John Charet’s 10 Films to Watch for St. Patrick’s Day (In Chronological Order)

by John Charet

-A Few Words Before Reading-

Please be kind to the film at number 9. Any comment expressing negativity towards number 9 will be deleted. So once again, please be polite 🙂

-Introduction-

First off, before I continue, I would like to wish all of my dear readers a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day 🙂 Anyway, all of the films listed here are great films that I love to watch near or on St. Patrick’s Day. Most of these do not hail from Ireland, but they do have a hint of Irish flavor to them.

Click here to listen to The Irish Rovers Goodbye Mrs. Durkin

Click here to listen to The Irish Rovers Black Velvet Band

Click here to listen to their entire album

Click here to listen to The Dubliners Molly Malone

Click here to listen to their entire album

Now without further ado, I present to all of my dear readers:

-John Charet’s 8 Films Recommended for St. Patrick’s Day Viewing-
(In Chronological Order)

1.) Odd Man Out (1947)
Dir: Carol Reed
Country: United Kingdom
Color: Black and White
While The Third Man will always remain director Carol Reed’s crowning achievement (or at least for me), Odd Man Out has to at least rank as second best for most people like myself. Set over the course of one night, Odd Man Out is a tightly constructed British film noir rich in suspense. Robert Krasker’s expressionistic cinematography is as much a creative dress rehearsal for his work on The Third Man as it is masterful in it’s own right. Odd Man Out is also a reported favorite of directors Roman Polanski and Sam Peckinpah (read here and here).

Click here to watch the entire film

I can’t find a link to the film’s original theatrical trailer

2.) The Quiet Man (1952)
Dir: John Ford
Country: United States
Color: Color
While I am unsure whether The Quiet Man would rank somewhere within my top 10 favorite John Ford films (I love every single one), it is undeniably one of his most personal films, made evident by the director’s Irish heritage (read here). Along with Wake of the Red Witch, The Quiet Man was one of the very few big-budget projects ever financed by Republic Pictures, a studio that regularly specialized in B-films. What we get is a highly entertaining period piece doubling as a romanticized depiction of Ireland in all it’s Technicolor glory. Last, but not least, The Quiet Man is justifiably celebrated for a long climactic fight sequence that is every bit as humorous as it is exciting.

Click here to watch a 1992 making of hosted by Leonard Maltin

Click here to watch a 1991 documentary on The Quiet Man from Irish television (or at least I believe)

Click here to watch a documentary entitled Memories Of The Quiet Man. Though I am not sure when it came out

Click here to watch part 1 of 2 of a tour of The Quiet Man locations

Click here to watch part 2 of 2 of a tour of The Quiet Man locations

Click here to watch Irish actor Gabriel Byrne talking about The Quiet Man from 2011

Click here to view a trailer for the 2010 documentary entitled Dreaming The Quiet Man

Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

3.) Duck, You Sucker! (1971)
(a.k.a. A Fistful of Dynamite)
Dir: Sergio Leone
Country: Italy/United States
Color: Color
Often overlooked in favor of his more popular Once Upon a Time in the West or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Duck, You Sucker! proves to be every bit as masterful as director Sergio Leone’s other spaghetti westerns, which include those first two aforementioned titles. In fact, Duck, You Sucker! is actually my personal favorite of Leone’s westerns. Part of it lies in it’s historical backdrop of the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) and as a self-proclaimed cinephile, it’s presence has always fascinated me. The other half is rooted in the theme of friendship and along with Once Upon a Time in America, Duck, You Sucker! may be Leone’s most insightful take on it. Leone’s flair for exhilarating set pieces and celebrated composer Ennio Morricone’s distinctive music score serve as the icing on the cake.

Click here to watch the film’s original theatrical trailer

Click here to watch the entire film

Click here to listen to Ennio Morricone’s complete music score for the film

4.) Barry Lyndon (1975)
Dir: Stanley Kubrick
Country: United Kingdom/United States
Color: Color
2001: A Space Odyssey is often considered legendary director Stanley Kubrick’s magnum opus, but some cinephiles usually opt for a different title. Whenever somebody asks me what my personal favorite Kubrick film is, my answer is Barry Lyndon. Indifferently received by both critics and audiences during it’s initial theatrical release in 1975, Barry Lyndon (like most of Kubrick’s films) has since been reassessed as a cinematic masterpiece. Based (loosely or otherwise) on William Makepeace Thackeray’s picaresque novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon (first published as a serial in Fraser’s Magazine in 1844), Barry Lyndon is the closest Kubrick ever came to creating a period piece akin to his unrealized ambitious Napoleon Bonaparte biopic. Set during the 18th century, Barry Lyndon chronicles the misadventures, eventual rise and inevitable fall of an Irish rogue. Not unlike 2001, Barry Lyndon remains a technically groundbreaking film. To achieve authenticity for it’s respective period setting, Kubrick relied (for the most part) on natural lighting for the exterior and interior shots (candlelight for the latter) courtesy of cinematographer John Alcott. Humorous, tragic and characteristically thought-provoking, Barry Lyndon may just be the most mature film in Kubrick’s oeuvre.

Click here to watch an analysis of the film from youtube user Empire of the Mind (click here to view his channel)

Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

Click here to view a 2016 BFI trailer for it

Click here to watch a video about Kubrick’s unrealized Napoleon Bonaparte epic uploaded by youtuber Frame Voyager (click here to check out his channel)

Click here to watch other video about it

Click here to read this Amazon link to a 2011 massive book that fully details Kubrick’s vision and given the size of it, no wonder the price tag is heavy 🙂

5.) The Dead (1987)
Dir: John Huston
Country: United Kingdom/United States/West Germany
Color: Color
If anything else, The Dead not only resembles the work of a seasoned veteran, but also that of a born-again director. For his intended or unintended swan song, Huston adapts James Joyce’s title story that first appeared in the aforementioned celebrated author’s 1914 book of shorts entitled Dubliners. Huston’s refined touch fits perfectly with the elegantly written drama, which is penned by his son Tony. The result is every bit as intimate as it is profound.

Click here to watch the film’s original theatrical trailer

6.) Miller’s Crossing (1990)
Dir: Joel Coen
Country: United States
Color: Color
If it weren’t for A Serious Man, Miller’s Crossing would be my number one favorite Coen Brothers film of all time. On the surface, Joel and co-writer Ethan borrow elements from hard-boiled crime novels and similar films to blend them together within it’s atmosphere. The former consists of works written by Dashiell Hammett (Red Harvest and The Glass Key), while films like The Third Man, Le Doulos, The Conformist and The Godfather make up the latter (read here). While the result most certainly works as a highly effective pastiche, Miller’s Crossing is so much more than that. In the center, Miller’s Crossing emerges as a bona fide gangster classic in it’s own right. As with all of their work, when it comes to characters, dialogue and direction, The Coen Brothers trademark quirkiness is evident in every single frame of Miller’s Crossing. Carter Burwell’s Irish influenced music score fits perfectly with the film’s late 1920’s period setting.

Click here to watch cinematographer turned director Barry Sonnenfeld discussing his experiences as director of photography on the film

Click here to watch an interview with actor Gabriel Byrne conducted by the late Bobbie Wygant

Click here to watch an interview with actor John Turturro conducted by Wygant

Click here to watch an interview with actress Marcia Gay Harden conducted by Wygant

Click here to watch an interview with actor Jon Polito conducted by Wygant

Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

Click here to listen to Carter Burwell’s music for the film

Click here to listen to the song Danny Boy sung by Frank Patterson. This song appears when Albert Finney’s character is defending himself with a Tommy Gun and bumps off two rival gangsters with it (click here to watch the scene)

7.) The Fugitive (1993)
Dir: Andrew Davis
Country: United States
Color: Color
As an Illinoisan, I have a habit of making sure I watch The Fugitive at least once a year during the month of March. This is not only rooted in the fact that it was shot on location in the city of Chicago (at least for the most part) or that it’s director (Andrew Davis) and lead star (Harrison Ford) proudly hail from there, but also serving as the only film (or at least based on my knowledge) to feature the aforementioned city’s tradition of dyeing the Chicago River green for St. Patrick’s Day (read here). Based (loosely or otherwise) on Roy Huggins 1960’s television series of the same name, which ran from 1963-67, The Fugitive is an expertly crafted chase thriller highlighted by it’s atmospheric Chicago locations. Ford is truly effective as the wrongfully accused Dr. Richard Kimble, but the standout is Tommy Lee Jones as Samuel Gerard, the Deputy US Marshall on his trail.

