The Wicker Man (1973)
Dir. Robin Hardy, Writ. Anthony Shaffer
(the closing scene)
*
It is time to keep your appointment...
Ansiktet (The Magician / The Face), 1958
Ingmar Bergman, Dir.
*
A Bergman film underrated? Yes.
Ansiketet is atmospheric and close to traditional in its approach to horror – oddly enough – though it’s not a conventional horror film by any means. I could easily claim it as a comedy. A film about humiliation. The role of the artist. I could go on.
The mood and tone, as the viewer would expect, has Bergman’s thumbprint – but it’s never depressing. Notions of myth are present – though they are more subtle in execution than, say, The Virgin Spring or The Seventh Seal. The play with light and shade – connecting the physical, emotional, and psychological – is as vital as any of his more significant films. Strong performances that deserve a wider audience.
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Adrian Lyne, Dir.
*
Different. Different. Different.
A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Dir. Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
*
A film in the tradition of Dreyer’s Ordet and Bresson’s Diary of a Country Priest. The visuals and slow, deliberate storytelling create a strong, beautiful meditative piece.
Ace in the Hole (1951)
Dir. Billy Wilder
*
This film is a strong and moving voice, a warning of the darker sides of American culture. Some things never change. A must-view work.
I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
Dir. Jacques Tourneur & Pro. Val Lewton
*
Lewton was an underrated filmmaker, and this work is one of his darkest and finest moments.
