Film Persona

  Jan Kadar & Elmar Klos's "The Shop on Main Street" The 1965 Czechoslovakian film " The Shop on Main Street " iterates familiar concepts we've come to understand about the World War II period of Europe, particularly the roaming laws against Jews. Various filmmakers approach these subjects in different ways and from different angles. Jan Kadar and Elmar Klos decided to balance the tragedy with humor, resulting in a film that points out the absurdities of these conditions and do so in a commercial format. The film centers on a carpenter named Tono, who is chosen by his Nazi brother-in-law to become the Aryan controller of an elderly Jewish widow's haberdashery (as part of the Aryanization program happening in the First Slovak Republic at the time). The Jewish woman, Rozalia, is nearly deaf and assumes the man is there to be a helper. The Jewish community takes Tono in, even giving him a stipend for assisting the elderly Rozalia. However, when the Jewi...

  Satyajit Ray's "The Coward" Based on the short story " Janaiko Kapuruser Kahini " by Premendra Mitra, Satyajit Ray's 1965 film " The Coward " proves equally short. Clocking in at only 1 hour and 9 minutes, it makes for one of Ray's shortest features. Although it did not go on to aspire acclaim, it remains a vital film in the renowned Indian director's filmography. The film centers on a young screenwriter named Amitabha whose car breaks down in the countryside. A local tea planter, Bimal Gupta, offers his home to Amitabha as a place to stay for night. When Amitabha arrives at Gupta's home, he discovers he is married to Karuna, a girl he once loved back in his days as a student. Amitabha spends the rest of his visit attempting to reconcile with her, even encouraging her to leave with him. Similarly to the film of Jean-Luc Godard (minus all the New Wave tricks), Ray seems to suggest with " The Coward " that real life is no film...

  John Schlesinger's "Darling" Despite its forced charm, John Schlesinger's 1965 film " Darling " lacks any morceau of it. Centering on a young model who sleeps her way up to the top of the British fashion and film industry, the film tries its best to emulate the thematic notions found in films like " La Dolce Vita " or even " I Know Her Well " from the same year. Sure, like " I Know Her Well ," our protagonist feels distant from the viewer as a means to be an object and product for the purposes of her profession.  However, " Darling " lacks a thematic center that illustrates the vibrancy of the rest of the film. No vibrancy can be found in the film aside from colorful moments to paint the film more entertaining. That being said, Julie Christie's performance is stellar. Beyond this, the film itself appears unengaging and paper thin.

  Fred Zinnemann's "A Man for All Seasons" Based on Robert Bolt's 1960 play, the 1966 film " A Man for All Seasons " centers on Thomas More and his defiant resolution to silently oppose King Henry VIII's dissolution of marriage to Catherine. Beyond a simple period piece, the film acts as a more contemporary reflection on how authoritarian figures demand cohered narrative. As the fifth highest grossing film in the U.S. in the year it was released, " A Man for All Seasons " went on to also gain critical acclaim and even win 6 Academy Awards.  The film spans the years of 1529 to 1535 during King Henry VIII's reign. Sir Thomas More, a Lord Chancellor to the king, is intellectually opposed to the King's dissolution of his marriage to Catherine and his eventual ascendancy to the title of Supreme Head of Church of England. Despite avoiding direct dissent, Thomas's opinion causes concern to the crown. Thomas is stripped of his titles, impri...

  Martin Ritt's "The Spy Who Came In from the Cold" Based on the 1963 novel of the same name by John le Carre, Martin Ritt's 1965 " The Spy Who Came In from the Cold " is yet another great film that exemplifies Cold War paranoia. Starring the incomparable Richard Burton, the film follows a British spy infiltrating the East German Intelligence Service. Although it did not rake in a substantial box office receipt, it received a few Academy Award nominations and remains a sought after artifact of its era. Although we are loosely told the nature of our protagonist's mission, there are specificities that are kept from the audience. So, certain plot points are left for us to determine if they are indeed part of the 'mission' or not, leaving a certain level of suspense and uncertainty to the mission's success or failure. This creates more drama than a typical spy film in which you are simply watching them try to execute a laid-out plan. However, the...

  Pierre Etaix's "Yoyo" I am not familiar with the works of France's Pierre Etaix and his 1965 film " Yoyo " is my first time visiting his filmography. He seems to carry the spirit of the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and other vaudeville-esque cinematic acts. " Yoyo " uses this vaudeville spirit to striking effects and the 'callback' to that style fits very neatly in the thematic point Etaix seems to be making with the film.  The film opens as a silent picture taking place in the 1920s. An unnamed millionaire living in a chateau feels unhappy with his pampered life. After the stock market crash of '29, he leaves to become a circus performer with his former lover and their young son. The young son, after becoming trained as clown all his life, grows up to be Yoyo, the clown. After having experienced World War II, he rises to become a successful actor and uses his new wealth to buy back his father's old chateau. One of the...