Click here to watch an interview director Andrew Davis did late last year promoting his debut novel (co-written with Jeff Biggers) entitled Disturbing the Bones, which is a great read. Legendary director Michael Mann (also born and raised in Chicago) gave it a positive blurb (read here)

Click here to watch a 1993 interview with him conducted by the late Bobbie Wygant

Click here to watch a 2013 documentary on it entitled The Fugitive: Thrill of the Chase

Click here to watch a 2001 short documentary entitled On the Run with The Fugitive

Click here to watch another 2001 short documentary entitled Derailed: Anatomy of a Trainwreck

Click here and here to watch two respective trailers for the film

Since I have endless links on Davis, just click here to watch them all 🙂

8.) The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)
Dir: Ken Loach
Country: Ireland/United KIngdom/Italy/Germany/France/Spain/Switzerland
Color: Color
In The Wind That Shakes the Barley, British director Ken Loach takes his knack for social realism and applies it to both the Irish War of Independence (1919-21) and the Irish Civil War (1921-23). Limited to 21st century cinema alone, the result still stands out as the best drama centering on the two subjects as of 2025. Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd’s gritty cinematography goes hand in hand with Loach’s firm socialist sensibilities. In fact, the scene featuring Damien O’Donovan (Cillian Murphy) telling his brother Teddy (Padraic Delaney) that he will never sell out debatably parallels that of Loach’s own uncompromising political philosophies. Ever the dissenting Brit, Loach (along with screenwriter Paul Laverty) pulls no punches in depicting the traditionally heroic British Army as a pack of sadists. Unsurprisingly, this aspect was part of the film’s controversy (read here). Would you all like to hear another interesting piece of trivia? At the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, The Wind That Shakes The Barley won Loach the coveted Palme d’Or prize.

Click here to watch the film’s original theatrical trailer

9.) The Irishman (2019)
Dir: Martin Scorsese
Country: United States
Color: Color
As much as I love Goodfellas, for me, it is The Irishman that stands out as esteemed filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s crowning achievement. Helmed when Scorsese was at the age of 74 going on 75, The Irishman represents a culmination of his trademark themes that originated in his electrifying 1973 breakthrough Mean Streets. On the surface, when it comes to form and content, The Irishman is as fast-paced as Goodfellas. Simultaneously, in the center, The Irishman moves so gracefully that it makes that 1990 classic look like the work of a 27-28 year-old director as opposed to that of a then 46 year-old by comparison. In contrast to the black comedy of that earlier masterwork, The Irishman relies on subtlety for it’s humor. Taking into account the film’s overall somber tone, a very credible argument can be made that The Irishman comes off as Scorsese’s way of reflecting on his past crime films. Thematically speaking, If Goodfellas centered on loyalty and Casino centers on greed, than The Irishman is about mortality and regret. The film’s use of The Five Satins In the Still of the Night serves as further confirmation of this. The result is unquestionably the most mature of Scorsese’s crime dramas. If anything else, The Irishman serves as the perfect epitaph for the subgenre. In closing, The Irishman ranks as my second favorite gangster film of all time after Howard Hawks Scarface.

Click here to watch an insightful analysis on The Irishman by youtuber Why It’s Great (Click here to view his channel)

Click here to watch another insightful analysis on The Irishman by youtuber Renegade Films (Click here to view his channel)

Click here to watch the film’s Official teaser trailer

Click here to watch the film’s Original theatrical trailer

Click here to watch the film’s final trailer

10.) The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Dir: Martin McDonagh
Country: United Kingdom/United States
Color: Color
British-Irish playwright and film director Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin serves as only one of many perfect examples of how to define a tragicomedy. Delightfully misanthropic, the key to understanding The Banshees of Inisherin’s hilarity is rooted in the more absurd aspects of the human condition. For example, the film’s central plot centers on aspiring music composer Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) needlessly ending his friendship with drinking buddy Padraic Suilleabhain (Colin Farrell). When every single one of his efforts at repairing the relationship is declined by Colm, Padraic starts a feud that leads to horrifying results for the both of them. Similar to the American cult sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Banshees of Inisherin relies on irony to execute it’s humor. In the case of The Banshees of Inisherin, the beautiful Irish scenry stands in contrast to the film’s overall irreverent tone. Thematically speaking, The Banshees of Inisherin may just be McDonagh’s richest film to date.

Click here to watch the film’s original theatrical trailer

Let me conclude this blog entry with two questions for my dear readers below:

What are some of your favorite films to watch during St. Patrick’s Day?

What links or videos were your favorites?

John Charet’s 17 Romantic Film Recommendations (In Chronological Order)

by John Charet

-A Few Words Before Reading-

Please be kind to the film at number 11. Any comment expressing negativity towards number 11 will be deleted. So once again, please be polite 🙂

-Introduction-

Since I did not finish this in time for Valentine’s Day, I decided to just compose a list of 17 great romantic films. With the exception of number 15 (which I love dearly), every film on here ranked within the list of my first 100 favorite films of all time (read here). Once again, I have more than 17 favorite romantic films, but these are the ones that I wanted to start with.

Click here to listen to the late great Doris Day singing Move Over Darling

Click here to listen to Day also singing Dream a Little Dream

Now without further ado, I present to all of my dear readers:

-John Charet’s 16 Romantic Film Recommendations-
(In Chronological Order)

1.) Sunrise (1927)
Dir: F.W. Murnau
Country: United States
Color: Black and White
Renowned for it’s unique combination of expressionism and realism (read here), it is no wonder that Sunrise is often hailed as the pinnacle of artistic cinematic quality in the silent form and the end of an era as well (read here). Given that it is one of the earliest silent films to feature a synchronized music score and sound, it would not be far-fetched to view Sunrise as a transitional film in that regard (read here). Metaphorically, the silent and (then upcoming) sound era represent rural and city life respectively. An undisputed poet of German Expressionism, director F.W. Murnau was allowed carte blanche by Fox Film Corporation (now known as 20th Century Studios) founder William Fox to create his magnum opus. For example, the story’s large unnamed city was actually built from scratch. The film’s reported estimated budget of $200,000 confirms it. Along with Erich von Stroheim’s Greed, Sunrise is quite possibly the most technically audacious American masterwork of it’s era.

Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

Click here to view the entire film

2.) The Docks of New York (1928)
Dir: Josef von Sternberg
Country: United States
Color: Black and White
With or without Marlene Dietrich, each and every film by Austrian-American director Josef von Sternberg remains visually dazzling. Not unlike F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise, what makes The Docks of New York so unique lies less in it’s fairly straightforward plot and more in it’s visual poetry. Sternberg’s utilization of Hans Dreier’s set designs and Harold Rosson’s cinematography goes a long way in not only effortlessly shaping the film’s mise en scene, but also it’s romantic drama and lead characters. The result packs an emotional wallop that is felt in every single frame.

Click here to view the entire film

3.) Lonesome (1928)
Dir: Paul Fejos
Country: United States
Color: Black and White (also color tinted)
If one subscribes to legendary film critic turned screenwriter James Agee’s notion that silent comedy was represented by four most eminent masters (read here), then director Paul Fejos Lonesome represents the Harry Langdon (i.e. the forgotten) of the four notable late silent era masterworks. The other three being F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise, Josef von Sternberg’s The Docks of New York and King Vidor’s The Crowd. Simultaneously, Lonesome is part-talkie. Considering that it was not until 2012 that Lonesome debuted on a home video format (Blu-Ray/DVD in this case), my aforementioned description of it stands out as an apt one. Now that this terrible wrong has long been corrected, we can all easily view Lonesome as an equal to those previously mentioned three films. The film’s use of camerawork, color tinting and editing makes for an exhilarating cinematic experience.

