Review of Autumn Sonata (1978) by Andres A — 10 Feb 2004

[b]La Strada[/b] - Gelsomina is a cheerful, child-like clown and a creature of almost pure innocence, thrust into a harsh outside world with a brute named Zampano. The tension between the polar opposite natures of these characters gives the movie an air of dread inevitability. The vehicle for bringing that fate to fruition is the character of the Fool, first by being everything that Zampano is not (understanding, caring, thoughtful). The Fool is generous enough to reach out to Gelsomina, but he unwittingly dooms her to a life of hollowed-out determination when his conflict with Zampano comes to a head. Zampano can?t save her from this, and can?t even manage to really try. His final agony is his full realization of his failure of her, too late to do anything about it. [b]86[/b].

[u]Fellini[/u].

1. La Strada.

2. La Dolce Vita.

3. Variety Lights.

Um....

[b]Week End[/b] (2nd) - The first hour plays like Bunuel (ala Angel and Discreet Charm) on steroids - it's just as insane, but even more savage and certainly funnier. Then, the film comes to a screeching halt with a ridiculous set of communist diatribes delivered in monologue form and plodding, painful final third that loses sight of any real target and completely eschews wit (a great last line aside). That first hour is so great that I watched it again after five months hoping that I might be more receptive to what Godard was doing in the rest of the picture with foreknowledge, but I've come away more convinced that he let it get away from him. [b]69[/b].

[u]Godard[/u].

1. Pierrot le Fou.

2. Band of Outsiders.

3. Breathless.

4. My Life to Live.

5. Week End.

6. Alphaville.

7. Contempt.

8. Masculin Feminin.

9. Le Carabiniers.

10. Le Petit Soldat.

11. In Praise of Love.

[b]Autumn Sonata[/b] - A straight-forward story of dysfunction laid bare, as daughter Liv Ullmann breaks through decades of repressed hate to lash out at neglectful, emotionally barren mother Ingrid Bergman. Whatever relation Ullmann's painstakingly detailed wounds and Bergman's explanations bear to one's own experiences, the raw power of the words and memories and the searing lead performances make the movie an intense, draining experience. [b]84[/b].

[u]Bergman[/u].

1. The Seventh Seal.

2. Autumn Sonata.

3. The Virgin Spring.

4. Wild Strawberries.

5. Cries and Whispers.

6. Smiles of a Summer Night.

7. Through a Glass Darkly.

8. Winter Light.

9. The Silence.