Preface: I have decided to write this series at least in part
because I don't make it out to see new films very often and I've found that I
spent too much time at the end of the year attempting to see all the big releases
(many of which I'm not even interested in) for no other reason than to make an
obligatory 'year-end list'... This is a way that I can continue writing about
films without feeling the pressure to see a bunch of stuff that I wouldn't
otherwise take the time to. I'll still see most of them eventually, just on my
own time. I use a random number generator to pick a year and I use letterboxd.com to determine the actual release year.
1943
These and
other instances did not go unnoticed by the Federal Government who, at the time
was trying to win a war. Polls showed that Black Americans were unconvinced in
the importance a U.S. victory against Imperial Japan, some even thought they
would be better off with a Japanese victory. These sentiments came to a head in
1943, and prompted the U.S. Office of War Information (OWI), though its Bureau
of Motion Pictures to pressure Hollywood to improve Cinema’s depictions of
African Americans. Prior to this, the overwhelming majority of Black depictions
on the screen were relegated to some of the worst stereotypes and shown to be
clearly and significantly inferior to Whites.
Hollywood
studios largely complied with the OWI’s requests, (in letter if not in spirit)
removing the most egregious stereotypical portrayals. Of course, these weren’t
large roles, so in most of these cases, it was far easier for the character to
simply be cut out of the pictures, rather than to be rewritten. So the final
consequence of the OWI’s effort ended up making Hollywood an even harder place
for Black Americans to find work.
I found this
story to be fascinating and ultimately very telling. The takeaway is obvious.
Think about this the next time someone scoffs at the concept that
representation is important. The next time Tucker Carlson or Laura Ingraham are
worked into a frenzy over some Disney Princess’ lack of Whiteness, just
remember that when it was time to defeat fascism in Europe and Japan, the U.S.
Government understood the importance of representation in film, 78 years ago.
NOTABLE FILMS
MESHES OF
THE AFTERNOON – Directed by Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid
LE CORBEAU –
Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
Clouzot was
touted as the French Hitchcock for good reason. Like the rest of his films,
this is a masterpiece of suspense. Decades before the anonymity of social
media, someone is spilling all of the town’s guts with a series of poison pen
notes signed by “Le Coubeau” (The Raven). Audiences loved the film, but the
Vichy Government (who allied itself with the occupying Nazis) didn’t care much
for the negative light the film put on the act of informing on your neighbors,
so the film was banned. Later, after liberation, the new government didn’t much
care for how the film contradicted the concept that France was a country full
of resistance fighters. So they banned Clouzot from working entirely. Even
without any historical or cultural significance, this film is fantastic.
HANGMEN ALSO
DIE! – Directed by Fritz Lang
A unique WWII
thriller about an assassination that takes place in the opening scene. This
isn’t Lang’s best film but I still feel like it’s necessary part of his oeuvre.
It showcases his passions in an intelligent and clever manner as well as his
skills as a tension builder. The cinematography by James Wong Howe is beautiful
as well.
SHADOW OF A
DOUBT – Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
If I’m
writing about any year in the 30’s through the 60’s, I’ll usually fit in
whatever Hitchcock was releasing. But this one stands out as particularly
creepy to me, even for Hitchcock and especially for its time. Joseph Cotten’s
“Uncle Charlie” and Theresa Wright’s “Charlie” dance around on disturbing
undertones as suspicions and mistrust work their way through the story. It’s
been said that this was Hitchcock’s favorite of his own films and for that
reason alone, it should be seen by any cinefile.
THE LIFE AND
DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP – Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
I think this
is my first opportunity to talk about a Powell and Pressburger film. I think
the best word to describe this and all of their work is rich. Richness of
character, story, set and of course, color. This is an epic film, that takes
place over the course of four decades, two wars and three women, all played by
the beautiful Deborah Kerr. This isn’t my favorite Powell/Pressburger film but
over the years, it’s grown on me. In scope, it’s probably their biggest film.
It’s a great watch and a great journey.
