2019 Blind Spot Series: To Sleep with Anger

Written and directed by Charles Burnett, To Sleep with Anger is the story of a Southern gentleman who arrives at the home of an old friend in South Central Los Angeles where his presence would shape the foundation and life of his friend and his family. The film is an exploration of a family whose attempt to retain their ideas amidst a simmer of tension within the family that is heightened more by their visitor. Starring Danny Glover, Paul Butler, Mary Alice, Carl Lumbly, Vonetta McGee, Richard Brooks, and Sheryl Lee Ralph. To Sleep with Anger is a haunting yet intoxicating film from Charles Burnett.

The film revolves around a troubled family who are visited by an old family friend from the South whose presence would only add a lot of turmoil and chaos into their lives as well as bring in a taste of the old South. It’s a film that explores a family whose life that is steeped in values and tradition that is being tested through changing times as the added presence of an old friend only stir a pot that is already boiling. Charles Burnett’s screenplay opens with a look into the life of Gideon (Paul Butler) and Suzie (Mary Alice) as they tend to their home with a garden and chicken coop in the backyard while they watch their youngest grandson in Sunny (DeVaughn Nixon) with the help of their eldest granddaughter Rhonda (Reina King). They have two adult sons in Junior (Carl Lumbly) who is married to Pat (Vonetta McGee) who is expecting another child as they’re Rhonda’s parents while the youngest son known as Babe Brother (Richard Brooks) is Sunny’s father and is married to the real estate agent Linda (Sheryl Lee Ralph). Junior is more responsible while Babe Brother is irresponsible as he barely works and often goes out late at night.

The arrival of Harry (Danny Glover) is a surprise to Gideon and Suzie as he arrives traveling from Detroit to Oakland and decided to stop by to visit them. Yet, his visit would also have him bring in ideas of the old South ranging from corn liquor, blues music, and all sorts of things where he would reminisce with Gideon and give Babe Brother advice on money. Many of Gideon and Suzie’s friends would arrive to see Harry with some feeling uneasy about his presence as Linda who admittedly isn’t entirely fond of Babe Brother’s parents is troubled more by Harry and his influence on Babe Brother. Even in the film’s second half where Harry’s presence is already created this sense of discord and atmosphere that becomes far more unsettling as the story progresses towards its third act with Suzie being aware of the darkness that is lurking in Harry.

Burnett’s direction is definitely mesmerizing in terms of the imagery that he presents where it opens with these abstract images of fire where a bowl of plastic fruit is being burned while a man on a chair is also on fire. Shot on location in Los Angeles and in the South Central area, the film does play into this world that is different from the modern world as much of it is shot in the suburbs with some locations around train station tracks and at a small rocky creek. While there are a few wide shots to establish some of the locations as well as create some recurring images such as a kid throwing pigeons around the neighborhood or another boy trying to play the trumpet correctly. Much of Burnett’s direction is emphasized on close-ups and medium shots as it play into multiple characters in a room or scenes that just involves Harry as he is alone either minding his own business or plotting something big. Still, Burnett showcases this culture of old American Southern culture during a party scene as well as a few moments involving Harry and his friends as it harkens back to a moment in time when it was simple but also dangerous.

That air of danger that looms throughout the film is what makes the drama so intriguing and why Babe Brother is attracted to the wild world that Harry offers. It is a world that is unpredictable but also enticing in the kind of rewards that Harry would get and such but also a taste that is definitely disconnected from the modern world. The atmosphere of the film through Burnett’s direction definitely becomes uneasy as it relates to Gideon being unexpectedly ill while the tension involving Babe Brother and Junior starts to increase with the former already becoming less responsible and more troubled following a walk with Harry through the woods. The film’s third act which involves a rainy night and Babe Brother’s rash decision to join Harry back to the South would be the tipping point yet it would be followed by not just revelations about the family but also a world that Gideon and Suzie are forced to confront that play into some of the darkest aspects of their old life. Overall, Burnett crafts an eerie yet rapturous film about a family’s life be shaken by a mysterious visitor.

Cinematographer Walt Lloyd does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward with its emphasis on low-key lighting for some scenes at night including the interior settings while a lot of the daytime scenes are presented in a more natural approach. Editor Nancy Richardson does brilliant work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some stylish montages to play into the film’s entrancing tone as it relates to the recurring imagery while also help to play up the air of dramatic suspense. Production designer Penny Barrett and art director Troy Myers do fantastic work with the interior of the homes of Gideon and Suzie along with their chicken coop and garden outside of their home as well as the more modernist interiors of the home that Linda and Babe Brother live in.

Costume designer Gaye Shannon-Burnett does nice work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward with Linda wearing more posh-like clothing for her job while Harry often wears a suit and a fedora. The sound work of Patrick M. Griffith is terrific in capturing the atmosphere of some of the locations as well as the sound of the trumpet from the neighborhood boy and the way music is presented on location. The film’s music by Stephen James Taylor is wonderful for its mixture of jazz and blues that play into the dark and simmering tone of the film as well as playing up the dramatic suspense that occurs throughout the film while music supervisor Budd Carr creates a soundtrack that features a mixture of music ranging from blues, gospel, jazz, and R&B from Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Bobby Bland, Little Milton, and Z.Z. Hill.

The casting by Gail Levin and Lauren Lloyd is superb as it feature some notable small roles from Jimmy Witherspoon as a friend of Gideon and Suzie who sings a blues classic, Wonderful Smith as the local preacher, Greta Brown as the neighbor Virginia, Davis Roberts as a friend of Harry in Okra, Julius Harris as an old friend of Harry in Herman, Sy Richardson as Hattie’s husband Marsh who has a grudge towards Harry, DeVaughn Walter Nixon as Babe Brother and Linda’s young son Sunny who often observes everything around him, Reina King as Junior and Pat’s daughter Rhonda, and Ethel Ayler in a terrific performance as family friend Hattie who had a past with Harry as she is extremely uncomfortable with his presence. Vonetta McGee is fantastic as Pat as Junior’s pregnant wife who is wary of Harry while is often the mediator for everyone involved. Carl Lumbly is superb as Junior as Gideon and Suzie’s eldest and more responsible son who is always there to help as he also tries to get his younger brother to help out more and tell him to grow up. Richard Brooks is excellent as Babe Brother whose real name is Samuel as a young man that is unsure about his role as he often goes out where he is seduced by the tumultuous would that Harry has to offer.

Sheryl Lee Ralph is brilliant as Babe Brother’s wife Linda as a real-estate agent who doesn’t feel like she belongs with Babe Brother’s family yet becomes more disturbed by Babe Brother’s time with Harry who makes her uneasy forcing her to get the help from Babe Brother’s family. Paul Butler and Mary Alice are amazing in their respective roles as Gideon and Suzie as a couple who live in South Central trying to live good lives until Harry’s arrival as the former copes with becoming ill while the latter is a more reserved and quiet person who slowly realizes what kind of trouble that Harry brings. Finally, there’s Danny Glover in a tremendous performance as Harry as this charming yet devilish Southern gentleman who arrives unexpectedly as he brings in traditions and old ideas of the South where he adds to an already troubled situation involving Gideon and his family. Glover’s performance has this air of danger whenever he walks into a room as he’s also a superstitious man that holds on to these old ideas as well as carry a knife that just adds to the level of discomfort he brings into a room as it is an iconic performance from Glover.

To Sleep with Anger is a spectacular film from Charles Burnett that features an incredible performance from Danny Glover. Along with its ensemble cast, chilling music score and soundtrack, themes of family dynamics, tradition, and old ideals. It’s a film that explore a family whose visitor arrives as this embodiment of temptation and evil as well as be a man of ambiguity into his intentions. In the end, To Sleep with Anger is a sensational film from Charles Burnett.

Charles Burnett Films: Killer of Sheep - My Brother's Wedding - (The Glass Shield) – (The Annihilation of Fish) – (Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation)

© thevoid99 2019

2019 Blind Spot Series: Marketa Lazarova

Based on the novel by Vladislav Vancura, Marketa Lazarova is the story of a lord’s daughter who had been kidnapped by knights from a different clan leading to an intense feud between the two factions during medieval times. Directed by Frantisek Vlacil and screenplay by Vlacil and Frantisek Pavlicek, the film is an exploration of a young woman caught up in the middle of a war where she’s become the pawn of this bloody conflict with Magda Vasaryova starring in the titular role and narration by Zdenek Stepanek. Also starring Josef Kemr, Frantisek Velecky, Nad’a Hejna, and Jaroslav Moucka. Marketa Lazarova is an entrancing and evocative film from Frantisek Vlacil.

