Drama

  • Tatsumi Kumashiro – Seishun no satetsu aka Bitterness of Youth (1974)

    1971-1980AsianDramaJapanTatsumi Kumashiro

    Quote:
    “Bitterness of Youth (1974) was Kumashiro’s first non-roman poruno (<– wrong), based on a novel with a family resemblance to Dreiser’s “An American Tragedy “and set in a milieu of imploded student radicalism: A callow law student impregnates the classmate he is tutoring, then dumps her for his wealthy cousin. The most extraordinary scene has the antihero and his ex revisit the ski resort where they began their affair—carrying on in the snow in a long, behavioral sequence that recapitulates their relationship as they roll struggling and screaming downhill toward a raging river.”Read More »

  • Agnès Varda – Kung-fu master! (1988)

    1981-1990Agnès VardaDramaFranceRomance

    Quote:

    Aesthetically, Agnès Varda’s two 1988 features, Jane B. par Agnes V. and Kung-Fu Master!, are diametrically opposed, but they’re linked by the showcase opportunities that they provide actress, singer, and model Jane Birkin. Kung-Fu Master! is, on its surface at least, a straightforward drama, one that concerns a middle-aged single mother, Mary-Jane (Birkin), finding herself smitten by her adolescent daughter’s classmate, Julien (Mathieu Demy). But like any story about this kind of subject matter, the simplicity of the setup belies the moral and emotional quandary it underpins. Even the midlife crisis suggested by Mary-Jane’s infatuation must be viewed within the context of the pressure that society, not internal doubt, places on women who turn 40.Read More »

  • Konrad Wolf – Der geteilte Himmel AKA The Divided Heaven (1964)

    1961-1970ArthouseDramaGermanyKonrad Wolf

    While recovering from a mental breakdown, the young Rita Seidel recalls the last two years, in which she fell in love with Manfred, a chemist who is ten years older. As Manfred became disillusioned with his opportunities in East Germany, he moved to the West. Rita followed him there and tried to persuade him to return but soon realized he would never do it. Rita comes to terms with the past and decides to concentrate on her work and the building of a socialist society. Although some of the characters are shown as overzealous in their support of the regime, for obvious reasons the nature of the East German dictatorship is never depicted or discussed. The Stasi, the all-pervasive secret police headed by the director’s brother Markus Wolf, is not mentioned. The film is set in the period immediately before the erection of the Berlin Wall.Read More »

  • Stuart Heisler – Storm Warning (1951)

    1951-1960DramaFilm NoirStuart HeislerUSA

    Quote:
    Marsha Mitchell, a traveling dress model, stops in a southern town to see her sister who has married a Ku Klux Klansman. Marsha sees the KKK commit a murder and helps District Attorney Burt Rainey in bringing the criminals to justice.Read More »

  • Joseph Pevney – The Strange Door (1951)

    1951-1960DramaHorrorJoseph PevneyUSA

    Noble-born cad Denis (Stapley) has been tricked into a forced stay at the eerie manor of the Sire de Maletroit (Laughton), an evil madman who can’t get over the death of his beloved, twenty years after she married his brother (Cavanagh) instead and subsequently passed away during childbirth. Maletroit is determined to have his revenge: the brother has been stowed away in the dungeon for two decades, while he’s convinced his disreputable house guest will make a suitably hellish husband for his niece. As luck would have it, the young couple manage to fall in love, and with the help of manservant Voltan (Karloff), they try to make their escape, but not before a final confrontation with Maletroit in the dungeon’s crushing deathtrap.Read More »

  • Zoran Tadic – Ritam Zlocina AKA Rhythm Of Crime (1981)

    1981-1990CrimeDramaYugoslaviaZoran Tadic

    A single teacher allows a stranger to share his home with him before it is to be torn down by developers. The stranger has a fascination with statistics and claims he can predict crimes based on statistical analyses. Intrigued by this talent, the teacher tells a married, female friend that the man seems to have done what he claims. Then the numbers show that there is a slip-up and a murder that was supposed to have occurred, did not. The stranger is adamant that a balance has to be achieved or the whole town will suffer – and he leaves.Read More »

  • Joseph Losey – The Big Night (1951)

    Drama1951-1960Film NoirJoseph LoseyUSA

    A film noir treatise about the coming of age of a young man is beautifully realized by the great Joseph Losey. John Drew Barrymore zigzags through the sordid vortex of downtown Los Angeles while seeking vengeance on the man who beat his Father. This superbly crafted “trial by fire” tale with memorable dialogue and shaded photography co-stars Preston Foster, Joan Lorring, Harold St. John and Dorothy ComingoreRead More »

  • Matías Piñeiro – Rosalinda (2011)

    2011-2020ArgentinaDramaMatías Piñeiro

    Two different rhythms in the same body. The first one of an actress and the second that of his character: Luisa and Rosalinda share the same body but not the same rhythm. One afternoon in the Delta del Tigre, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, a group of actors meet to rehearse the comedy Como les guste, by William Shakespeare. During this day, love rages and the roles between actress and character are confused between the enjoyment of artifice and the anguish of the uncertain.Read More »

  • Kaneto Shindô – Ichimai no hagaki AKA Postcard (2010)

    2001-2010DramaJapanKaneto ShindôWar

    Synopsis:
    Toward the end of World War II, middle-aged soldier Keita is entrusted with a postcard from a comrade who is sure he will die in battle. After the war ends, Keita visits his comrade’s wife Yuko and bears witness to the tragic life she has led. This year’s Oscar entry from Japan finds SHINDO in top form and his 49th and reportedly last film as fresh and poignant as ever.Read More »

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