Click here to view the entire film

4.) City Lights (1931)
Dir: Charlie Chaplin
Country: United States
Color: Black and White
Though frequently hailed (and deservedly so) as the quintessential Tramp entry, for me, City Lights reputation has always rested upon so much more than that. Whereas The Kid established iconic director/producer/star Charlie Chaplin’s trademark combination of humor and pathos, City Lights unquestionably polished it. From the first to last frame, City Lights can only be described as the most beautifully realized comedy ever made. In addition, City Lights features a justifiably celebrated ending that is as poignant as it is perfect. Close to ninety-four years may have passed since it’s initial theatrical release in 1931, but City Lights still continues to impact audiences, critics and filmmakers alike as of 2025. As for myself, I define City Lights as the cinematic equivalent of poetry in motion.

Click here to view what may be the film’s original theatrical trailer or one of the re-released ones

Click here to view what is definitely a re-release trailer of the film

Click here to view the 2003 documentary Chaplin Today: City Lights

5.) Love Me Tonight (1932)
Dir: Rouben Mamoulian
Country: United States
Color: Black and White
Everything I always wanted to say about this cinematic masterpiece has already been summed up more eloquently than I ever could by two other writers. In his 1968 book Hollywood in the Thirties, John Baxter remarked that If there is a better musical of the Thirties, one wonders what it can be (click here). Aside from hailing it as a magical, rapturous, unique, charming, audacious, unforgettable, and, to beat a warhorse, masterpiece, film historian Richard Barrios also said that It remains less well-known than it warrants even as vastly inferior works are enshrined. . . . It is, after all, quite a provable truth: Love Me Tonight is a great film, and along with Singin’ in the Rain and a very few others it resides at the very pinnacle of movie musicals, and at the apex of art (click here). Not much more I can add except that If Charade is the best Hitchcock movie Hitchcock never made (read here), then Love Me Tonight is the best Lubitsch musical that Lubitsch never made.

Click here to view the original theatrical trailer for Love Me Tonight

Click here to view the entire film

6.) Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
Dir: Leo McCarey
Country: United States
Color: Black and White
During an interview conducted by film critic turned director Peter Bogdanovich, legendary filmmaker Orson Welles cited Make Way for Tomorrow as the saddest movie ever made! (read here and here). Welles added that It would make a stone cry! Make Way for Tomorrow was reportedly Leo McCarey’s personal favorite of the films he directed. In fact, upon receiving the Academy Award for Best Director for the screwball comedy classic The Awful Truth, McCarey responded with something along the lines of Thanks, but you gave it to me for the wrong picture (read here). The picture he was referring to was of course Make Way for Tomorrow. The plot revolves around Barkley and Lucy Cooper (Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi), an elderly couple, who recently lost their home to foreclosure. This is relevant because Make Way for Tomorrow was made during the Great Depression. In the aftermath, the two must separate and live with one of their five grown children respectively. The result is an insightful, refreshingly nuanced, uncompromising and ultimately tragic social commentary on the relationship between parents, their offspring and society. Last, but not least, Make Way for Tomorrow is a film that never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

Click here to view the late Peter Bogdanovich’s commentary on it

Click here to view the late Robert Osborne’s intro to it on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) from 2014

Click here to view Osborne’s outro to it

Click here to view Dave Karger’s intro. to it on TCM

7.) Brief Encounter (1945)
Dir: David Lean
Country: United Kingdom
Color: Black and White
Though justifiably celebrated for epics like The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, British filmmaker David Lean proved that he was every bit as accomplished early on with smaller scaled works like Summertime and this generally acknowledged classic from 1945 entitled Brief Encounter. In adapting celebrated playwright Noel Coward’s 1936 play Still Life, director Lean adds a touch of cinematic poetry that goes a long way in making this low-key romantic drama come alive. Like the film itself, lead actress Celia Johnson’s blend of quiet dignity with pathos has been frequently equalled, but seldom surpassed.

Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

Click here to view British film critic Mark Kermode’s commentary on it as one of his BFI Player picks

Click here to view Ronald Neame’s (also co-writer) fond memories of it

Click here to view an interesting take on one of the film’s memorable locations, which in this case is Carnforth railway station

Click here to view the entire film

8.) Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
Dir: John M. Stahl
Country: United States
Color: Color
Extraordinary on every single level imaginable, Leave Her to Heaven also happens to be my number one favorite film noir of the 1940’s. As the first film noir shot in color (read here), Leave Her to Heaven is noted for uniquely blending elements belonging to that aforementioned subgenre with that of melodramas, romantic dramas and psychological thrillers. The result still stands out today as an American masterpiece in a class of it’s own. Though he made two other very excellent films that Douglas Sirk would later not only equal, but surpass (Magnificent Obsession and Imitation of Life), Leave Her to Heaven towers above them all as director John M. Stahl’s greatest film. Leon Shamroy’s gorgeous Technicolor cinematography and Kay Nelson’s stylish costume designs serve as only two of many aspects that shape Stahl’s dazzling mise-en-scene. For my money, the always sexy Gene Tierney delivers a performance for the ages as the cold-hearted and narcissistic Ellen Berent Harland, who simultaneously ranks as the sexiest and most complex femme fatale in cinematic history. Aside from ranking as the second highest grossing film of 1945 after The Bells of St. Mary’s, Leave Her to Heaven also reportedly ranked as 20th Century Studios (then 20th Century Fox) biggest box-office hit of the decade. Now that is something.

Click here to watch a youtube video link to TCM’s (Turner Classic Movies) Alicia Malone’s intro and outro to the film from a few years back

Click here to watch a youtube video link to master filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s introduction of the film at the 2007 New York Film Festival

Click here to watch a youtube video link to Scorsese introducing it again. Only this time it was from this year in 2024. The date he introduced it was on Sunday, November 10, 2024

Click here to watch a youtube video link to the entire film

Click here to watch another youtube video link to the entire film

Click here to watch a youtube video link to the film’s original theatrical trailer

Click here to watch another youtube video link to the film’s original theatrical trailer

Click here to watch another youtube video link to the film’s original theatrical trailer

9.) Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)
Dir: Albert Lewin
Country: United Kingdom
Color: Color
Exquisite, sensual and surreal are the three words that best sum up this masterful 1951 romantic fantasy directed by Albert Lewin. Emphasized by John Bryan’s lush scenic designs, Jack Cardiff’s visually stunning cinematography and Beatrice Dawson’s elegant costumes, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman emerges as the cinematic equivalent of a beautiful dream. Last, but not least, as the sexy Pandora Reynolds (the film’s title character), Classical Hollywood icon Ava Gardner imbues her with an aura of glamour and mystery. If Charade is the best Hitchcock movie Hitchcock never made and Love Me Tonight is the best Lubitsch musical that Lubitsch never made (emphasis mine), then Pandora and the Flying Dutchman is the best Powell and Pressburger film that Powell and Pressburger never made.

Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

Click here to view the film’s Restoration trailer

10.) Journey to Italy (1954)
Dir: Roberto Rossellini
Country: Italy/France
Color: Black and White
Notwithstanding the fact that a majority of it’s dialogue is in English, Journey to Italy remains my number one favorite foreign film of all time. On the surface, it stems from master Italian director Roberto Rossellini’s neorealist visual style, courtesy of location shooting. In the center, it comes from Rossellini’s modernist approach to drama and storytelling. The answer lies in how it forever changed the face of European cinema. By combining these two aforementioned elements together, Rossellini laid the groundwork for the French New Wave movement and Michelangelo Antonioni’s existentialist dramas, which emerged simultaneously at the tail’s end of the 1950’s into 1960. During the past nine years of the 21st century, Journey to Italy’s influence seems to have gradually expanded into the American cinema. For example, in director/writer Richard Linklater’s 2013 romance drama Before Midnight, (the third film in his Before Trilogy), Julie Delpy’s character references it. As a devotee of everything it influenced, maybe my enthusiasm for Journey to Italy is based on that? Either way, for me, watching Journey to Italy is like sipping a fine wine – the taste never ages.