Set in medieval times, the film revolves around a conflict between two different factions in the Germany/Czechoslovakia border as a lord’s daughter finds herself in the middle of this conflict as it would complicate things during the course of the conflict. It’s a film that doesn’t have much of a plot in favor of exploring a period in time in which conflict was part of the norm but also the way they live their life as a way to survive regardless of how they treat other people. The film’s screenplay by Frantisek Vlacil and Frantisek Pavlicek is loose in its story though it’s mainly a two-part story about this conflict and how this young woman in Marketa Lazarova is caught in the middle where she is part of one faction and then be part of another although she is mainly a supporting character in a large ensemble filled with thieves, knights, killers, and con artists. Even the captives that include the son of a bishop becomes troubled by this conflict as he had fallen for a young woman who is part of another faction. It all play into this idea of bargaining and survival as this young woman who is dealing with all of this chaos as she turns to God for answers while Zdenek Stepanek’s narration adds some clarity into some of the loose tone of the plot which does meander at times.

Vlacil’s direction is definitely intoxicating in its imagery as it is shot on various locations in Czechoslovakia in the course of nearly 2 years as it play into the harsh conditions of wintery forests and desolate swamps. Yet, it does add a unique atmosphere into the look and tone of the film where Vlacil aims for an element of realism in these settings. The usage of the wide shots do allow Vlacil to get a lot of coverage and depth of field into the locations it would play into a world that is tranquil and serene but can also be unsettling and unforgiving at times. The locations also play into some of the battles where Vlacil uses some hand-held camera for some scenes in the film along with some long shots that goes on for a few minutes with stark imagery that often include shots of wolves getting ready to attack. It does play into moments of symbolism into what these men are dealing with a world that is about survival and keeping what they have.

Vlacil’s direction also play into religious symbolism where there’s Marketa’s father Lord Lazar (Michal Kozuch with the voice of Martin Ruzek) has his hands nailed to a door or Marketa at a Catholic convent where her father tried to enter her there for safety only to not have enough money. The religious symbolism would come to play towards the film’s ending with its usage of close-ups and medium shots while Vlacil would use these shots to play into interaction with the characters or in some surreal dream sequences that would have Marketa walking on a field naked or another female character in Alexandra (Pavla Polaskova with the voice of Karolina Sluneckova) who is the object of affection to the bishop’s son Kristian (Vlastimil Harapes with the voice of Klaus-Peter-Thiele). It would all play into this desire of leading a pure life but the atmosphere of greed and deception would still emerge with Marketa being this idea of purity as she eventually comes to term with her role but also accept a different role that would allow her to create a better future. Overall, Vlacil crafts a mesmerizing and ravishing film about a feud between factions in medieval times at the Czechoslovakian-German border with a young woman caught in the middle.

Cinematographer Bedrich Bat’ka does amazing work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its usage of natural lighting for some of the interiors as well as the usage of available light for some of the exterior shots as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Miroslav Hajek does excellent work with the editing as it has elements of jump-cuts to play into some of the action while much of the editing is straightforward. Art director Oldrich Okac, with set decorators Josef Pavlik and Vladislav Rada, does brilliant work with the look of the ruined castles and forts as well as some of the places that the characters go to.

Costume designer Theodor Pistek does fantastic work with the costumes with its ragged look of some of the knights and thieves as well as the lavish robes of some of the lords and bishops. The sound work of Frantisek Fabian is superb for its intricate approach to sound in capturing the natural elements of sound and mixing it with some sound collage to play into some of the surreal moments of the film. The film’s music by Zdenek Liska is great for its usage of Gregorian-like vocal choir chants, layers of string and percussion arrangements, and its broad orchestral sound to play into the period of the times as it is a highlight of the film.

The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles from Karla Chadimova as the Abbess Priory who considers taking Marketa into her convent, Na’da Hejna as Kozlik’s wife Katerina with Antoine Hegerlikova as the voice actress for the part, Zdenek Rehor as Captain Pivo’s second-in-command in Sovicka who is attracted to Marketa, Zdenek Kryzanek as Captain Pivo who is tasked to rescue the bishop’s son, Harry Studt as the bishop whose son had been captured, and Vladimir Mensik in a terrific performance as the wandering monk Bernard who is a witness to everything as he serves as a Greek chorus of sorts to the audience while observing everything that is happening as well as provide some guidance to the characters in the film. Vlastimil Harapes, with the voice of Klaus-Peter-Thiele, is superb as the bishop’s son Kristian as a young man captured by Kozlik’s men as he would fall for Kozlik’s daughter Alexandra as he becomes confused by whom he should be loyalty to. Ivan Puluch, with the voice of Ladislav Trojan, is fantastic as Kozlik’s one-armed son Adam who is known for having an incestuous relationship with Alexandra as he’s also one of Kozlik’s fiercest knights only to deal with the turmoil of Alexandra’s relationship with Kristian.

Josef Kemr and Michael Kozuch, with the voice Martin Rusek for the latter, are excellent in their respective roles as the faction leaders Kozlik and Lazar with the former as a leader of knights who rebels against the royals while the latter is a lord loyal to the royal family who also head a gang of bandits. Pavla Polaskova, with the voice of Karolina Sluneckova, is amazing as Alexandra as Kozlik’s daughter who is a mysterious woman known for her dark look yet becomes fond of Kristian as she would see him as a beacon of hope in her dark surroundings. Frantisek Velecky, with the voice of Petr Kostka, is brilliant as Mikolas as one of Kozlik’s sons who would capture Marketa and would torture and rape only to later be protective of her as he would also question his loyalty towards his own father and their rebellion. Finally, there’s Magda Vasaryova, with the voice of Gabriela Vranova, in an incredible performance as the titular character as the daughter of a lord loyal to the royal family who finds herself used as she is sent from one faction to another as bait or bargaining as she questions her own being as well as seeking answers from God to help those she grows to care for.

Marketa Lazarova is a tremendous film from Frantisek Vlacil. Featuring a great ensemble cast, ravishing visuals, an eerie music soundtrack, stark depiction of medieval life, and naturalistic sound design. It’s a film that explores a moment in time that was brutal as it showcases how similar it is to some of the conflicts of the present day while it is told in an unconventional presentation that isn’t for everyone due to the looseness of the plot. In the end, Marketa Lazarova is a spectacular film from Frantisek Vlacil.

© thevoid99 2019

2019 Blind Spot Series: Gone with the Wind

Based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind is the story of a plantation owner’s daughter and her pursuit towards a man only to be pursued by another gentleman who tries to get her to see things differently. Produced by David O. Selznick, directed by Victor Fleming, with additional directing by George Cukor and Sam Wood, and screenplay by Sidney Howard. The film is an epic romantic drama that play into a woman coping with her romantic feelings while dealing with the chaos of the American Civil War. Starring Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Haviland, Leslie Howard, and Hattie McDaniel. Gone with the Wind is a sprawling and monumental film from producer David O. Selznick.

Told in the span of 12 years during the American Civil War and its aftermath, the film follows the life of the daughter of a plantation owner whose infatuation for a man leads her to being pursued by another man as she deals with her own desires and passion amidst the chaos and turmoil of the American Civil War. It’s a film that explore the journey of a woman who has known a life of comfort and luxury in the American South just days before the Civil War began as she would later endure all sorts of trials and tribulations yet would also embark on relationships either for social or financial gain as a way to fill the void for her heart’s desire as she would attract the attention of a man who admires her spirit. Even as she would get a lot of things in her life but her love for this other man who would be married to another woman who would also become a dear friend to her would also play into her undoing.

The film’s screenplay by Sidney Howard, with un-credited contributions from Ben Hecht, Jo Swerling, Oliver H.P. Garrett, and John Van Druten, play into the journey that Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) would embark on in her pursuit of longtime family friend Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) hoping to be married to him. However, Wilkes is engaged to his cousin Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Haviland) which upsets O’Hara as she would continuously pine for Wilkes as well as get the attention of a guest in Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) who is intrigued by O’Hara. The first act is about the events before and during the war as O’Hara tries to pursue Wilkes yet would later engage into a couple of marriages that would be doomed with the first marriage to Melanie’s younger brother Charles (Rand Brooks) and then to his sister’s fiancé Frank Kennedy (Carroll Nye) in the film’s second act. It has a unique structure with its first half being about the early years of the war but also Sherman’s march through Georgia that would destroy nearly everything as well as the life that O’Hara and the people that she knew would be gone.

It’s not just in the structure of the script that is crucial to the film with its second half playing into the aftermath of the Civil War and the Reconstruction period but also into some of the development of the characters. While O’Hara would be humbled by the sense of loss she endured including around her family home of Tara, there is still this foolish pursuit of Wilkes who admits to having feelings for her but is still in love with Melanie. Melanie turns out to be a far more interesting character in terms of her gracefulness as well as being a person of reason where she seems to know more of what is going on rather than be oblivious. Then there’s Butler who is a man of charm but also someone who understands what is important as he does whatever he can to help out other people where he would really come into play in the film’s third act as someone who puts duty and family over everything else rather than O’Hara who is concerned with trying to live a lifestyle and pine for Wilkes.

The film’s direction by Victor Fleming is definitely sprawling in terms of its setting and grand visuals. Shot largely on studio and locations in Southern California including the studios in Los Angeles and Ventura County, the film does recreate this world of the American South that is lavish and full of ideals with a thriving economy and such despite the fact that they enjoyed the idea of slavery even though O’Hara and her family actually treat their slaves kinder than others in the maid Mammy (Hattie McDaniel) who would often put O’Hara in her place as well as run the house. With some contributions from George Cukor and Sam Wood during parts of the production, Fleming is able to maintain this atmosphere for much of the film’s early parts of the first act as this serene world yet there is something about that feels false due to the imagery of slavery where it is painted romantically which is far from what really did happen. When the horrors of war would emerge, the fantasy that O’Hara and her fellow Southerners had been living in burned right in front of their faces.