I WALKED
WITH A ZOMBIE/THE LEOPARD MAN/THE SEVENTH VICTIM – Val Lewton Triple Feature
It’s
impossible to discuss the cinema of this era without mentioning producer, Val
Lewton. RKO Pictures hired Lewton to helm the studio’s “B film” horror
division. Universal already owned the rights to the monsters that audiences
were familiar with so RKO would give Lewton a vague title and a $150,000 budget
and told him to keep the films under 75 minutes. Out of these limitations, he
was able to crank out 11 films from Jacques Tourneur’s CAT PEOPLE (’42) through
Mark Robson’s BEDLAM (’46).
1943 was his
most prolific year. Tourneur’s I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE and THE LEOPARD MAN are
still some of the most beautifully shot black & white horror films of all
time. While Robson’s THE SEVENTH VICTIM about
some of Manhattan’s friendliest Satanic cult predates ROSEMARY’S BABY by a
quarter century. These films will never be my favorite thing in the world but
it is simply impossible to overstate their importance to the landscape of
independent horror that it cultivated.
SANSHIRO
SUGATA – Directed by Akira Kurosawa
This is
Kurosawa’s directorial debut. For that reason alone, it demands to be in this
discussion. If for no other reason than a demarcation of time. 1942 is
Pre-Kurosawa, 1943 begins the career of cinema’s most important artist of all
time… All of this notwithstanding, if you’re unfamiliar with his work, don’t
start here. This film shows the promise of the greatness to come later in his
work. And I actually find it a much more interesting and satisfying watch after
you know what the techniques he’s developing will turn into.
HEAVEN CAN
WAIT – Directed by Ernst Lubitsch
I’ve heard
that Billy Wilder had a sign in his office that said: “How would Lubitsch do it?”
… Well, Lubitsch would do it big and bold. His films were consistently
stylistic, expressionistic and playful. And this was his first opportunity with
Technicolor. It’s lush and beautiful. I don’t know if you’d say that Lubitsch
has a specific charm to his work. Unless you consider extra charm to be
specific… His films are extra… In the best way possible.
DAY OF WRATH
– Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
If you want
to learn about the power of the close-ups in cinema, study Dreyer. This story,
unlike his previous masterpiece, THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, unfolds without
the type of judgment of its characters. It’s a similar story. A religious
hierarchy persecutes an innocent woman that has her own word as her only
defense. This film however, is somehow darker. I think it’s because every
character, especially those in charge of carrying out the law, is honestly
acting in good faith of what they consider to be God’s will. It’s as though
they are merely cogs in a machine of misguided oppression. This is a
frightening scenario that Dreyer plays out for us in all of its beautiful
cinematic bleakness.
LA MAIN DU
DIABLE (CARNIVAL OF SINNERS) – Directed by Maurice Tourneur
Earlier we
looked at two films directed by Jacques Tourneur in this year. Well this is his
father, Maurice, bringing us a Faustian horror in occupied France. This story
exists somewhere between Wiene’s THE HANDS OF ORLAC and W.W. Jacobs’ “The
Monkey’s Paw”. Really, the plot is ridiculous, but the visuals in this film are
what truly elevate it. So much of this film plays out in the stark shadows
lurking off frame. It’s one of the best non-German-German-Expressionism films
you will find.
THE OX-BOW
INCIDENT – Directed by William A. Wellman
This is my
favorite Western of all time. A lot of films of that genre, especially from
this era are riddles with problematic morals. This film turns the mirror on the
often romanticized vigilante justice of the lawless West. But what would you
expect from 12 ANGRY MEN star, Henry Fonda. The story takes place in 1885 but
it’s important to understand how relevant it was at the time of its release. That
same year, Cellos Harrison, a Florida black man was taken out of Jackson County
jail by four masked men and lynched after the Florida Supreme Court overturned
his conviction. No one was ever charged in his murder. Two additional incidents
of lynching black men in this country happened in the same year. Unfortunately,
the moral of this story is still painfully relevant. I first saw this film long
before the Trayvon Martin or Ahmaud Arbery murders. But I can’t help think of
them when I watch it now.
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