Click here to view the entire film

Click here to view Janus Films 2013 restoration trailer of the film

Click here to view Roberto Rossellini’s intro to the film himself

Click here to view late Scottish novelist and film critic Gilbert Adair’s 1990 Film Club intro to the film

Click here to view master filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s 2014 video conversation on the films of Roberto Rossellini, which includes Journey to Italy

11.) Vertigo (1958)
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Country: United States
Color: Color
Former Chicago Reader film critic Dave Kehr eloquently praised Vertigo as One of the landmarks-not merely of the movies, but of 20th-century art. I am in total agreement with him. Coincidentally, Vertigo ranks as my number one favorite film of all time. For me, Vertigo not only stands out as the crowning achievement of Classical Hollywood cinema, but of filmmaking on a whole. No other cinematic masterwork has impacted me on so many levels than this 1958 American classic. Set to celebrated composer Bernard Herrmann’s unforgettable music score, Vertigo opens with a characteristically expressive title sequence designed by the legendary Saul Bass. After this, we are treated to one of the most atmospheric and visually stunning films ever made. In the center, Vertigo is two beautifully realized films for the price of one. What begins as a riveting mystery, suddenly turns into a haunting drama of sexual obsession. The result is every bit as erotic as it is disturbing and ultimately tragic. As directed by the iconic Alfred Hitchcock (a.k.a. The Master of Suspense), Vertigo is a masterpiece of form and content. More than that, Vertigo serves as Hitchcock’s magnum opus. Though renowned (and justifiably so) as a showman, Hitchcock also deserves to be lauded as an artist. This latter trait has never been more evident than in Vertigo. In that same review, Kehr summed up Vertigo as the most intensely personal movie to emerge from the Hollywood cinema. Kehr is totally right on that. For everybody involved, Vertigo represents the pinnacle of their careers. What else left is there for me to say except that Vertigo is (for myself) the greatest film ever made.

Click here to read former Chicago Reader film critic Dave Kehr’s review of Vertigo

Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

Click here to view the film’s 1996 Restoration trailer

Click here to view the film’s 60th anniversary 4K Restoration trailer

Click here to view legendary title designer Saul Bass masterful opening title sequence

Click here to view the film’s memorable psychedelic dream sequence

Click here to listen to Bernard Herrmann’s haunting music for the film

Click here to view the documentary on Vertigo’s 1996 Restoration from 1997 entitled Obsessed with Vertigo

Click here to read my 2024 blog entry entitled Vertigo (1958) – A Ten-Part Personal Essay Written By Me

Click here to read a 2024 blog entry regarding my viewing of it at the great Music Box Theatre

12.) Last Year at Marienbad (1961)
Dir: Alain Resnais
Country: France/Italy
Color: Black and White
Out of all the undisputed classics of world cinema, Last Year at Marienbad debatably stands out as the one whose greatness is difficult to put into words. Let me try to break it down as best as I can though. In what is quite possibly Left Bank director Alain Resnais most popular film, Last Year at Marienbad combines nonlinear storytelling and a fittingly fragmented editing style with a mise en scene visually resembling that of a dream. Sound familiar? If so, that is because whether it be in form, content or both, Last Year at Marienbad has been impacting filmmakers close to around the world ever since it’s initial release in 1961. Influencing everyone from Agnes Varda to Ingmar Bergman to Nicolas Roeg to Stanley Kubrick to David Lynch to Christopher Nolan and beyond, Last Year at Marienbad remains a timeless masterpiece of French cinema.

Click here to view what might be the film’s French trailer

Click here to view the 50th anniversary trailer for it, which is more or less similar to the French one, only their is English subtitles

Click here to view the film’s 55th anniversary trailer for it

Click here to view British director Edgar Wright’s commentary on it

Click here to view French/British film professor Ginette Vincendeau’s intro to it

13.) L’Eclisse (1962)
Dir: Michelangelo Antonioni
Country: Italy/France
Color: Black and White
When it comes to 1960’s Italian cinema, I always single out Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’Eclisse as the crowning achievement of that decade. Yes, I rank it higher than 81/2 and The Leopard and those two equally magnificent films make up only two of many masterworks produced in that country from that era. Widely acclaimed American filmmaker Martin Scorsese has cited L’Eclisse as a step forward in storytelling. For him, it felt less like a story and more like a poem (read here). I echo his sentiments. For me, no other director has depicted alienation as poetically as Antonioni. Furthermore, L’Eclisse stands out for me as the most daring Italian film to come out of the 1960’s. Not unlike Journey to Italy before it, L’Eclisse dramatically and stylistically redefined narrative film for a future generation of cinephiles and filmmakers. Three examples of the latter include esteemed directors like the aforementioned Scorsese, Richard Linklater and Wong Kar-wai (read here and here). As for the former, I count myself among Jake Cole and Jonathan Rosenbaum (read here and here) as the three of many cinema enthusiasts championing L’Eclisse. As the third film in Antonioni’s trilogy on modernity and it’s discontents, L’Eclisse serves as his thesis. In this one, the alienated relationship between modernity and everyday society really hits close to home in every single way imaginable. Featuring one of (If not) the most talked about endings in cinematic history, L’Eclisse emerges as quite possibly the boldest Italian film of it’s decade.

Click here to watch a 50th anniversary trailer

Click here to watch Scorsese’s commentary on L’Eclisse

Click here to view the film’s 50th anniversary Restoration trailer

Click here to listen to Italian pop singer Mina’s L’Eclisse Twist

Click here to read my essay on the film

14.) Gertrud (1964)
Dir: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Country: Denmark
Color: Black and White
If anything else, I would like to think that If there is one thing that me and other cinephiles share, it is the notion that one can’t go wrong with any film from esteemed Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer’s back catalogue. For me, it is Gertrud that stands out as Dreyer’s crowning achievement. Critically dismissed (implicitly or otherwise) as outdated during it’s initial release in 1964, Gertrud has since been reassessed as one of Dreyer’s many masterpieces. Additionally, in it’s refusal to adapt to what was then considered cinematically fashionable, Gertrud can definitively be viewed as the most stylistically radical film of the 1960’s. Dreyer’s characteristically slow, but steady pacing stood in sharp contrast to the French New Wave’s more contemporary approach to cinematic storytelling. Not unlike the film’s title character, Dreyer’s own vision can debatably be seen as his unapologetic response to the popularity of the latter. In other words, Dreyer could care less whether or not he is seen as uncompromising. Though not intended as his swan song (a film about Jesus Christ had been in the works), Gertrud nevertheless serves as a perfect film for Dreyer to bookend his career as a filmmaker on.

Click here to view a scene from Gertrud (I could not find a trailer)

Click here to view a trailer for a 2022 documentary about it Dreyer’s Gertrud

15.) The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Dir: Jacques Demy
Country: France/West Germany
Color: Color
Not Unlike All That Heaven Allows before it, director Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg unfolds against a visually beautiful backdrop. Only here, the film’s bright use of color aligns with the mood as much as it stands in contrast to it. As a coming-of-age musical (all of the dialogue is sung), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg resonates with me on so many levels. The denouement never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

Click here to watch a Restoration trailer of it

Click here to watch a what I believe is a BFI 2019 trailer showing of it

Click here to watch a recent 4K Restoration trailer for it

16.) Three Times (2005)
Dir: Hou Hsiao-hsien
Country: Taiwan
Color: Color
As of 2025, Three Times remains my number one favorite foreign film of the 21st century. On a whole, Three Times is the most beautifully realized anthology film ever helmed single-handedly. In the case of Three Times, that would be renowned Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien. Shot in a series of elegantly composed long takes, the result consists of three romantic stories set during the past and the then present. Ranging from poignant to inspired to ultimately insightful, Three Times explores the human condition in rich and poetic ways. Like all truly great directors, Hsiao-hsien uses atmosphere, color and music to shape the film’s drama. These aforementioned elements may have been combined flawlessly in films before and after it, but never more effortlessly than in Three Times.

Click here to view what may or may not be the film’s Taiwanese trailer

Click here to view what may or may not be another Taiwanese trailer for it

Click here to view the film’s US trailer

17.) Certified Copy (2010)
Dir: Abbas Kiarostami
Country: France/Italy/Belgium
Color: Color
While it undoubtedly works as a subtle homage to some of the celebrated works of European directors like Roberto Rosseliini, Alain Resnais and Michelangelo Antonioni to name only three, late great Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy also stands on it’s own as a bona fide masterwork. Kiarostami’s trademark theme of role-playing within reality remains as inventive as always. Even when all is said and done, one wonders If the writer (William Shimell) and the woman (Juliette Binoche) will ever meet each other again in the future, regardless of their true feelings towards each other? Not unlike Binoche herself, Certified Copy is a film that engages us on an emotional and intellectual level.

Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

Click here to view another trailer for it

Click here to view it’s director Abbas Kiarostami briefly talking about it

Click here to view Kiarostami briefly talking about it some more


Let me conclude this blog entry with two questions for my dear readers below:

What are some of your favorite romantic films of all time?

What links or videos were your favorites?

Happy Belated 102nd Birthday Ava Gardner

by John Charet

A polite reminder before reading this blog entry of mine 🙂 I will not tolerate any insults or negativity towards my subject of this post. This blog entry is strictly for dyed-in-the-wool Ava Gardner fans like myself or fans in general. So once again, please be kind 🙂

Yes, I know I am two months late on this one (her 102nd birthday was on December 24, 2024), but I could care less. I would like to wish a Happy belated 102nd birthday to iconic Classical Hollywood era star Ava Gardner. Click here to view a wikipedia entry on her. Aside from being famously formerly married to Ol’ Blue Eyes himself Frank Sinatra (the widely acclaimed singer and actor), Gardner was so much more than that. Beyond her beauty on film, Ava Gardner also deserved to be celebrated as a woman with a big heart (read more about The Ava Gardner Trust by clicking here).

Click here to view a series of youtube video links that talk extensively about why Ava Gardner is such a national treasure, whether it be as a Hollywood star or human being

Click here to view the website devoted entirely to the Ava Gardner Museum located in North Carolina – the state she was born in

Now without further ado, below is a list of my favorite Ava Gardner films 🙂 All of them I gave * * * * (out of * * * *) stars to

  1. The Killers (1946) (Dir: Robert Siodmak) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  2. Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951) (Dir: Albert Lewin) Click here to view what may be the film’s original theatrical trailer (even though it was a 2010 revival showing). Click here to view the film’s Restoration trailer
  3. Mogambo (1953) (Dir: John Ford) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  4. The Barefoot Contessa (1954) (Dir: Joseph L. Mankiewicz) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  5. Bhowani Junction (1956) (Dir: George Cukor) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  6. 55 Days at Peking (1963) (Dir: Nicholas Ray) Click here to view what may be the film’s original theatrical trailer
  7. Seven Days in May (1964) (Dir: John Frankenheimer) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  8. The Night of the Iguana (1964) (Dir: John Huston) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

Let me conclude this post with three questions below for all of my dear readers

Did any of you watch some of the videos on that first youtube link from the second paragraph? Not the movie trailers, but the videos about her legacy? And If so, which ones did you watch and what did you find fascinating about that particular video?

Did any of you visit the Ava Gardner Museum website yet that I mentioned in the third paragraph? And If so, is there anything you read or watched that stood out for you in particular?

Last, but not least, what are your favorite Ava Gardner films?

Happy 92nd Birthday Kim Novak

by John Charet

A polite reminder before reading this blog entry of mine 🙂 I will not tolerate any insults or negativity towards my subject of this post. This blog entry is strictly for dyed-in-the-wool Kim Novak fans like myself or fans in general. So once again, please be kind 🙂

Today, I would like to wish a very happy 92nd birthday to great Classical Hollywood era actress Kim Novak 🙂 She is also an accomplished painter and while I could go on with details, instead I will direct you all to two interesting links that are more in-depth. The first is a wikipedia entry (click here) and the second is an insightful article by former Chicago Reader film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum (click here). If any of you are interested in viewing her paintings, click here to view them. As for myself, I shall celebrate by composing a list below of my favorite Kim Novak films (all * * * * out of * * * *) in chronological order.

  1. Pushover (1954) (Dir: Richard Quine) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  2. Phffft (1954) (Dir: Mark Robson) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  3. 5 Against the House (1955) (Dir: Phil Karlson) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  4. Picnic (1955) (Dir: Joshua Logan) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  5. The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) (Dir: Otto Preminger) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  6. The Eddy Duchin Story (1956) (Dir: George Sidney) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  7. Jeanne Eagels (1957) (Dir: George Sidney) Since I can’s find a trailer, click here to view one of the film’s many impressive scenes
  8. Pal Joey (1957) (Dir: George Sidney) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  9. Vertigo (1958) (Dir: Alfred Hitchcock) Click here, here and here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer, 1996 Restoration trailer and 60th Anniversary 4K Restoration trailer
  10. Bell, Book and Candle (1958) (Dir: Richard Quine) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  11. Strangers When We Meet (1960) (Dir: Richard Quine) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  12. The Notorious Landlady (1962) (Dir: Richard Quine) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  13. Boys’ Night Out (1962) (Dir: Michael Gordon) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  14. Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) (Dir: Billy Wilder) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  15. The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968) (Dir: Robert Aldrich) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

Click here to view this insightful youtube video link to a 2020 CBS Sunday Morning profile on her

Click here to view another insightful youtube video link to late TCM (Turner Classic Movies) host Robert Osborne’s 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival interview with Kim Novak

Click here to view a youtube video link to a 1964 episode of the 1960’s NBC documentary series entitled Hollywood and the Stars: In Search of Kim Novak

Click here to read my Vertigo essay from last year

Let me conclude this post with a question for all of my dear readers below:

What were your favorite article links in this blog entry?

What were your favorite video links in this blog entry? Which ones did you all find the most fascinating?

What are your favorite Kim Novak films?

L’Eclisse (1962) — A Four-Part Personal Essay Written By John Charet

by John Charet

This four-part personal essay on Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’Eclisse is my entry for The Journey to Italy Blogathon hosted by Gill from Realweegiemidget Reviews and Kristina from Speakeasy. Please visit their wonderful sites 🙂

Prologue

When it comes to 1960’s Italian cinema, I always single out Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’Eclisse as the crowning achievement of that decade. Yes, I rank it higher than 81/2 and The Leopard and those two equally magnificent films make up only two of many masterworks produced in that country from that era. The deservedly widely acclaimed American filmmaker Martin Scorsese has cited L’Eclisse as a step forward in storytelling. For him, it felt less like a story and more like a poem (read here). I echo his sentiments. For me, no other director has depicted alienation as poetically as Antonioni. Furthermore, L’Eclisse stands out for me as the most daring Italian film to come out of the 1960’s.

–The Plot–

During the very beginning of L’Eclisse, we are introduced to a literary translator named Vittoria, who is played here by Monica Vitti. Not too long after, we learn that she is going to end her love relationship with Riccardo (Francisco Rabal). This is not the fault of Riccardo nor of Vittoria. Vittoria’s stock-obsessed mother (Lilla Brignone) does not seem to care one way or another. Unlike her, wealth barely holds Vittoria’s interest. Neither does the casual racism of her friend neighbor Marta (Mirella Ricciardi), a white woman from Kenya. After meeting handsome stock broker Piero (Alain Delon), the two slowly fall in love with each other. Not unlike earlier, this romance is doomed due to Vittoria’s inability to emotionally connect.

Chapter 1: Alienation as a Theme in L’Eclisse

As to be expected from any film directed by the great Michelangelo Antonioni, L’Eclisse emphasizes characterization over plot and marries form with content. Whether or not L’Eclisse is your introduction to Antonioni, all of this remains essential in understanding the drama within the aforementioned director’s work. Antonioni’s work may be challenging to more average viewers (especially today’s), but once they make that valiant effort in immersing themselves into not only his visual style, but his characters (like I long ago did), I can promise you all that the journey will be a very involving one. The key word here is alienation.

At first, one is bound to dismiss Monica Vitti’s Vittoria as impulsive, but as the story progresses, it becomes much more complex than that. For example, Vittoria shares nothing in common with her money obsessed mother. Vittoria even implies later on to Piero that she does not care If she never gets rich. We also learn from Vittoria that her father died when she was very little. Limited to the first two examples alone, L’Eclisse may serve as a social commentary on our love-hate relationship with capitalism. Simultaneously, it can also be seen as a cautionary tale on the effects of fatherlessness based on that last example. Are these two aforementioned debatable metaphors largely responsible for Vittoria’s alienation? Maybe? Maybe not? Who knows, but it is worth pondering either way.