The usage of the wide shots including the grand detail in the crane shots that Fleming uses in a scene where O’Hara tries to find a doctor for Melanie as it’s presented in a small wide shot and then this vast crane to show all of these dead and wounded soldiers. The usage of tracking and dolly shots along with some of the presentation of the action including the scenes of the burning of Atlanta are among some of the finest usage of scenery during the first half of the film. The second act which is about the aftermath and O’Hara’s desire to return to Tara with an ailing Melanie and her baby in tow along with the maid Prissy (Butterfly McQueen). The second half begins with the rebuilding of Tara but also the arrival of the carpetbaggers as it would play into O’Hara trying to create a life similar to what she had despite having to live in Atlanta and at a smaller home. Due to her desire to make more money, she would eventually encounter a shantytown and trouble leading to an incident where it would be Butler that would help her out once again leading to their marriage and the film’s third act.

The third act is definitely the most dramatic as it play into Butler and O’Hara’s marriage and family life as well as what Butler is trying to create in this post-Civil War lifestyle that is sort of similar to the past but with some major differences. The usage of the close-ups and medium shots help play into the drama with some striking compositions as well as moments that are ambiguous. Notably in a scene where Butler would take O’Hara up to their room where even though it’s presented in a romantic tone, it does raises question into the idea of marital rape although Butler is later appalled by his actions. There is that ambiguity as it all play into O’Hara’s foolish pursuit towards Wilkes with Butler feeling spurned by what is happening as he thinks about their daughter as well as Melanie whom he cares for as a friend. Its ending is about not just this air of foolishness for both Butler and O’Hara but also in some serious revelations for both of them. Overall, producer David O. Selznick and director Victor Fleming create a spectacularly rich and majestic film about a Southern gentleman wooing a spoiled plantation daughter during the backdrop of the American Civil War and its aftermath.

Cinematographers Ernest Haller, Lee Garmes, and Ray Rennahan do amazing work with the film’s gorgeous Technicolor cinematography with its usage of colors for some scenes in the sunlight along with its usage of shadows as well as the grand detail into how vibrant the exteriors are in times when it was rich as well as how harrowing it looks following the events of the Civil War. Editors Hal C. Kern and James E. Newcom do excellent work with the editing with its usage of rhythmic cuts to play into the action and drama as well as letting shots play on for some of the film’s big moments. Production designer William Cameron Menzies, with set decorator Howard Bristol and art director Lyle Wheeler, does amazing work with the look of the mansion and land that is Tara along with some of the lavish homes of the Wilkes and many others as well as some of the ruined places and Atlanta post-Civil War. Costume designer Walter Plunkett does fantastic work with the costumes from the lavish design of the dresses and hats the women wear along with the suits and uniforms the men wore.

The visual effects work of Jack Cosgrove, Fred Albin, and Arthur Johns is terrific for some of the backdrops that is created including the scenes during the Fall of Atlanta with its images of fire. Sound recordist Thomas T. Moulton and sound editor Gordon Sawyer do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the parties as well as the sounds of war. The film’s music by Max Steiner is incredible for its soaring and majestic orchestral score with its sweeping string arrangements and lush orchestral themes along with its take on traditional music of the times including Dixie.

The casting by Charles Richards and Fred Schuessler is marvelous for the massive ensemble that is assembled for the film as it feature some notable small roles from Cammie King Conlon as Rhett and Scarlett’s daughter Bonnie, Mickey Kuhn as Ashley and Melanie’s son Beau, Louis Jean Heydt as a Confederate soldier holding the baby Beau, Olin Howland as a carpetbagger businessman, Ward Bond as a Yankee captain trying to find suspects over a shantytown attack, Leona Roberts as Mrs. Meade, Harry Davenport as Dr. Meade, Laura Hopes Crew as Melanie’s Aunt Pittypat Hamilton, Everett Brown as the O’Hara’s field foreman Big Sam who would later save Scarlett at the shantytown, Victor Jory as the field overseer Jonas, Butterfly McQueen as the house servant Prissy who helps Scarlett with Melanie, Paul Hurst as a Yankee deserter trying to rob Tara, Howard Hickman as Ashley’s father John, George Reeves and Fred Crane in their respective roles as Scarlett’s brothers Stuart and Brent, and Ona Munson in a fantastic performance as the brothel madam Belle Watling as a woman who is known for a certain reputation yet is someone far more intriguing as she is a friend of Butler as well as someone Melanie admires.

Rand Brooks and Carroll Nye are terrific in their respective roles as Melanie’s brother Charles and Frank Kennedy as two men who would marry Scarlett in different periods in Scarlett’s life only to be unaware that she doesn’t love either of them. Evelyn Keyes and Ann Rutherford are wonderful in their respective roles as Scarlett’s sisters in Suellen and Carreen with the former as the younger of the two who really hates Scarlett for being bossy. Thomas Mitchell and Barbara O’Neal are superb in their respective roles as Scarlett’s parents in Gerald and Ellen O’Hara with the former being an Irishman trying to hold on to his land and ideals during the dark days of the war. Leslie Howard is excellent as Ashley Wilkes as the object of desire for Scarlett as a gentleman who joins the Confederacy as an officer as he deals with the realities of war while is torn for his love for Melanie but also his own feelings for Scarlett although he’s someone with not much personality.

Hattie McDaniel is brilliant as the housemaid Mammy as a woman who always says what is on her mind and doesn’t take shit from anyone while also running the house as she is sort of the film’s conscience despite being a sort of typical and subservient figure for the O’Hara family. Olivia de Haviland is amazing as Melanie Wilkes as Ashley’s cousin/wife who is a woman of grace and understanding as well as being the smartest person out there as it relates to Scarlett’s feelings for Ashley but also is someone who can bring the best in someone as well as be a sense of warmth for those feeling sad. 

Vivien Leigh is remarkable as Scarlett O’Hara as this spoiled daughter of a plantation owner whose pursuit of Ashley would put her into foolish situations or moments by chance as it is a wild and over-the-top performance of a woman that is so intent on winning Ashley while at times being humbled and forced to swallow her pride. Finally, there’s Clark Gable in a tremendous performance as Rhett Butler as a Southern gentleman from Charleston who charms his way into any situations while being fascinated by Scarlett and her passion as well as being someone that is willing to humble her as well as cope with his own shortcomings including how he’s been unable to try and win over her due to her feelings for Ashley.

Gone with the Wind is an astonishingly rich and sensational film from Victor Fleming and producer David O. Selznick. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, a soaring music score, top-notch production values, and a story of love and pursuit during the era of the American Civil War and its aftermath. It’s a film that is grand in its visuals and tone despite some of romanticism towards the time of the American South and its ideas of slavery. In the end, Gone with the Wind is a spectacular film from Victor Fleming and producer David O. Selznick.

© thevoid99 2019

2019 Blind Spot Series: In the Realm of the Senses

Written and directed by Nagisa Oshima, In the Realm of the Senses is a film based on a real-life incident in 1930s Japan involving a destructive love affair between a man and a woman during a tumultuous time in Japan. The film is an exploration of a torrid affair between a maid and her abusive boss as it turns into a wild experiment of sexual pleasure that later takes on some new extremes. Starring Tatsuya Fuji, Eiko Matsuda, Aoi Nakajima, Yasuko Matsui, Meika Seri, Kanae Kobayashi, Taiji Tonoyama, and Kyoji Kokonoe. In the Realm of the Senses is an eerie yet provocative film from Nagisa Oshima.

Set in 1936 Tokyo, the film revolves around a real-life incident involving a former prostitute working at a hotel and its owner as their sexual affair becomes a chaotic and toxic relationship that pushes their sexual and emotional yearnings to great extremes. It’s a film that explores two people who are married to other people as they become fascinated with one another and then carry on a secret affair that eventually becomes tumultuous and perverse. Nagisa Oshima’s screenplay doesn’t really much of a plot as its first act is about how Sada Abe (Eiko Matsuda) meets the hotel owner Kichizo Ishida (Tatsuya Fuji) after watching him having sex with his wife Toku (Aoi Nakajima) while is working as a waitress for the hotel despite having to share rooms with other employees as she works to fulfill a debt her husband is trying to finish off.

Ishida becomes fascinated by Abe as well as see her as another sexual conquest that eventually becomes a secret affair where the film’s second act has them move away from the hotel and somewhere in the middle of Tokyo. The affair would intensify into elements of sadomasochism and other explicit sexual acts that would disturb people working at another inn or hotel. To make money to stay in those places, Abe would return to prostitution where she would find new pleasure in sadomasochism as it would add to greater extremes in her relationship with Ishida where it would become destructive and chaotic.