  Stanley Kubrick's "A Space Odyssey" Writing about a work as full of depth as Stanley Kubrick's " 2001: A Space Odyssey " is just as daunting as watching the film itself. Not only is it one of the most iconic films ever made, its vastness of ideas has made it one of the most analyzes and discussed films ever. Its images and concepts opened the doors to filmmakers like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and spring boarded the new era of Hollywood to create massive, technologically advanced filmmaking. It is hands-down one of the most influential and sought after works in film history. Despite its depth, the plot is somewhat simple. The opening acts finds early man as apes. With the arrival of a strange, black monolith, the apes reach a new level of consciousness and begin using tools. Specifically, the apes use the bones of dead animals as weapons to attack neighboring apes to gain access to their water supply. The second act finds humanity in a fictionalized...

  Hiroshi Teshigahara's "Woman in the Dunes" Hiroshi Teshigahara's 1965 film " Woman in the Dunes " is perhaps one of the strangest and enigmatic films I've ever seen. The film's eccentricity stems primarily from its plot. From there, Teshigahara's direction takes Nouvelle Vague-esque turns and really creates a haunting atmosphere. The film is often called one of the greatest Japanese films ever made, as its ambiguity creates a singularly unique experience. The film's plot centers on a schoolteacher and amateur entomologist named Junpei who leaves Tokyo for a rural coastal village to collect insects. There, he misses the last bus and is forced to find accommodation in the village. The villagers take him to a house located at the bottom of a sand dune, where he is lowered down by ladder.  The dune house is occupied by an unnamed woman, who shovels sand into buckets for the villagers to pull up and sell. Junpei quickly discovers that he has bee...

  Seijun Suzuki's "Story of a Prostitute" I think the thematic point of Seijun Suzuki's " Story of a Prostitute " serves more than the actual film does. While it's not at all a bad movie or a poor watch, it feels like treaded ground from a lot of previous Japanese filmmakers, like Kenji Mizoguchi and Masaki Kobayashi. Stories involving woman and prostitutes, as well as stories about soldiers, are all films I have seen time and time again. This isn't typically a bad thing, but I feel as though " Story of a Prostitute " does nothing unique to separate itself from the pack. The one thing that really had me interested was linking the prostitution of the women to the servitude of the soldiers. However, I don't feel as though the film really takes this premise and exercises it to its fullest extent.

  Hideo Gosha's "Sword of the Beast" Despite its underrated status, Hideo Gosha's " Sword of the Beast " deserves a bit of merit for its entertaining story. It follows a fugitive samurai in 1857 getting involved in a scheme to poach gold after just having killed his counselor. Each character the samurai interacts with displays the same animalistic and savage impulses, thus creating a brazen world of everyone being out for themselves. However, as he begins to interact with a select few, he slowly realizes the error of this savagery, which transforms both his relationships and himself. All in all, " Sword of the Beast " was a great, fun ride. Perhaps the most impressive feat of the film is the kineticism of all its actions. Particularly, all the sword fighting is exhilarating. On top of the visual stimulus, our characters are each worthy of engaged viewing. The film really brings together the best aspects of Japanese filmmaking and touts it splendidl...

  Antonio Pietrangeli's "I Knew Her Well" Going in to Antonio Pietrangeli's 1965 film " I Knew Her Well ," I was under the false assumption that it would be a Commedia d'Italia. I believed this based on the lead actress, Stefania Sandrelli, who had appeared in two hit Commedia d'Italias (both by Pietro Germi): 1961's " Divorce Italian Style " and 1964's " Seduced and Abandoned ." However, " I Knew Her Well " fell less into the Commedia d'Italian category (although it has its moments) and more into the atmosphere of the Nouvelle Vague that was sweeping Europe at the time. The film centers on Adriana, a provincial young woman who moves to Rome to become famous. Along the way, her loose acquaintances simply use her for their own gain or amusement. Through this process, she uncovers the dark underbelly of the film and media industry and ultimately feels like a loose rag that gets tossed around. The film is an epi...

  Milos Forman's "Loves of a Blonde" One of the prime examples of Czech New Wave is Milos Forman's 1965 film " Loves of a Blonde ." Although its examination of social and political conditions of a totalitarian state are subdued, it comes through in the behavior of its characters. Upon its release, it was one of the most popular films in Czechoslovak.  The film centers on a young working class woman named Andula, who lives in a fading Czech factory town where the women outnumber the men 16-1. Realizing that the gender disparity is impairing morale and productivity, the factory supervisor arranges for an army officer to organize military maneuvers near the town. After being flirted with by a few military men, Andula sneaks away to sleep with a piano player, falling in love with him. She breaks off with her current boyfriend and has to heard a speech about fidelity from her dormitory housemother. She leaves and arrives unannounced to the piano player's pare...

  Robert Stevenson's "Mary Poppins" Disney's 1964 cultural phenomenon " Mary Poppins " was Walt Disney's crowning achievement. At least, according to the man himself. Rightfully so, it's an adept thematic culmination of his entire life's work. Adapting the film from P.L. Travers' 1934 novel, Walt Disney and his creative team  modified the original into an extravaganza of live-action musical, mixed with animation and magic. The resulting film is perhaps one of the most memorable films of the 20th century. The film centers on a pair of children in 1910s London who spend their time alone while their father works his banker job and their suffragette mother ensure women's voting rights. In comes their new nanny, Mary Poppins, who turns their boring (albeit upper-class) lifestyle into a colorful explosion of excitement. Along the way, they learn about the necessity to understand their parents' lifestyles and have empathy, not only for them,...