Given how Vittoria shares none of the racist beliefs of her neighbor Marta, it remains a mystery as to how she can tolerate it. True, Vittoria does don blackface at the latter’s apartment while mimicking African tribe dancing, which amuses fellow neighbor Anita (Rossana Rory), but angers Marta. Why? Marta is a white Kenyan, who believes that Kenya’s blacks are threatening that country’s white population. This stands in contrast as to why certain viewers might find it offensive, which can be best summed up as cultural appropriation. Personally, I view it not so much as outrageous, nor as Vittoria’s way of gently mocking Marta’s fear of blacks. Instead, I simply see it as Vittoria’s way of either goofing off or having fun in a harmless way. On second thought, maybe Vittoria aspires to be an African tribe woman? I would not be surprised If other dyed-in-the-wool fans of L’Eclisse (like myself) perceived it any of these ways long before I did.

Unlike everybody else, Piero intrigues Vittoria, but in the grand scheme of things, that is not saying much. For example, whenever Piero tries to offer Vittoria kisses, she rejects them. When one attempt results in Piero accidentally tearing Vittoria’s dress, the two end up having sex with each other. Soon enough, Piero talks to Vittoria about marriage, but she remains uninterested in it. Much to Piero’s annoyance, Vittoria chooses to wallow in alienation. Vittoria may be allowing alienation to consume her. This is confirmed with Vittoria’s following response to Piero along the lines of I wish I didn’t love you or that I loved you much more. Then again, the latter might imply that Vittoria wishes that Piero was not every bit as shallow as her mother, Riccardo and Marta. For example, earlier in the film, Piero (with Vittoria at the time) seems more concerned about his recovered submerged car than the dead drunkard responsible for sinking it. Unlike everybody else in Vittoria’s life, she values human life over material goods. Believe me, I am far from the first person to toy with this theory.

Expectedly or unexpectedly, Vittoria meets Piero at his office and the two make out once again. Here, Vittoria tries to overcome her alienation, but fails in the end. Before departing, Piero and Vittoria make a promise to meet each other at 8 pm later that night at the construction site (their usual hangout), but neither of the two ever show up.

Chapter 2: Analyzing The Ending of L’Eclisse

For everybody who has seen the film in it’s entirety, L’Eclisse is notable for it’s radical five minute ending that consists of a series of shots featuring it’s central urban setting. Whether it be through extreme wide shots (EWS) or otherwise, each frame remains sparsely populated by people and objects. Sound effects are heard in the background as well. Winds blowing against trees, water draining or spraying and passing vehicles serve as standout examples here. As day transitions into night, the camera moves up and captures the image of a street light with the words fine, which is Italian for end.

Click here to watch the entire sequence became even I can’t do justice in summing up why this ending is so unique.

-Interpreting the Ending-

On the surface, it would not be wrong to suggest that L’Eclisse ends with reckless abandon, but when observed at the center, the ending actually makes perfect sense. When all is said and done, Vittoria is alienated from the rest of the world and Piero is every bit as (If not more) shallow as everyone else in her life. In the end, neither of them wants to maintain the relationship, so Vittoria and Piero go their own separate ways. The final sequence suggests that the world has moved on too. At the same time, the scarcely populated imagery reflects not only Vittoria’s alienation, but also the shallowness that embodies every character in this film. This scene feels apocalyptic, which it is, albeit psychologically. A bus passenger even reads a newspaper with a front headline concerning nuclear war. Speaking of which, L’Eclisse concludes with that same foreboding musical note played near the end of the opening title sequence, which is preceded by Italian Pop singer Mina’s strangely tuneful song entitled L’Eclisse Twist. This bold transition from upbeat to downbeat (and vice versa) recurs throughout the film.

Close to sixty-three years ago, L’Eclisse came off as an existential look at a hedonistic 1960’s Italian society. Fast-forward to present day 2025, it now doubles as an existential metaphor for 21st-century society on a whole. During that time, we have all witnessed the ever increasing popularity of social media through various outlets. Yesterday, it was Facebook and Twitter (now known as X). Today, it seems to be Bluesky. Inevitably, the result has been a mixed blessing. Make no mistake, some of these outlets have been wonderful in a number of ways. Some people may not have close friends or family (sometimes neither) and these sites might have helped them tremendously in perfecting their social skills. In fact, I have been doing exactly that ever since 2012, when I first started this blog. All of these sentiments can easily apply to the IPhone as well, which first hit the market as far back as the late second quarter of 2007. Two of the many benefits provided by these devices come through phone call capability and texting. I also carry an IPhone and use it for many things. At the same time, the everyday use of social media and electronic devices for communication has not been immune to consequences.

If L’Eclisse were made today, it would arguably end with two sequences. The first would feature people communicating through social media via the Internet and an IPhone in their own house or apartment. The second scene would remain largely intact. The only difference would be that most of the very few people outside would be texting on their IPhones. According to a recent social media report (read here), out of the 5.52 billion internet users, which make up 67.5 percent of the world’s population, 5.22 billion are social media users. If that is the case, then this means that only 32.5 percent of the world’s population engages in social activities. This is an undoubtedly troubling phenomenon. Based on recent studies examining the link between social media and mental health alone (read here and here), is it any wonder why so many individuals today feel alienated?

In his masterful 1999 documentary about Italian cinema entitled My Voyage to Italy, director Martin Scorsese summed up L’Eclisse’s ending as a frightening way to end a film…but at the time it also felt liberating. The final seven minutes of Eclipse suggested to us that the possibilities in cinema were absolutely limitless (read here). I could not have stated this any more eloquently than he does. On Antonioni’s part, some of the inspiration for L’Eclisse originated from his filming of a solar eclipse in Florence (read here).

-An Intentionally Unresolved Mystery-

All (or at least most of) Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni’s films can be seen as mysteries, but not in the conventional sense (no not even Blowup). Here, in L’Eclisse, we never learn why Vittoria is so alienated, but that is precisely the point. Throughout my life, I have befriended several individuals (both male and female), who were every bit as aloof as Vittoria. I actually come off as one of those people. Occasionally that is. Thankfully, I am more sociable than aloof. Unfortunately, this is not the case for everybody. Some folks do not even have an underlying reason for their alienation, it is just simply beyond their control. Is it possible that Antonioni (privately or otherwise) himself may have suffered from alienation and used it as a recurring theme in his own films like this one? If one’s own answer to that question is yes, then he might have seen himself as the male equivalent of Vittoria and everyone else as shallow. The sparse number of people in the film’s final sequence are either hollow or they suffer from the same ailment that Vittoria suffers from. Is this official? As I mentioned earlier in this essay, who knows? Once again, it can interpreted in many different ways.

Chapter 3: Monica Vitti in L’Eclisse

Since all of her collaborations with director Michelangelo Antonioni are outstanding, the question remains as to how does one do justice in summing up actress Monica Vitti’s performance in L’Eclisse? I can answer that one effortlessly. As usual, it lies in how Vitti achieves it. In other words, Vitti executes her performance as If it were a cakewalk. As the alienated Vittoria, Vitti imbues her with charisma, mystery, playfulness and sex appeal.

–Charisma and Mystery–

As described earlier in this essay, me and quite a few of my friends have all felt a sense of alienation to varying degrees in our pasts. Whether you are an alienated or sociable devotee of L’Eclisse, all of us can agree that their is something charismatic about Monica Vitti’s Vittoria. For me, Vittoria comes off as the male equivalent of Jean-Paul Belmondo’s Michel Poiccard in Breathless. Unlike Poiccard though, Vittoria is no criminal. In L’Eclisse, Vitti’s Vittoria is a literary translator, who struggles with connecting to the world she lives in. A very credible argument can be made that her charisma lies in how relatable her ailment is to any viewer, who has ever felt alienated in their lives. Believe me, we all have.

At the same time, dyed-in-the-wool alienated and hospitable fans of L’Eclisse are probably still trying to solve the mystery as to why Vittoria is so aloof. The answer is best summed up by a line said by Vittoria to Piero consisting of I don’t know. Let’s face it, most (If not all) of us have probably uttered this whenever anybody asks us why we feel alienated. After all, If we can’t give a proper answer, why should we as viewers expect one from Vittoria? This is precisely what makes Vittoria not only a fascinating character, but an authentic one as well. Not unlike her, in real life, some people are simply unable to justify their alienation.