Oshima’s direction in the film does have bits of style but it is in the way he presents this toxic relationship between Abe and Ishida that is unsettling in terms of what he does as it relates to sex. Shot on various locations in nearby areas of Tokyo, the film does play into this world of growing imperialism where Japan is changing yet its morals are becoming unruly as this affair between Abe and Ishida would later be described as scandalous for its time. Some of Oshima’s compositions are stylish in some of the wide shots along with high and low angles to get a look into a room or a location yet much of his direction is intimate as it’s often set inside a room where there is a claustrophobic element but also a place where Abe and Ishida can isolate themselves from a world that is judgmental but also ever-changing in this emergence of imperialism. Some of the dramatic moments in the film including scenes where Abe and Ishida are walking in the rain showcase a couple having some fun although there is also a sense of danger into what are they doing. Especially as it relates to their sexual relationship as they would continuously push themselves for pleasure to the point of obsession.

Oshima definitely goes into places in his presentation of explicit, non-simulated sexual content that is confrontational but also blurring the line of what can be considered pornography or what is perceived as art. One notable scene of Abe and Ishida having sex in front of a group of young geishas that eventually leads to an orgy is an odd scene where the orgy is happening while an old man is doing a traditional dance to traditional music. It’s among these extravagant set pieces that Oshima creates including moments where Abe would offer herself with Ishida watching and going along with it or Abe having sex with an old man and asking him to slap and pinch her just so she can get off. The act of sex would get shocking as geishas, waitresses, and maids would often be shocked by the sight of Abe giving Ishida oral sex or the couple just having sex with full-on penetration being shown. Even in parts where Oshima would go into extreme close-ups of their genitals including Abe’s vagina at its most extreme.

Oshima’s direction also amps up the sexual content as it would play into the drama and obsession between the two where even something like erotic asphyxiation becomes a regular thing for the two. Oshima definitely raises a lot of question into how this relationship became scandalous during this time where Japan becomes an imperialist nation. The film’s final minutes aren’t just the most shocking aspects of the film but it also shows how fucked up love can be. Overall, Oshima crafts a riveting yet visceral film about an obsessive and chaotic love affair between a hotel manager and one of his maids.

Cinematographer Hideo Ito does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its colorful and vibrant look with some unique lighting schemes by Kenichi Okamoto for many of the film’s interior setting as it add to this air of beauty and chaos in the film. Editors Keiichi Uraoka and Patrick Sauvion do excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts to play into the drama and extreme sexual content. Production/costume designer Jusho Toda and co-costume designer Masahiro Kato do amazing work with the look of the sets that Abe and Ishida would live in where it is lavish in some parts but small in some places while the costumes consist of these colorful robes along with bits of clothing that would play into their erotic appetites.

The makeup work of Koji Takemura is fantastic for the look of the geishas and the style of makeup they had to wear. The sound work of Tetsuo Yasuda is superb for its approach to sound effects and setting an atmosphere in the locations as well as in sparse ambient sounds. The film’s music by Minoru Miki is incredible for its usage of traditional Japanese string music that help play into the drama and unsettling tone of the film with its usage of the shamisen string instrument along with a few lush string orchestral pieces in the film as it one of the film’s major highlights.

The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Kanae Kobayashi as an old geisha who is not shocked by Abe and Ishida’s exploits, Taiji Tonoyama as an old beggar who is eager to get sexual pleasure from Abe, Naomi Shiraishi and Komikichi Hori as a couple of geishas, Kyoji Kokonoe as a schoolteacher whom Abe would sleep with for money, Meika Sera as a hotel maid, Yasuko Matsui as an inn manager, and Aoi Nakajima in a terrific small role as Ishida’s wife Toku. The performances of Eiko Matsuda and Tatsuya Fuji are phenomenal in their respective roles as Sada Abe and Kichizo Ishida as couple having an affair that becomes intense and chaotic with the former as someone that is eager to have an orgasm better than the last one she had and the latter as a man who is into kinky sexual acts where they both love each other but also grow to get more provocative in their thirst for sexual and emotional pleasure as their performances are daring in terms of what they do to provoke and confront love at its most primal.

In the Realm of the Senses is a tremendous film from Nagisa Oshima that features great performances from Eiko Matsuda and Tatsuya Fuji. Along with its gorgeous visuals, mesmerizing music score, and an eerie take on a real-life story that explores sexual passion and taboos that would shock people during the time of Imperial Japan. It’s a film that is definitely uneasy to watch in terms of its graphic depiction of sex as well as what two people would do to push themselves to the limit. In the end, In the Realm of the Senses is a spectacular film from Nagisa Oshima.

Nagisa Oshima Films: (Tomorrow’s Sun) - (A Street of Love and Hope) - (Cruel Story of Youth) - (The Sun’s Burial) - (Night and Fog in Japan) - (The Catch) - (The Rebel) - (A Small Child’s First Adventure) - (It’s Me Here, Bellett) - (The Pleasures of the Flesh) - (Yunbogi’s Diary) - (Violence at High Noon) - (Tales of the Ninja/Band of Ninja) - (Sing a Song of Sex (A Treatsie on Japanese Bawdy Songs)) - (Double Suicide: Japanese Summer) - (Death by Hanging) - (Three Resurrected Drunkards) - (Diary of a Shinjuku Thief) - (Boy (1969 film)) - (Man Who Left His Will on Film) - (The Ceremony (1971 film)) - (Dear Summer Sister) – Empire of Passion - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence - (Max, Mon Amour) - (Taboo (1999 film))

© thevoid99 2019

2019 Blind Spot Series: This is Not a Film

Directed, shot, and starring Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, This is Not a Film is the story of Panahi’s house arrest following a sentence from the Iranian government that bans him from making films for 20 years as he meets with family, friends, and his attorney trying to appeal his six-year jail sentence. The film is a documentary feature that shows Panahi’s day-to-day life as he endures his time at home but would find ways to at least tell a story. The result is an intoxicating and riveting film from Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb.

Shot at an apartment in Tehran in the course of 10 days, the film follows filmmaker Jafar Panahi awaiting word on his appeal following a conviction from the Iranian government over claims of propaganda against the regime as he is given a six-year prison sentence plus a ban from filmmaking for 20 years. Gathering material of four from a ten-day shoot, Panahi and co-director Mojtaba Mirtahmasb discuss the appeal as well as the projects Panahi wanted to do. During the course of these ten days in March of 2011 where Panahi would watch news about the 2011 Tohuku earthquake and tsunami as well as have phone conversations with his lawyer, family members, and a few friends about being on house arrest.

With Mirtahmasb following Panahi around his apartment with a digital camcorder and Panahi carrying his iPhone, Panahi is also at home watching the family’s pet lizard Igi who would steal the show at times either walking on walls or a couch. Panahi would show Mirtahmasb a script he is working on as well as what he would’ve done for the film’s opening scene using tape on the carpet as an example where Mirtahmasb would shoot from above. There are moments where Panahi becomes emotional over the idea of never making a film again but he is determined to find a way as he and Mirtahmasb would use their cameras to find something even as Panahi would watch a building being built from his balcony as both men serve as cinematographers for the film.

Since it was shot in 10 days and the idea of a day-to-day routine can be boring but Panahi who would edit the film would he would also tell Mirtahmasb when to stop shooting or when to cut. Even as he would also talk about his ideas and use his own films as a frame of reference. Sound editor/visual effects compositor Javad Emami would gather some of the phone conversations that Panahi is having while there are scenes of Panahi interacting with neighbors including a young man collecting garbage in one single take during a holiday that had been banned by the government leading to protests outside of the building. For Panahi, he would film all of this where he would take a major risk for its ending as it is more about the chance for Iranians to tell their own stories without government or religion to restrict them.

This is Not a Film is a tremendous film from Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb. It’s an unconventional documentary film that explore the idea of censorship and restriction where a filmmaker is able to tell a story despite the severe limitations he endures from his own government. It’s also a documentary that also play into the ordinary aspects of life and how someone can find wonder in the ordinary. In the end, This is Not a Film is a sensational film from Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb.

Jafar Panahi Films: (The White Balloon) – (The Mirror (1997 film)) – (The Circle (2000 film)) – (Crimson Gold) – Offside (2006 film) - (Closed Curtain) – (Taxi (2015 film)) – (3 Faces)

© thevoid99 2019

2019 Blind Spot Series: The Gleaners & I

(In Memory of Agnes Varda (1928-2019))

Written, directed, narrated, co-shot, and co-edited by Agnes Varda, Les glaneurs et la glaneuse (The Gleaners & I) is the story of the life of gleaners who live outside the confines of traditional and modern society in France. The film follows Varda as she meets these individuals who don’t live by the rules of society while trying to survive in an increasingly modern world. The result is one of the engrossing and rapturous films about a group of people trying to keep the act gleaning alive before the turn of the millennium.

