherent sense of suspense. Kobayashi is very kinetic with his shots and camerawork. Throughout the formal environment of the estate, he seems to revel in an anti-formalist approach to his direction. This deftly benefits the sense of growing intrigue. The plot creeps along knowing its audience is anticipating its next step. As we continue down the path of revelation, the protagonists intentions grow increasingly c...

  Yasujiro Ozu's "An Autumn Afternoon" A bittersweet end to the great career of Yasujiro Ozu, 1962's " An Autumn Afternoon " is a summation of a great man's oeuvre. I find myself melancholic after having watched his expansive career of the past several years of my life. His films are gentle, yet impactful. My comfort with his familiar style meshes with the domesticity of his characters. Watching an Ozu film almost feels like returning home. Before dying at the age of 60 the following year, Ozu completed " An Autumn Afternoon ," in which he institutes themes of finality and coming to terms with the ever-changing nature of life. It centers on an aging widower who enlists the help of his family to get his two unmarried children married. The plot is not very atypical of an Ozu, nor is his quiet musings on life's loneliness.  Chishu Ryu, who had worked in Ozu films since Ozu's debut in 1928, plays the aging widower. In in a way, Ryu is a sta...

  Robert Mulligan's "To Kill a Mockingbird" The very first time I ever watched the 1962 classic " To Kill a Mockingbird " was when I was in high school. After reading the Harper Lee novel, we spend multiple class days watching the film version. I don't remember having much of an impression of the film, other than mild admiration. This time around, I felt the film was still admirable, yet diluted.  The film centers on a small Alabama girl who observes her father, Atticus Finch, defend a black man accused of raping a white woman in court. At the time of the film's release, 1962, the film was a far greater impact due to the civil unrest that was swarming the country over race laws. The importance of the film is recognizable in this context. However, there can often be oversimplifications throughout.  Despite this, I still stand by the film's integrity of grit in its unflinching observations of racial prejudice. Overall, the overarching theme is prejudic...

  Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita" It has been almost a decade since I've seen Stanley Kubrick's 1962 adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel " Lolita ." I remember the film not resonating with me, and felt that it was one of Kubrick's weaker pieces. The second time around, I thought that there was perhaps something I had missed. After giving it another chance, I have reached the same conclusions about the film as I did the first go-around. The film centers on a man's chase after a 14-year-old girl named Lolita. The outright pedophilia of the novel is tampered down for the film version. However, the outrighedness is simply swapped for unspoken obviousness. The disturbing pining and suppression of this young girl is the story itself. Yet, I don't feel as though it truly means anything.  The film comes across as a black comedy, with the pedophilia meant to act as a driver for the propulsion of the protagonist's purpose. But, the lack of t...

  Robert Aldrich's "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" It was very striking to see icons from the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1962 classic " Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? " Both Joan Crawford and Bette Davis were legends of their time and their performances in this film certainly prove that they're still dynamic. Even better, they prove their some of the greatest screen performers of all time.  The plot centers on two sisters: one confined to a wheelchair, the other descending into a troubling mental state. Davis plays the titular 'Baby Jane,' a former child star who now is the ward of her crippled sister, Blanche. Wanting to get back into stardom, Jane imprisons Blanche and keep her in solitude. Blanche's physical health begins to fade as rapidly as Jane's mental health.  There was a somewhat 'black comedy' aspect to the film, aided even more so by some of its camp. Rather than making it a sour experience, it was rather delicious....

  Arthur Penn's "The Miracle Worker" My impressions of " The Miracle Worker " before ever having seen the film was something far more akin to that of " Mary Poppins ." Unfit parents are at their wits end with their children and a nice, calming presence comes along instilling patience and understand that allows the children to learn and thrive. However, this is not at all anything like " The Miracle Worker ," and for good reason. The film is based on the 1959 stage play of the same name, which in turn was based on the real events of Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Arthur Penn, the stage director for the play was tasked with bringing it to the big screen. The studio originally wanted Elizabeth Taylor for the part of Ms. Sullivan. But, Penn instead went against the studio and chose Anne Bancroft, who starred in his stage production. Patty Duke, although she was fifteen years old at the time, was brought from the stage performance to...