–Playfulness and Sex Appeal–

Fortunately, based on my experiences with some others, those who suffer from alienation (occasionally or otherwise) have been able to get through life in their own ways. Half of the time in L’Eclisse, Vittoria displays a playful streak when it comes to her relationship with her neighbors (Anita and Marta) and later, stock broker Piero. The former is characterized by comedic irreverence when Vittoria dons blackface during a small party with Anita and Marta. The lighter moments of her romance with Piero is the film’s purest expression of playfulness.

Though I never donned blackface (or any other kind for that matter) when it came to amusing myself during my occasional alienation period, I would resort to nonsensical humor (quoting lines from Aqua Teen Hunger Force among others) or doing an impersonation of a popular figure by making them all sound like Arnold Schwarzenegger. All privately of course. To put it in other words, this is me being silly. When it comes to that last example, all of you would have to see it to know what I am talking about. Other times, it comes through my trademark gentleness. For example, I always wanted to be like the late great Fred Rogers and since none of us can, I do the next best thing. I rise to the occasion to be as kind and caring as I possibly can in spite of my then alienated state. Other times, I will go swimming at my fitness center’s pool, write a blog entry or just talk to myself in private. I am by no means comparable to Vittoria, but she is someone we can all debatably relate to.

Along with the handsome Alain Delon as Piero, the beautiful Monica Vitti oozes sex appeal as Vittoria. Team these two European cinematic icons together and you get one of (If not) the sexiest romantic duos ever depicted in an Italian film. Perhaps the most erotic scene comes when Delon’s Piero accidentally tears part of Vittoria’s dress and soon enough, the two have sex in a bedroom. The other sex scene is set in an office and blends eroticism with playfulness. Other times it is through communication during day and night (inside and outside). When it comes to clothing, Delon and Vitti could not be more stylish. Dressed in a tie and a suit, Delon looks every bit as cool as his hitman character Jef Costello in Le Samourai. Whether she is clad in a blouse, dress or otherwise, as usual, Vitti stands out as the epitome of elegance.

When Vitti died close to three years ago in 2022, Italy’s then Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini called her the Queen of Italian cinema as well as a great artist and a great Italian. Italy’s then former Prime Minister Mario Draghi said that Vitti made Italian cinema shine around the world. In addition, Draghi added that she was an actress of great wit and extraordinary talent, she conquered generations of Italians with her spirit, her bravura, her beauty (read here). Neither of these sentiments have ever been expressed more poetically than in Vitti’s four collaborations with Antonioni. L’Avventura, La Notte, Red Desert, The Mystery of Oberwald and here in L’Eclisse.

Chapter 4: The Vision of L’Eclisse

Alienation is a recurring theme in Michelangelo Antonioni’s work and in L’Eclisse, it (as usual) coincides perfectly with the aforementioned Italian director’s mise en scene. Architecture, compositions and long takes serve as the three standout aspects here.

–Architecture–

In L’Eclisse, modernism contrasts with everyday people through Antonioni’s use of (more-or-less) modern architecture. In one scene, we get an extreme wide shot of Vittoria walking down the sidewalk. Divided by a post and rail fence, the left side of the screen is dominated by a large tree and under it is Vittoria. The right side is dominated by a large modernist tower hovering over trees that are smaller by comparison. Considering that Vittoria is presented as very small in this frame, it can be argued that this whole image is a metaphor for the everyday individual’s struggle to cope with modernity. Vittoria comes off as tiny in another image of her staring outside a window and to the left, the screen is filled with giant buildings (apartments or otherwise). When Vittoria is out at night looking for her dog, on the left, we get streetlights and a fence the size of a baseball stadium and in the center is Vittoria tinier than everything else once again. Another image features Vittoria with Piero sitting on the grass and facing them (from a distance) is a building. This is the scene where Piero gets quietly frustrated in trying to understand Vittoria. Given that Piero represents modernism himself (he is a stock broker), that alone might explain Vittoria’s reluctance to maintain a longterm romance with him. I mean let’s face it, modernity barely holds Vittoria’s interest. I can think of many more, but I will limit it to these perfect examples, which are executed similarly in the film’s much discussed final sequence.

–Compositions–

As with all of Antonioni’s work, L’Eclisse is shaped by it’s visually expressive compositions. Vittoria’s breakup with Riccardo as one example. In that scene, Vittoria is standing on the left side of the screen in front of a messy painting of sorts and on the right side features Riccardo next to the painting. He stands in front of a background with a window and furniture. A companion to this shot is when Vittoria stands in the back of a door with a square window and sitting on a comfy chair to the far right side of the screen is Riccardo. This might symbolize Vittoria as an independent woman and Riccardo as a member of the bourgeoisie, which he is. . Another frame features Vittoria standing behind a steel gate, which emphasizes her isolation. Vittoria staring by the right window as opposed to in between the two at the dark room from across is a metaphor for her alienation. During the mock African tribe dancing sequence, a bed is placed in the middle of the screen and Vittoria (in blackface) standing on a bed with the traditional spear and Marta sitting down on a chair on the right edge of the screen. Shortly after, we see Marta standing in the background of the bed (Vittoria is nowhere in sight) and she is shaped by dark lighting. This frame illustrates white Kenyan Marta’s fear of Kenya’s blacks by debatably asking us viewers to visualize how she sees them. In the case of Marta, she basically sees them as savages. Is her view wrongheaded? Of course it is. The scenes inside and outside the Rome stock exchange hilariously (albeit, in a dry sense) illustrate chaos. With the exception of Vittoria, everybody wants to partake in the Italian economic miracle. In between a tuscan order, lies Piero on the left and Vittoria on the right. What does this symbolize? Well, If one is an independent thinker and the other a conforming stock broker, it means that this romance is bound to fail. For every close (close-up or otherwise) shot of Vittoria and Piero together, we get as many distant shots. An outside evening scene features communicating with Vittoria from a distance. Piero is standing talking to her, but she is making eye contact from her house and he is far away compared. A house door stands in between Vittoria and Piero when they are kissing in another scene by pressing their respective mouths against the glass window. My theory is confirmed when the two break their promise of meeting at their usual spot near the end of the film. I can name plenty more examples, but these are the ones I want to limit it to.

–Long Takes–

L’Eclisse’s use of long takes is in synch with the film’s deadpan tone. Since the film serves as a metaphor for emotional emptiness within modern society, it is only fitting that Antonioni would utilize long takes to visually depict the drama. At first glance, it may look unfitting in a film about the chaotic contemporary world, but once viewers take into account that alienation is it’s primary theme, everything starts clicking together. Vittoria can’t connect with it and as a result, the slow pacing is intentional on Antonioni’s part. Each and every sequence is not only elegant, but relaxing as well.

Epilogue

Not unlike Journey to Italy before it, L’Eclisse dramatically and stylistically redefined narrative film for a future generation of cinephiles and filmmakers. Three examples of the latter include esteemed directors like the aforementioned Scorsese, Richard Linklater and Wong Kar-wai (read here and here). As for the former, I count myself among Jake Cole and Jonathan Rosenbaum (read here and here) as the three of many cinema enthusiasts championing L’Eclisse. As the third film in Michelangelo Antonioni’s trilogy on modernity and it’s discontents, L’Eclisse serves as his thesis. In this one, the alienated relationship between modernity and everyday society really hits close to home in every single way imaginable. Featuring one of (If not) the most talked about ending in cinematic history, L’Eclisse emerges as quite possibly the boldest Italian film of it’s decade.

Click here to watch a 50th anniversary trailer

Click here to watch Scorsese’s commentary on L’Eclisse

Let me conclude this blog entry with two questions for my dear readers.

What parts of my L’Eclisse essay stood out for you readers in particular?

What links in my L’Eclisse essay did you readers love the most?