Shot from 1999 to May of 2000, the film has Agnes Varda explore the lives of gleaners who come to gardens, vineyards, and such after harvest gathering food that hadn’t been picked up. It’s a film that explore the idea of gleaning, salvaging, dumpster-diving, and such to gather food and material that is neglected and be of use to a world where waste is prevalent. The act of gleaning was something that was common during the 18th and 19th century where people would be able to gather leftovers that hadn’t been picked from gardens following the harvest period so that food would be salvaged as Varda would cite various paintings as a way of life that is now considered outdated before the turn of the millennium. During the course of the film as Varda would travel through France in various locations, she discovered that it’s not just the poor, outcasts, and foreigners that would continue to glean but also regular people and a few of the rich where some who own crops and gardens would allow people to take whatever is left for nothing.

Varda and her fellow cinematographers in Didier Doussin, Stephane Krausz, Didier Rouget, and Pascal Sautelet would shoot the film entirely on small hand-held digital cameras where the look had a crudeness yet it captures a realism that allow Varda to gather so much of what she could find in the spur of the moment. Notably as she would become a gleaner herself by not just picking up leftover food from greenhouses, crops, and gardens but also in objects she would find and salvage. At the same time, Varda would film herself where she would take great close-ups in her hands knowing that she is reaching old age but accepts it as if it’s an old friend. Varda’s direction has this looseness in the way she interviews various people including a chef, a wine owner, and a couple of lawyers who talk about the law of gleaning and the changes its being made before the arrival of the 21st Century.

Varda would talk to people who are keeping the art of gleaning alive despite the law as it also play into the world of poverty, economic and social imbalance, neglect, and greed. Varda would take a break from the main narrative to go into a case of a group of young homeless kids vandalizing a supermarket as she would get both sides of the story from the supermarket owner and the kids themselves with an attorney explaining what is to happen. There is also the story of a teacher named Alain who lives in a home with various immigrants from Africa where half of the people in the building are illiterate yet he teaches them how to read but is also someone who gleans because he can’t afford to buy food at a grocery store and he would often find food that is still in good condition.

With editors Jean-Baptiste Morin and Laurent Pineau, Varda would also play into a bit of style for some of the scenes on the road as she gaze fondly into big trucks where they would be some jump-cuts and montages including one glorious sequence of her filming her camera lens cap doing a little jazz dance. The sound work of Emmanuel Soland is superb in capturing the natural elements of the locations in how a piece of food would sound like as well as this threat of the modern world from stopping the ideas of gleaning. Music composers Isabelle Olivier and Joanna Bruzdowicz provide this incredible mix of music ranging from soothing electronic music, classical-based pieces, jazz, and some hip-hop as it play into the struggles of the gleaners but also their need to survive without compromise.

Les glaneurs et la glaneuse is a tremendous film from Agnes Varda. It’s a documentary film that explores the world of gleaning and people who are trying to keep it alive in an increasingly modern world. It’s a film that doesn’t exactly play by the rules of the documentary but also give voice to those who are often unable to say something and show a process that could still happen in times that are troubling. In the end, Les glaneurs et la glaneuse is a spectacular film from Agnes Varda.

Agnes Varda Films: Diary of a Pregnant Woman - Du cote de la cote - La Pointe Courte - Cleo from 5 to 7 - Le Bonheur - (Les Creatures) – (Far from Vietnam) – (Lions Love) – (Daguerreotypes) – One Sings, the Other Doesn’t – (Murals Murals) – (Documenteur) - Vagabond - (Jane B. by Agnes V.) – ((Le Petit Amour) – (Jacquot de Nantes) – (The Young Girls Turn 25) – (One Hundred and One Nights) – The World of Jacques Demy - (The Gleaners & I: Two Years Later) – (Cinevardaphoto) – (Some Windows of Noirmoutier) - (The Beaches of Agnes) – (Faces Places) – (Varda by Agnes)

© thevoid99 2019

2019 Blind Spot Series: Weekend (1967 film)

Based on the short story Le autopista del Sur by Julio Cortazar, Weekend is the story of a bourgeoisie couple who travel to France to collect an inheritance as they encounter a world where everything is falling apart. Written for the screen and directed by Jean-Luc Godard, the film is an exploration of two people with secrets from each other as they’re forced to see a world that is in total chaos as it would mark the end of a style of storytelling for Godard for more than a decade as it plays into his interest towards political and social matters. Starring Mireille Darc, Jean Yanne, Georges Staquet, Juliet Berto, Jean Eustache, Jean-Pierre Leaud, and Yves Afonso. Weekend is a chilling yet abstract film from Jean-Luc Godard.

A trip through the French countryside for a bourgeoisie couple becomes a nightmare due to a world that has gone to shit. That is the film’s overall premise as it explores the idea of what happens when society and morality have all fallen by the wayside just as a couple go on a trip to collect an inheritance with each having their own intentions for themselves. Jean-Luc Godard’s screenplay does have a traditional narrative structure yet it is told in an abstract style as it breaks down the fourth wall at times but also would blur the idea of fantasy and reality along with elements of surrealism as the couple would meet real-life figures in literature, history, or in politics. It all play into a world that is coming apart as this couple in Corrine (Mireille Darc) and Roland (Jean Yanne) are trying to understand what is happening yet are desperate to reach their destination that becomes more troublesome as they have to endure the chaos around them including traffic jams, deaths, and people angry at the world.

Godard’s direction is definitely stylish in its offbeat approach yet it is filled with some haunting visuals that play into this idea of a world coming undone. Shot on various locations in France, Godard captures a world that is outside of Paris that is full of wonders where he shoots a Corrine and Roland both at their apartment as Roland is driving his car recklessly with no regards for anyone. There are some long shots that occur throughout the film whether it’s in a wide and medium shot or in a close-up where Godard would have characters talk about what is going on around them or a historical figure pop up and say something that has some relevance to the chaos that is happening in France during the 1960s that would have these dire premonitions of what was to come in May of 1968. Even as Corrine and Roland find themselves unable to get a ride to town after their car had crashed at the beginning of its second act due to political affiliations.

Godard’s direction would include these long and gazing dolly-tracking shots for the film’s traffic jam scene in the film’s first act as it shows Roland Corrine trying to get through this road of death, destruction, absurdity, and confusion. The tracking shots definitely capture a lot of coverage while they would be briefly interrupted by jump-cuts of title cards that would also include a scene of a camera going slowly in circle for a music break. It is Godard breaking away from the confines of traditional narrative while following this bourgeoisie couple who are traveling to receive an inheritance as the third act is about them reaching their destination and an aftermath that is more troubling as it relates to their secrets from one another but also this inhumanity they had endured throughout their journey where they end up encountering a guerilla task force. It would play into the conflict involving social classes as well as this growing civil disobedience over what the world has become. Overall, Godard crafts a provocative and unsettling film about a bourgeois couple’s trek through France where they encounter a world that has completely lost its purpose.

Cinematographer Raoul Coutard does brilliant work with the film’s gorgeous cinematography that captures the vibrancy of the colors in the clothes that Corinne and other characters wear as well as the look of the locations that showcase a world that is coming undone. Editor Agnes Guillemot does amazing work with the editing as it is playful with its usage of jump-cuts but also its usage of repetition and montages to play into this sense of remorse or lack of it. The sound work of Rene Levert and Antoine Bonfanti is excellent for its approach to sound in the way car horns, trucks, guns, and everything would sound from afar or up close as it help add to the film tense atmosphere of the film. The film’s music by Antoine Duhamel is fantastic for its offbeat musical score that ranges from somber orchestral pieces as well as a disconcerting drum-based piece that is actually played on location while the film also feature elements of classical music.

The film’s superb cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from filmmaker Jean Eustache as a hitchhiker, Omar Blondin Diop and Laszlo Szabo as a couple of garbage men who both have something to say about the state of the world for Africa and Algeria, Ernest Menzer as a FLSO cook, Michelle Breton as the assistant cook, Jean-Pierre Kaflon as the leader of a guerilla faction known as the FLSO, Valerie Lagrange as the leader’s lover, Paul Gegauff as a pianist performing classical music for the music break sequence, Anne Wiazemsky and Michel Cournot as a couple of barnyard passerby with Wiazemsky also playing a guide, Georges Staquet as a tractor operator who argues with Roland, and Jean-Claude Guilbert as a vagabond who fights with Roland. Jean-Pierre Leaud is terrific in a dual role as the French Revolution leader Louis Antoine Leon de Saint-Just and as a man on a telephone who tries to stop Roland and Corrine from stealing his car.

Yves Afonso is fantastic as the literary character Tom Thumb who comments about the state of the world while Blandine Jensen is excellent in a dual role as the author Emily Bronte who never gives any straight answers and as a piano accompanist for the pianist. Juliet Berto is brilliant in a dual role as a fellow bourgeoisie that Roland and Corrine encounter and as a FLSO fighter. Finally, there’s the duo of Mireille Darc and Jean Yanne in great performances in their respective roles as Corinne and Roland Durand as this bourgeois couple traveling through France to collect an inheritance for Corinne as she is someone eager to get money for her own reasons while dealing with the chaos around her. Yanne’s performance as Roland is a man who is manic and impulsive with little regard for anyone due to his reckless driving and nonchalant attitude towards others where he and Darc both display this air of inhumanity as two people with ulterior motives for each other as well as become lost in a world that is far crueler than they are.