  John Frankenheimer's "The Manchurian Candidate" In the first thirty minutes of John Frankenheimer's " The Manchurian Candidate ," I was instantly turned off by the perceived propagandic nature of the film. After a decade of McCarthyism, it seemed very politically motivated to suggest that Communist China hypnotized American troops to act as puppets for their attacks on American political figures. However, as the film progresses, it becomes clear that the perspective is a little more balanced than I was anticipating. Aside from the more ridiculous plotline I just mentioned, the film reveals that the 'anti-Communist' political movement is using Communist fear (the "Red Scare") to motivate and manipulate Americans. It directly mocks McCarthyism as a scare tactic and illustrates the paranoia and fear of the time of its release. Its release was extremely timely, given that the Cuban Missile Crisis was happening that very week.  Despite some si...

  Sidney Lumet's "Long Day's Journey into Night" Eugene O'Neill's award winning play, 1956's " Long Day's Journey into Night, " was adapted into a feature-length film in 1962. Written by O'Neill himself and directed by Sidney Lumet, the film is a three hour direct-to-screen, word-for-word adaptation. The only actor from the stage play that transitioned to the film version was Jason Robards. Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, and Dean Stockwell were selected to fill out the rest of the cast. Although the film was received critical praise at the time, it doesn't seem to have any kinetic energy to it. To me, the film is utterly droning. Three hours of self-important drudgery acting as a vanity project for its writer. I might have enjoyed the live production of it in a theater, but watching it as a three hour cinematic experience felt completely draining. 

  Hiroshi Teshigahara's "Pitfall" Based on the play " Rengoku " by Kobo Abe, Hiroshi Teshigahara's 1962 film " Pitfall " is an often surreal experience. Although not completely in the surrealist camp, Teshigahara's unique directing style and experimental editing makes it a very kinetic watch. Centering on a conspiracy involving the exploitation of coal miners, " Pitfall " dives into the avant-garde with its inclusion of undead spirits. Despite some of the convolutions of the plot, the film never fails to be completely engaging. What caught my eye most was Teshigahara's unflinching willingness to make dramatic edits and directional choices. The film can be a bit messy in its execution and its themes constantly swaying from one thing to another, but overall the experience was something of a net positive.

  Masaki Kobayashi's "The Inheritance" After his megalithic film series, " The Human Condition ," Masaki Kobayashi returned to a smaller, more restrained story with 1962's " The Inheritance ." Obviously framed in noir stylings and jazz scores, the film's plot concerns a dying businessman orchestrating his will. The surrounding cast of characters plot and scheme to acquire his inheritance. There was a certain moody charm to this film. Everything is so slick and the characters are so morally duplicitous, hence the noir aesthetic. Kobayashi does an impeccable job of situating these money-chasing characters into the cold, industrial modern world. Their environment is an extension of them and them an extension of their environment. " The Inheritance " certainly displays Kobayashi's bleak outlook on modern greed and corruption.

  Yasujiro Ozu's "The End of Summer" While its ending may have been too 'on the nose,' " The End of Summer " finds Ozu focusing far more on death and the disillusion of life itself, hence the film's title. It contains one of the largest casts Ozu has ever assembled, which is really saying something for the ensemble-favored director. The attention paid evenly among its characters would perhaps normally spread the emotionality too thin. However, in the hands of Ozu, this certainly isn't a problem. The film centers on a large family in the midst of the arranged marriages of a couple of its daughters. All the while, the patriarch is going off secretly to spend time with his 'other' family, a former mistress and her Westernized daughter. However, things get solemn when that patriarch suddenly has health complications. Ozu seems to be reckoning with his own mortality in " The End of Summer ," perhaps even dealing with his health probl...