Happy Early 48th Birthday Suzie Kennedy

by John Charet

A polite reminder before reading this blog entry of mine 🙂 I will not tolerate any insults or negativity towards my subject or any of her films in this post. This blog entry is strictly for dyed-in-the-wool Marilyn Monroe fans like myself or fans in general. Any negative comments will be deleted. So once again, please be kind 🙂

Even though it actually falls on January 29th, I would like to wish Marilyn Monroe impersonator Suzie Kennedy a very happy 48th birthday. The reason for me doing it so early is because on January 28th, I will be taking part in a blog-a-thon regarding Italian cinema (read here). Back to Kennedy though 🙂 As many of my dear readers are aware, I am a huge fan of Classical Hollywood era icon Marilyn Monroe (read here and here). In fact, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ranks as my 8th favorite American/English-Language film of all time (read here and here). Well, this blog entry is dedicated to who I consider to be one of the greatest Marilyn Monroe impersonators of all time. Her name is Suzie Kennedy. She may be more familiar to UK audiences then American ones because the English entertainer lives in the former, though she reportedly holds both British and American citizenship (read here). As a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, Kennedy captures her mannerisms to a t and also understands that the icon was more than just a sex symbol. For her and dyed-in-the-wool fans like myself, Monroe was also smart and compassionate. Not unlike other Marilyn Monroe impersonators, Kennedy is immensely talented. She also played her in a play about Marilyn’s life entitled Making Marilyn, which premiered on the stage last year in the UK (read here).

Here are a few video links that I want to share with you on Suzie Kennedy below

Click here to watch a youtube video link of a video entitled Finding Faith in Recovery: Suzie Kennedy interview

Click here to watch a youtube video link to an interview with her on the 3 Speech Podcast

Click here to watch a youtube video link to her talking about the Hollywood Recovery Center

Click here to watch a youtube video link of a 2010 Sky One brief interview

Click here to watch a youtube video link to a 2016 Legacy Exhibition

Click here to watch a youtube video link to an interview she did just recently (a month ago)

Click here to watch a youtube video link to her flawless rendition of Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend

Click here to watch a youtube video link to another flawless rendition of the same number

Click here to watch every video on her youtube channel whenever you all get the time

Let me conclude this blog entry with two questions below for my dear readers

What were your favorite article links in this blog entry?

What are your favorite video links in this blog entry? Which ones did you find the most fascinating?

R.I.P. David Lynch (1946-2025)

by John Charet

A polite reminder before reading this blog entry of mine 🙂 I will not tolerate any insults or negativity towards David Lynch or any of his films I mention in this post. Any negative comments will be deleted. As a matter of fact, I will not tolerate any negativity of anybody mentioned in this blog entry. So once again, I am politely asking you all to please be kind 🙂

David Lynch (1946-2025)

Earlier today, the world lost one of our greatest visionary filmmakers. He was 78-years old and the cause of death was emphysema. That director was David Lynch. My introduction to Lynch was in early 2002, when I watched the then entire series of the cult television series Twin Peaks, which lasted from 1990 to 1991. Co-created with Mark Frost, Lynch also directed episodes of the show. When Lynch and Frost brought the series back in 2017 for Showtime, Lynch would direct every episode of the third season. By 2005, I had seen and loved almost every single Lynch film. Dune was good, but after watching it, I can totally understand why Lynch refused to talk about it during his life. Not since the death of British filmmaker Terence Davies back in 2023 has the death of a well-respected director hit me so hard. When I first heard the news, I just could not believe it. Ever since then, I have been in a very sad mood 😦 Lynch’s family made the following statement on his Facebook page – There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us, But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.’ … It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way. Read here and here for more information. I know the news is probably not as shocking once one takes into account that Lynch was battling lung disease for a long time (read here), but it is still heartbreaking either way.

Click here to visit the David Lynch Foundation website

Click here to visit a youtube video channel entitled DAVID LYNCH THEATER

Click here to watch a youtube video link to a wonderful remembrance of David Lynch courtesy of Chicago-based cinephile Kursten Ranquist (Click here to see his youtube channel)

Limited to this website only, I would love to remember Lynch through quite a few posts of mine. One of his films is on the first link, three on the second, one on the third and two on the fourth.

Click here to read a 2022 blog entry regarding my Top 10 Favorite Films of All Time

Click here to read a 2023 blog entry regarding my 100 Favorite Films of All Time

Click here to read a 2024 blog entry regarding my Top 10 Favorite Horror Films of All Time

Click here to read a 2024 blog entry regarding my Top 100 Favorite Horror Films of All Time

Click here to read a 2024 blog entry I did where I mention Twin Peaks during my visit to the Music Box Theatre that year

Click here to read a 2024 blog entry wishing actress Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks) a very Happy 57th Birthday

Since I do not have time to do a ranking of every single one of Lynch’s films, I want to let all of my dear readers know that with the exception of Dune (the 1984 version), I love every single film that David Lynch has directed and If you need me to direct you all to every single thing he ever directed, just click here.

Also, below are a few examples of me indulging (but in a healthy way) in Lynch fandom 🙂


–Two More Things–

For David Lynch’s Family

I want to express my condolences to David Lynch’s entire family with this beautiful Catholic (my religious affiliation) prayer for the departed below:

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

For Californians

As all of you are probably aware right now, the recent California Wildfires has affected many Californians through loss of property and loved ones. Once again, I want to offer this beautiful Catholic prayer for the departed below:

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Remembering Those We Lost In 2024 (Entertainers or Otherwise)

by John Charet

Every year, the nation (or the world in general) sadly loses somebody beloved, whether they were an entertainer or not. Now, I am going to keep this short and to the point by advising all you dear readers to click on the link below before I continue.

Click here to watch a youtube video link to TCM Remembers 2024

Now that all of you dear readers have watched the video, I am going to name some of the deaths that hit the hardest for me. Of course, all of them did, but these are the standouts for me. May they all Rest in Peace.

  1. Chita Rivera (1933-2024)
  2. Bernard Hill (1944-2024)
  3. Anouk Aimee (1932-2024)
  4. Donald Sutherland (1935-2024)
  5. Shelley Duvall (1949-2024)
  6. Bob Newhart (1929-2024)
  7. Gena Rowlands (1930-2024)
  8. Dame Maggie Smith (1934-2024)
  9. Kris Kristofferson (1936-2024)
  10. Teri Garr (1944-2024)
  11. Quincy Jones (1933-2024)
  12. Tony Todd (1954-2024)

There is plenty more, but I want to limit it to these 12 people. The deaths of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter (1924-2024) and Canadian short story writer Alice Munro (1931-2024) were also equally tragic.

Before I conclude this blog entry, I have one question to all of my dear readers below

Which entertainer’s (or non-entertainer’s) death hit the hardest for you?

Once again, it does not have to be an entertainer.

What I Have Accomplished in 2024?

by John Charet

I wrote a blog entry like this back in 2023 and 2024 (read here and here) and I shall do it again this year in 2025. Only here, I will focus on why 2024 was a fruitful year for me as a blogger.

1.) While it is true that I took too long of a break writing blog entries ranking the works of my favorite directors, I will be getting back to that anytime soon like I did during this month at this time last year.
2.) I wrote a ten-part essay on my number one favorite film of all-time (read here).
3.) At the same time, I discovered new bloggers and became a regular visitor to their respective sites.
4.) I actually composed a new Happy Birthday blog entry regarding an underrated actress (read here).
5.) I went to my beloved Music Box Theatre not once, not twice, but three times. On that third time, I got to watch a 70mm print of my number one favorite film of all-time on a big screen. I wrote about the experience back in September (read here).
6.) In October, I not only composed my annual Top 10 Favorite Horror Films of All-Time, but I also managed to compose one consisting of my Top 100 Favorite Horror Films of All-Time.
7.) In November, I posted a blog entry consisting of my Top 10 Favorite Film Noirs of All-Time.
8.) In December, I posted three blog entries. Though to be fair, the last one is composed at that time every year (read here and here).
9.) All of the above blog entries garnered positive replies from my dear readers 🙂

Btw, I will be posting a film essay on January 28 as part of a blog-a-thon by RealWeegieMidget (read here and here).

A shout out to fellow visitor Steve (check out his youtube channel here). If you are reading this Steve, you will be happy to know that I finally made it through the longer version of the 1986 crime drama Blood Ties and I loved that version of the film too.

Before I conclude this blog entry, two questions for all of my dear readers below:

1.) What are your accomplishments of 2024?
2.) If the answer is none (and do not feel bad If it is), what would you like to accomplish in 2024?

I almost forgot, as a blogger, I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to the victims of the recent truck attack that happened in New Orleans a day ago.