Weekend is a spectacular film from Jean-Luc Godard. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, an abstract narrative, and themes of a world becoming undone by class conflicts, social issues, popular culture, and the sins of the Western Civilization. It’s a film that is definitely confrontational but also unafraid in being absurd and offbeat as it is definitely one of Godard’s quintessential films as well as a fitting end to his widely-revered French New Wave period. In the end, Weekend is a phenomenal film from Jean-Luc Godard.

Jean-Luc Godard Films: All the Boys are Called Patrick - Charlotte et son Jules - A Bout de Souffle - The Little Soldier - A Woman is a Woman - Vivre Sa Vie - Les Carabiniers - Contempt - Bande a Part - (A Married Woman) - Alphaville - Pierrot Le Fou - Masculin Feminin - Made in U.S.A. - Two or Three Things I Know About Her - (La Chinoise) - Sympathy for the Devil (One Plus One) - (Joy of Learning) - (Tout va Bien) - (Letter to Jane) - (One A.M.) - (Number Two) - (Here and Elsewhere) - (Every Man for Himself) - (Passion) - (First Name: Carmen) - (Hail Mary) - (Soft and Hard) - (Detective) - (King Lear (1987 film)) - (Keep Your Right Up) - (Novelle Vague) - (Allemagne 90 neuf zero) - (JLG/JLG - Self-Portrait in December) - (For Ever Mozart) - (Historie(s) de Cinema) - (In Praise of Love) - (Notre musique) - (Film Socialisme) - (Adieu au Language) – (The Image Book)

© thevoid99 2019

2019 Blind Spot Series: All About Eve

Based on the short story The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr, All About Eve is the story of an aging Broadway actress who takes in a fan only to become part of the woman’s life and her circle of friends. Written for the screen and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the film is a study of ambition and fame where a young woman takes the place of her idol in every way only to create chaos around her. Starring Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Hugh Marlowe, Thelma Ritter, Gregory Ratoff, Marilyn Monroe, Barbara Bates, and Walter Hampden. All About Eve is a ravishing yet riveting film from Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

The film revolves around a young woman who is a fan of this revered Broadway actress as she would become her assistant and later her understudy who would later become a successful actress and usurp her idol. It’s a film that is a study of ambition and what a young woman would do to become successful where she becomes close to the woman she idolizes and then create chaos in that woman’s life. Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s screenplay explores the idea of ambition as it relates to the titular character of Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) and how she would become part of the life of the aging theatre actress Margo Channing (Bette Davis). Yet the story begins in an award ceremony for Harrington with Margo, her best friend Karen Richards (Celeste Holm), Richards’ husband/playwright Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe), Margo’s lover/director Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill), and famed theatre critic Addison DeWitt (George Sanders).

Much of the film’s narrative is told from the perspective of Karen and Addison as they look back on the time they met Eve to her unexpected rise culminating with this award ceremony. Though Eve starts off as this innocent fan that Karen had seen almost every night during a theatre performance from Channing. It is through her first meeting with Channing that would play into this idea of who Eve is as she claims to have lost her husband in World War II and is from a poor background. Margo takes Eve as a second assistant which doesn’t sit well with her personal assistant Birdie (Thelma Ritter) who is suspicious about Eve as well as disliking her. Margo would also become annoyed by Eve’s presence as she asked producer Max Fabian (Gregory Ratoff) to hire her as his secretary only to end up being Eve’s understudy as a party at Margo’s home has Margo being overwhelmed with everyone else being entranced by Eve except for Birdie while Karen starts to feel bad for Eve.

The script’s narrative isn’t just this study of ambition as well as having elements of character study in Eve and Margo but also feature some dialogue that is fierce and biting. Even as it would play into the second act where Karen begins to realize the things that Eve is doing to Margo during a confrontation as there’s some language that is intense for its time along with connotations that is far more suggestive. It would play into a lot of the troubles and paranoia that Margo would endure upon Eve usurping her where Margo would choose to focus on something else. The film’s third act is about Eve and her rise but also the suspicions about who she is where DeWitt is someone that knows everything and has done a lot to play into Eve’s rise to stardom. Yet, the narrative would return to the film’s opening scene at the award ceremony with a more disturbing aftermath.

Mankiewicz’s direction is largely simple in terms of the compositions he creates where even though there aren’t a lot of wide shots for many of the film’s locations that is shot largely in various theatres and studios in San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, and New Haven, Connecticut. Mankiewicz does maintain that intimacy and theatricality into the performances and the usage of space inside the rooms. Even in how the atmosphere of the dressing room is whenever Margo just finished a performance as she is with Birdie, Karen, and Lloyd discussing the night’s performance where Mankiewicz presents all of them in a medium shot where even though Birdie is in the background at a bathroom. Mankiewicz does still put in the frame to play into her importance just as everyone else is talking to Eve. There are camera movements that would happen in the party although there are some close-ups that play into Margo’s own melancholia and growing jealousy towards Eve as she would be confused by Margo’s behavior in a conversation with other party goers.

Mankiewicz would also play into this drama that relates to a woman being aware that she is on her way out as she’s reaching her 40s and know she can’t stay young. Yet, she would eventually accept her fate despite feeling usurped and upstaged by Eve as the look of disdain she gives at the award ceremony in the film’s opening scene says a lot without doing much. The film’s third act that play into what DeWitt has discovered about Eve and what she is trying to do as it would lead to the image that DeWitt and Karen are narrating throughout the film where Eve is to receive this prestigious award. Yet, it would be followed by an aftermath about the realities of stardom where it is clear that it doesn’t last yet it’s about what one will do to survive and share the spotlight with someone else. Overall, Mankiewicz creates an evocative and majestic film about an aging actress dealing with a young fan who would become her understudy and later her rival.

Cinematographer Milton R. Krasner does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it is largely straightforward for many of the interiors with its lighting as well as how the stage is lit for performances. Editor Barbara McLean does excellent work with the editing with its usage of freeze-frame to start the main narrative as well as some rhythmic cuts and a few transitional dissolves to structure the film. Art directors George W. Davis and Lyle R. Wheeler, with set decorators Thomas Little and Walter M. Scott, do amazing work with the look of the home that Margo lives in as well as the stage sets and some of the places the characters go to. Costume designers Edith Head and Charles LeMaire do incredible work with the clothes that the characters wearing including the gowns that Margo wears that is designed specifically by Head. The sound work of Thomas T. Moulton is terrific for its straightforward approach to sound including the restaurant sequence and scene set on the stage. The film’s music by Alfred Newman is superb for its soaring and bombastic orchestral score that play into the drama as well as moments that are melodramatic.

The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles from Barbara Bates as a fan of Eve in Phoebe, Walter Hampden as the award presenter, Gregory Ratoff as the somewhat gullible producer Max Fabian, and Marilyn Monroe as an aspiring actress named Miss Casswell. Thelma Ritter is superb as Birdie as Margo’s longtime assistant who is often honest about what needed to be said as she is one of the few early in the film that is suspicious about Eve as she is aware that her role in Margo’s life is about to be reduced.

Hugh Marlowe is terrific as Karen’s playwright husband Lloyd as a man who is trying to create great stories for Margo only to find himself attracted towards Eve much to the dismay of Karen as he becomes confused in his loyalty for Margo and his attraction for Eve. Gary Merrill is fantastic as Bill Sampson as a theatre director who is also being courted by Hollywood to make films as he is fascinated by Eve only to realize what Eve wants where he begins to think more about Margo whom he’s been in a relationship with. George Sanders is excellent as Addison DeWitt as a theatre critic who is someone that is close with Margo as he is interested in Eve only to do an interview that would further damage Eve and Margo’s relationship where it’s a low-key yet chilling performance of someone who has a lot of power to make or break someone.

Celeste Holm is brilliant as Lloyd’s wife Karen as Margo’s best friend who would introduce Eve to Margo where she is someone that meant well but notices the tension between the two where she later gets to know more about Eve that would eventually make her uneasy. Anne Baxter is amazing as Eve Harrington as a young woman who is a fan of Margo as she would become her assistant and later her understudy where she is someone that starts off as this innocent figure that is willing to learn yet there’s something about her that is far more intriguing and dark as it has the elements of someone being a total bitch. Finally, there’s Bette Davis in an incredible performance as Margo Channing as an aging theatre actress that is the embodiment of a star as she is a woman that is aware of getting older while dealing with Eve’s presence that would eventually annoy her as well as being someone that is accepting of her fate as she knows that she has a lot more to offer as it’s one of Davis’ finest performances.

