The Battle of Algiers (1966)

One has to wonder… would anyone remember The Algerian War if it wasn’t for this movie? It’s hard for me to say, considering I am an uninformed American who was without any prior knowledge of this conflict that involved France and its colonial grip on the region now known as Algeria. I’m sure the war itself is more well known in Algeria (like, a lot more) and maybe France than this movie is. But whatever the case is, it takes this somewhat obscure international struggle, and turns it into one of the more gripping war films I’ve seen, and one that’s unlike any other I can recall from its era. Continue reading →

Harakiri (1962)

I was never sure why sometimes people use the word “harakiri” and sometimes it’s “seppuku,” so I looked it up. Both words are written using the same kanji characters, “to cut” and “stomach.” The difference, I found out, is formality. “Harakiri” is an informal word, and would perhaps be used to describe a defeated warrior taking their own life on the battlefield. “Seppuku” is more formal, maybe more befitting describing the act of suicide that would also involve a second slicing the person dying’s head off. This is worth knowing, since Masaki Kobayashi’s film Harakiri is actually known as “Seppuku” in Japan.

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The 400 Blows (1959)

Compared to your typical film protagonist, it’s hard to deny adolescence was easy for me. Just look at these general advantages I had: I grew up in the suburbs. I built up a loyal group of friends very on and have maintained those relationships to this day (as this blog proves). I was smart enough that it wasn’t especially hard to succeed in school. My parents were and are married and gainfully employed. Of course, that’s not really my life’s story, but it’s a hell of a lot better than Antoine Doinel’s plight in The 400 Blows.

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Throne of Blood (1957)

People in Kurosawa movies are pissed. I’m talking eyes bugging, neck veins pulsing, men in suits of armor screaming their lungs out. When so many other films of the era were restrained or classy affairs, it’s cathartic to see a filmmaker unafraid to give his characters a real backbone. Just look at a picture of Kurosawa’s favoring leading man, Toshiro Mifune. He was a good looking dude. Yet only in a Kurosawa movie could he disappear into the role of a shlubby wannabe samurai, a grizzled wandering ronin, or in this case a crazed general teetering on the edge insanity. Yep, this is a Kurosawa movie.

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Pather Panchali (1955)

There’s this anime movie, Grave of the Fireflies, that is in a highly unusual class of cinema. Everyone who sees it loves that movie, but almost nobody would list it among their favorite films of all time – in fact, many people claim they could only stand to watch it once. I’ve only seen it once. People have such a visceral reaction to that depiction of poverty, childhood, and tragedy, that it feels like its made its complete impact by the first time the credits roll. What if I told you there was another movie that falls into the same category, but as soon as I was done watching it, I was eager to watch it again? That movie is Pather Panchali.

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