1960s

  • Hellmuth Matiasek – Biedermann und die Brandstifter (1963)

    1961-1970AustriaCrimeDramaHellmuth Matiasek

    There is more and more arson, with two arsonists pretending to be peddlers, asking for shelter in the attic and setting fires a little later. Shortly afterwards, a peddler rings the doorbell at Gottlieb Biedermann’s hair tonic manufacturer and asks for accommodation. Biedermann had recently dismissed his employee Knechtling and is indifferent to his future fate.Read More »

  • Marcel Carné – Terrain vague AKA Wasteland (1960)

    1951-1960DramaFranceMarcel Carné

    Quote:
    Young Danny, better known as Tomb, is the toughest in a street gang in Paris. She dresses as a boy and fights like a man.Read More »

  • Satyajit Ray – Kapurush AKA The Coward (1965)

    Drama1961-1970IndiaRomanceSatyajit Ray

    Quote:
    A relatively short film by Satyajit Ray standards, the director’s 1965 film Kapurush (The Coward) actually forms part of a double-bill with Mahapurush (The Holy Man), also included separately in this collection. The first part of the diptych is in some ways complementary to the films around it, moving on from the themes in the earlier Mahanagar and Charulata, where women are forced suppress their own individuality and desires in favour of the direction laid down by a male-dominated society, but it also anticipates Nayak’s look at the weaknesses in men (that one a “hero”, this one a “coward”), and is also similarly connected in this way with the workings of the movie industry. The combination of the strength of the female characters when confronted with weak male behaviour makes for a particularly interesting situation in Kapurush.Read More »

  • Joyce Wieland – Rat Life and Diet in North America (1968)

    USA1961-1970ExperimentalJoyce WielandShort Film

    Rat Life and Diet in North America is a short film that tells a story about rats (actually pet gerbils) held as political prisoners in the United States (their jailer a cat), who make a heroic escape to Canada. Although this narrative is recounted through wryly worded intertitles, Wieland’s film nonetheless conveys a sense of menace and urgency. For these protagonists “Canada” becomes a utopian destination, promising abundance, pleasure, and peace. The film was created in 1968, a time of international student protests against the military and capitalist establishments, the rise of the New Left, and worldwide demonstrations against the Vietnam War; many young American men were fleeing to Canada to avoid being drafted into the military.Read More »

  • Satyajit Ray – Mahanagar AKA The Big City (1963)

    Drama1961-1970IndiaSatyajit Ray

    Life at home changes when a house-wife from a middle-class, conservative family in Calcutta gets a job as a saleswoman.Read More »

  • Lucio Fulci – Le massaggiatrici AKA The Masseuses (1962)

    Lucio Fulci1961-1970ComedyItaly

    Synopsis:
    Jason M wrote:
    In the midst of his early comedic period, Fulci directs this somewhat screwball-ish comedy about two businessmen Parodi (Ernesto Calindri) and Manzini (Luigi Pavese) seeking to make a fast turn on an investment when they decide to establish a youth centre for young women. But they have to convince a local politician, Cipriani Paolini (Louis Seigner) that it’s all going to be fair play, so he sets his secretary Bellini (Philippe Noiret) to supervise the finalization of the agreement. Before you know it, the blokes all want to pass some time, and do so by visiting a trio of masseuses (code for prostitutes), Marisa (Sylva Koscia), Iris (Cristina Gaioni) and Milena (Valeria Fabrizi) who jump at the opportunity as they see a possibility of saving their own massage parlour racket that’s having a hard time financially.Read More »

  • Theodoros Angelopoulos – Ekpombi AKA Broadcast (1968)

    1961-1970GreeceShort FilmTheodoros Angelopoulos

    Synopsis:
    Angelopoulos’ first (completed) film won the Hellenic Association of Film Critics prize in 1968 for best short fiction film. It is a witty dismantling of media celebrity that uncannily prefigures the era of reality television.Read More »

  • Satyajit Ray – Two AKA Parable Two (1965)

    1961-1970AdventureIndiaSatyajit RayShort Film

    Quote:
    From Oscars’s youtube account:
    In 1964, renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray was asked to create a short film for ‘ESSO World Theater’, a cultural showcase presented on television and funded by the American oil company Esso. Asked to write and direct the film in English, Ray opted instead to make a film without words. The result is a poignant fable of friendship and rivalry. As he did for many of his films, Ray composed the music for the film, including the haunting tune played on the flute.Read More »

  • Vera Chytilová – O necem jinem AKA Something Different (1963)

    Vera Chytilová1961-1970Czech RepublicDrama

    Quote:
    Two stories are simultaneously told. One dutiful mother progressively becomes a frustrated woman who is the only one assuming the family responsibilities of working at home and looking after her only son, whereas her husband works all day, does not appreciate his wife’s efforts and the only thing he does by the time he gets home is to read the newspaper and watch soccer matches. On the other hand, a female gymnast prepares for her last competition before her career retirement, but faces pressure from her trainer and a lack of motivation to keep going. The film depicts frustration on both sides, and parallels two worlds dominated by men, where women do not receive any recognition, and in case they do, it is momentary.Read More »

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