All About Eve is a phenomenal film from Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Featuring a great cast led by Bette Davis and Anne Baxter, a compelling yet biting screenplay, amazing art direction, sumptuous music, and its study of ambition and stardom. It’s a film that is entertaining but also filled with characters who are fascinating but also flawed with some willing to accept their faults and others who aren’t aware of what is ahead for them. In the end, All About Eve is a spectacular film from Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Joseph L. Mankiewicz Films: (Dragonwyck) - (Somewhere in the Night) - (The Late George Apley) - (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir) - (Escape (1948 film)) - (A Letter to Three Wives) - (House of Strangers) - (No Way Out (1950)) - (People Will Talk) - (5 Fingers) – Julius Caesar (1953 film) - (The Barefoot Contessa) - (Guys and Dolls) - (The Quiet American (1958)) - (Cleopatra (1963 film)) - (Carol for Another Christmas) - (The Honey Pot) - (There Was a Crooked Man…) - (Sleuth (1972 film))

© thevoid99 2019

2019 Blind Spot Series: Gilda

Directed by Charles Vidor and screenplay by Marion Parsonnet from a story by E.A. Ellington with adaptation by Jo Eisinger and un-credited work from Ben Hecht, Gilda is the story of a kingpin’s wife who is caught in a love triangle between her husband and a former lover who manages her husband’s casino. Set in the casinos of Bueno Aires, the film is a noir picture that play into a woman whose sex appeal drives two men to a breaking point as the titular character is played by Rita Hayworth. Also starring Glenn Ford, George Macready, Joseph Calleia, and Steven Geray. Gilda is a dazzling and exhilarating film from Charles Vidor.

A gambler meets a casino owner as he is hired to manage the man’s casino where he finds himself meeting the owner’s wife who was an old flame of the gambler. It’s a film that play into an uneasy love triangle of sorts yet there is this love-hate relationship between Gilda and the gambler Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) who hide their past from Gilda’s husband in the casino owner Ballin Mundson (George Macready) who eventually becomes suspicious about them. Marion Parsonnet’s screenplay is largely told through Farrell’s perspective in a traditional film-noir style of voice-over narration and a language that features stylized dialogue that add to the tension in the film. Notably as it play into this tense atmosphere in the casino in Buenos Aires where Farrell is helping Mundson watching over the casino as it relates to cheats and such.

Still, Farrell does become concerned about Mundson’s business as it relates to German businessman who want to work with Mundson following the aftermath of World War II. Mundson’s business would also attract the attention of Argentine government agent Obregon (Joseph Calleia) who is also suspicious about Mundson’s dealings. Things get more complicated during the second half as it would relate to Farrell trying to steer Gilda away from other men believing that Mundson would get hurt if he knew the truth. Yet, it would play into an uneasy alliance between the two during its third act that would create more tension and intrigue.

Charles Vidor’s direction does have some style in terms of the lavish presentation of Buenos Aires though it was shot mainly in studio lots in Hollywood. While there’s some wide shots of the streets as well as interior of the casino, Vidor aims for something much simpler as it play into the dramatic tension between Gilda and Farrell through close-ups and medium shots. Vidor would also use some intricate compositions as it would show what Mundson is seeing in the casino on the second floor while it has this air of controlled chaos unless something goes wrong where Farrell would take care of the situation. The scenes between Gilda and Farrell have Vidor play up the sexual tension with Gilda being quite forward to get Farrell to do something as a scene of her singing and playing a guitar late one night is a key example of this romantic interplay.

Things would get more exhilarating during its third act due to a couple of musical numbers involving Gilda who would try to wow men just to get attention or to rile Farrell up who feels immense loyalty to Mundson. It would lead to revelations about Mundson’s business as well as why so many people are after him as Vidor would play up the suspense in the third act with Gilda and Farrell being forced to work together to stop Mundson. Overall, Vidor crafts a scintillating yet exciting film about a gambler dealing with a former flame who is married to his new boss at a casino.

Cinematographer Rudolph Mate does amazing work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it help set a mood for some of the scenes at the club including the musical performances with its usage of light and shadow. Editor Charles Nelson does terrific work with the editing as it is straightforward with a few fade-outs to help structure the story along with rhythmic cuts for the suspenseful moments. Art directors Stephen Goosson and Van Nest Polglase, along with set decorator Robert Priestley, do brilliant work with the look of the interior of the casino and its bar as well as the Mundson home and his office overlooking the casino.

Costume designer Jean Louis does excellent work with the costumes that focuses mainly on the clothes Gilda wears including the iconic strapless black dress for the big musical number. Makeup artist Clay Campbell does nice work with the look of Gilda to play into her glamorous persona as well as the steely look of Mundson. Sound recordist Lambert E. Day does superb work with the sound as it play into the raucous atmosphere of the casinos as well as the exterior scenes involving cars. The film’s music soundtrack supervised by M.W. Stoloff and Marlin Skiles is wonderful for its mixture of orchestral-based stock music that is used sparingly along with some big-band music that include some of the songs that Gilda sings.

The film’s incredible cast include some notable small roles from Ludwig Donath and Lionel Royce as a couple of Germans, Joe Sawyer as a hood of Mundson in Casey, Don Douglas as a lawyer Gilda goes out with late in the film in Thomas Langford, Mark Roberts as a man flirting with Gilda in Gabe Evans, and Steven Geray in a fantastic performance as the washroom attendant Uncle Pio as a man who isn’t impressed with Farrell as he calls him “Mr. Peasant” as he’s someone who is a lot smarter than people give him credit for as he’s an observer with some philosophical views about what Farrell is going through. Joseph Calleia is excellent as Detective Maurice Obregon as a police investigator who is suspicious about Mundson’s business dealings outside of Argentina as he believes that Farrell knows something while is a man that is incorruptible and wants to help Farrell.

George Macready is brilliant as Ballin Mundson as a casino owner who gives Farrell a job to manage the casino while he is also trying to do other things while becomes concerned about Gilda and questions about her past as it’s a chilling yet engaging performance from Macready. Glenn Ford is amazing as Johnny Farrell as a gambler who is hired by Mundson to manage the casino where he feels indebted to Mundson but is troubled by the presence of Gilda as he copes with his feelings and disdain for her as it’s one of his great performances. Finally, there’s Rita Hayworth in a phenomenal performance as the titular character as a woman who is married to a casino owner as she is someone trying to get attention and to be loved while also riling up both her husband and former love as it’s a performance full of charisma and oozing sex appeal along with this air of ferocity that makes it an iconic performance from Hayworth.

Gilda is a spectacular film from Charles Vidor that features great performances from Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, and George Macready. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous photography, dazzling costumes, and thrilling moments of suspense and drama. It’s a noir film that manages to hit all of the right notes while being a study of emotions and temptation between two former lovers who both have a bad history in this love-hate relationship. In the end, Gilda is a sensational film from Charles Vidor.

Charles Vidor Films: (The Mask of Fu Manchu) – (Sensation Hunters) – (Double Door) – (Strangers All) – (The Arizonians) – (His Family Tree) – (A Doctor’s Diary) – (The Great Gambini) – (Romance of the Redwoods) – (Blind Alley) – (Those High Grey Walls) – (My Son, My Son!) – (The Lady in Question) – (Ladies in Retirement) – (New York Town) – (The Tuttles of Tahiti) – (The Desperadoes) – (Cover Girl) – (Together Again) – (A Song to Remember) – (Over 21) – (The Loves of Carmen) – (Hans Christian Andersen) – (Thunder in the East) – (Rhapsody) – (Love Me or Leave Me) – (The Swan) – (The Joker is Wild) – (A Farewell to Arms (1957 film)) – (Song Without End)

© thevoid99 2019

2018 Blind Spot Series: The Hero (1966 film)

Written, directed, co-edited, and music by Satyajit Ray, Nayak (The Hero) is the story of a movie star being interviewed by a journalist on a train as he deals with his persona and status just as he’s traveling to receive a major award. The film is a study of a movie star as he looks back on his life and career as he’s also facing his first major failure as well as the image that he’s created. Starring Uttam Kumar, Sharmila Tagore, Bireswar Sen, Nirmal Gosh, Premangshu Bose, Somen Bose, Sumita Sanyal, Ranjit Sen, and Bharati Devi. Nayak is an evocative and riveting film from Satyajit Ray.

A film star is traveling to Delhi via train to receive a major film award as he is also dealing with the scandal and the release of a new film that is likely to be a flop where he meets a journalist who is trying to get something for her women’s magazine. It’s a film that is told in the span of 24 hours as it play into a man that has to take a train to Delhi due to unavailable flights where he meets an array of passengers on the train as well as think about his past and other aspects of his life. Satyajit Ray’s screenplay doesn’t have much of a structure as much of the film is set in a train though it begins at a hotel where the film star Arindam Mukherjee (Uttam Kumar) is talking with his manager Jyoti (Nirmal Gosh) who is trying smooth things over. On the train, Mukherjee meets other passengers including a family that is staying in his compartment while an editor/journalist in Aditi Sengupta (Sharmila Tagore) is interested in interviewing him for her fledgling magazine. The interviews would force Mukherjee to think about past events in his life as well as a couple of surreal dreams that play into the decisions he’s made in his life.

Ray’s direction does have a flair for style in the two dream sequences the film has yet he maintains an air of simplicity into his direction as well as shooting scenes on a train. While there’s some wide shots in some of the locations, much of Ray’s direction is intimate to play into the somewhat-claustrophobic feel of the train compartment and dining cars. There aren’t a lot of movements inside the train as Ray would use close-ups and medium shots to establish the setting as well as a reaction of the characters in scenes that add to the drama. For Mukherjee, Ray would create scenes that play into this man’s larger-than-life persona where he arrives to station or at a stop with people wanting his autograph yet he is given a chance to be himself at the compartment he’s sharing with a family. Ray would also play into the sense of isolation that would occur in not just Mukherjee who is coping with his identity. There’s also a couple whose husband is trying to get to know a businessman with the wife being used as a favor for the businessman as well as Sengupta’s friends trying to get her to interview Mukherjee for the magazine.

The film would also contain sequences outside of the train as it relates to flashbacks and a couple of surreal dream sequences. The latter of which doesn’t just play into some of the regrets that Mukherjee has but also the anguish he’s dealing with as it relates to his fame. The flashback scenes has Ray showcase a man that is learning about his craft as an actor where he works with the veteran actor Mukunda Lahiri (Bireswar Sen) on his very first day as a film actor where Mukherjee copes with the disappointing experience while also wondering what his mentor in Shankar (Somen Bose) would’ve thought. Adding to the drama is flashbacks that has Mukherjee being famous where he deals with an old friend in Biresh (Premangshu Bose) who is a political activist as well as a young woman who wants to be an actress. It play into a man trying to protect his image but also one that is becoming more difficult due to his fame.

Editing with Dulal Dutta, Ray’s approach to the editing would allow him to creating some unique rhythmic cut for the surreal dream sequences along with bits of jump-cuts for scenes on the train as it help add to the drama once the film progresses into its destination. Also serving as the film’s music composer, Ray’s score with its usage of traditional Indian strings and percussions do have some somber moments in the train with its serene orchestral pieces while using heavy percussions for the dream sequence to establish the guilt that Mukherjee is dealing with. Particularly as he would converse with Sengupta about his faults and knowing that his film will fail as Ray provides a sense of humanity into a man who is being seen by nearly everyone as something larger-than-life. Overall, Ray crafts an intoxicating and rapturous film about a film star traveling to Delhi via train as an interview with a journalist forces him to look back at his journey into stardom.

Cinematographer Subrata Mitra does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography where it has a straightforward look for many of the scenes in the train to the usage of stylish lights for some of the flashbacks and dream sequences. Art director Bansi Chandragupta does excellent work with the look of the hotel room and homes that Mukherjee live in as well as the look of the scenes in the dream sequences. The sound work of Nripen Paul, Atul Chatterjee, and Sujit Sakar is fantastic for the way a train sounds as well some of the scenes involving crowds.

The film’s terrific cast include some notable small roles from Gopal Dey as the train conductor, Satya Banerjee as a swami who would chat with the businessman about a possible business venture late in the film, Jogesh Chatterjee as the elderly journalist who preferred silent films over the current films of the day, Subrata Sen Sharma and Jamuna Sinha as Sengupta’s friends who encourage her to interview Mukherjee, Kamu Mukherjee and Susmita Mukherjee as a traveling couple on business with the latter as the wife who feels mistreated by her husband who wants to pimp her out for business reasons, Ranjit Sen and Bharati Devi as the couple in the Bose who shares their compartment with Mukherjee, Lali Chowdhury as their fever-stricken daughter whom Mukherjee expresses concern for, and Sumita Sanyal as an aspiring actress in Promila Chatterjee who would audition for Mukherjee in a flashback as it would eventually lead to scandal for him. Premangshu Bose and Nirmal Gosh are superb in their respective roles as Mukherjee’s friends in Birish and Jyoti with the former being a political activist who wants Mukherjee to help him while the latter is Mukherjee’s manager who is trying to handle all of the issues that Mukherjee is dealing with.

Somen Bose is excellent as Mukherjee’s mentor Shankar as a man who ran a theatre group that Mukherjee was a part of while isn’t fond about the idea of cinema believing that actors are puppets in the world of film. Bireswar Sen is brilliant as the veteran actor Mukunda Lahiri as a man who doesn’t seem fond of Mukherjee on Mukherjee’s first day while being someone who has a lot of pride yet is forced to deal with his failing fortunes when he turns to Mukherjee years later for help. Sharmila Tagore is amazing as Aditi Sengupta as a journalist/magazine editor trying to find a story for her magazine where she meets and interviews Mukherjee as she tries to understand what he’s dealing with while admitting to not being fond of his films due to their lack of realism. Finally, there’s Uttam Kumar in an incredible performance as the film star Arindam Mukherjee as a movie star who is traveling to Delhi to pick up an award as he deals with his persona as it’s a performance filled with some restraint as well as a befuddlement into the way things are as it’s a performance to see.

The 2018 Region A/Region 1 Blu-Ray/DVD release from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a newly restored 2K digital transfer in the film’s original 1:33:1 theatrical aspect ratio with Dolby Digital mono sound (uncompressed in its Blu-Ray release) in its Bengali language with newly improved English subtitles. The special features include a 12-minute interview with actress Sharmila Tagore from a program back in 2008. Tagore discusses working with Ray having collaborated with him in the film Apur Sansar when she was in her teens as she revealed that Ray didn’t work with the non-professional actors in the same he would direct more professional actors like Uttam Kumar whom he would give more instructions. While Kumar was a big star at the time, he was also quite humble and generous towards the less-experienced actors as Tagore revealed what Indian cinema was like before Ray which was more akin to a less realistic style. It’s a fascinating interview from someone who knew what Ray was about as well as the kind of films he’s made throughout his career.

The 25-minute featurette from film scholar Meheli Sen has her talking about the film and its importance in not just Bengali/Indian cinema but also as a major turning point for Ray’s career. While it wasn’t a commercial success, the film did showcase a new territory that Ray was going to venture into as it relates to the growing sense of modernism that was emerging in India. Even as he would provide some criticism about the film industry in India that was more of a commercial market rather than an artistic platform. Sen also discusses the collaboration between Ray and Uttam Kumar as the latter was a major film star with Bengali/Indian audiences where Kumar was given the chance to play a role he would never have done before this film. The film also has Ray comment on his views on politics and why he’s apolitical as he would express it in a scene that has Mukherjee deal with the implications of his involvement. It’s a compelling piece that explain the film’s influence as well as the fact that Ray admittedly borrowed ideas for the film from Federico Fellini’s 8 ½.

The DVD/Blu-Ray set also includes a booklet that features two pieces of text relating to the film. The first is an essay by novelist/writer Pico Iyer entitled Depths and Surfaces as it discusses the film and its themes. Iyer says the film marks the beginning of a new period for Ray as he wanted to make something more accessible but also say something about Bengali cinema and its lack of realism. Iyer also reveals that Ray was also full of contradictions about the films he’s made as it was about people in rural India yet they were seen more by people in New York City and Europe rather than the common man in India. Iyer also play into Ray’s need to maintain something real but also demystify the myths of the movie star where Iyer also talks about Kumar’s star power as he was considered a god-like figure as he took the film because he wanted a challenge and to work with Ray. It’s an essay that is riveting into the many ideas of Ray’s film.

The second text piece entitled In Memory of Uttam Kumar is a eulogy written by Satyajit Ray at Kumar’s funeral in 1980 that was transcribed for a magazine journal 12 years later. It’s an earnest piece that has Ray talk about Kumar’s talents as an actor and their collaboration together where Ray talked about the sense of restraint and charisma that Kumar had. He also talked about the myth of stardom where he says it’s an accidental as he cites Gregory Peck as an example of someone who became a star by accident despite such hesitation from film producers. Ray also talked about Kumar’s method as an actor as someone who had a sense of patience and understanding of the characters he played as well as be someone who had a way of reciting dialogue that he believes no one could do. It’s a touching piece of text that has Ray pay tribute to a cinematic figure that not many people outside of Bengali/Indian cinema would probably have heard of.

Nayak is a phenomenal film from Satyajit Ray that features tremendous performances from Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore. Along with its gorgeous visuals, eerie music score, and captivating character study, it’s a film that explores a movie star dealing with his faults and the persona he’s created where he converses with a journalist who is trying to understand him. It’s also a film that has Ray exploring the complexities of iconic figures and their struggle to maintain a persona that also disconnects them from who they really are. In the end, Nayak is a spectacular film from Satyajit Ray.

Satyajit Ray Films: Pather Panchali - Aparajito - (Parash Pathar) – The Music Room - Apur Sansar - (Devi) – (Teen Kanya) – (Rabindranath Tagore) – (Kanchenjunghar) – (Abhijan) – The Big City - Charulata - (Two) – (Kapurush) – (Mahapurush) – (Chiriyakhana) – (Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne) – (Aranyer Din Ratri) – (Pratidwandi) – (Sikkim) – (Seemabaddha) – (The Inner Eye) – (Ashani Sanket) – (Sonar Kella) – (Jana Aranya) – (Bala) – (Shatranj Ke Khilari) – (Joi Baba Felunath) – (Hirak Rajar Deshe) – (Pikoo) – (Sadgati) – (Ghare Baire) – (Sukumar Ray) – (Ganashatru) – (Shakha Proshakha) – (Agantuk)

© thevoid99 2018