Aparijito Satyajit Ray 1956

Satyajit Ray was one of the greatest film-makers ever...there's a deep sense of humanity and compassion in his films.

To see the film, please click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncDVUW4GrWY

High Noon - 1952 - Fred Zinnemann (Starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly)

There are some westerns that transcend their genre and should be considered among the best films ever. The Wild Bunch, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence and certainly High Noon are great films.

I've seen this film about 50 times. It's amazing. If you haven't seen it, just watch it. You'll be blown away.

Serpent (or: The Outlaw) / Orochi - Buntaro Futagawa - 1925

Before there was Mifune Toshiro, there was Tsumasaburo Bando. You can see this amazing actor in this complex silent film. Bando is a samurai of integrity who is falsely accused of wrongdoing by corrupt samurai and he is forced to hit the road as a ronin and is falsely stigmatized as an outlaw.

He becomes a Job-like samurai, suffering unfairly but refusing to compromise his integrity. This is really a silent film worth watching.

An amazing silent Japanese film. Unfortunately, for this version there is a really annoying Russian narrator who speaks over the original Japanese narration in the film. My suggestion would be to turn off the sound completely and just read the subtitles and watch the film.

If you need a musical background, here's some traditional Japanese music. Open this link in another window and turn off the sound of the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRM_FNooJHc

I love this gagaku music...it seems perfect for the bizarre twists and turns in the hero's story...

Old Boy by Park Chanwook 2003

This was the first Korean film I ever saw, I guess. I saw it at the Angelika Theater in Manhattan when it first arrived in America and when the film ended, I recall that nobody from the audience even got up from his/her seat.  We were too shocked.

So I won't give away any details - I think it would be worthwhile watching this film. This film is a little violent, but not as violent as many Korean films.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxPaKS-sD08

Satyricon by Fellini 1969

Access the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0L-iJGFRzE

Toby Dammit by Fellini 1968

This is such a cool short film by Fellini.

Terence Stamp does a yeoman's job of playing a disillusioned actor who is struggling with alcoholism and, apparently, slowly going insane.

I saw this film at an Experimental Film Coalition screening at the Randolph Street Gallery (the devil's playground).  From what I remember, Toby Dammit takes a role in a spaghetti western being funded by the Vatican.  He clearly doesn't care about acting or the film industry anymore but is having a hard time transitioning to something else.  There's a surprise ending to the film.  The subtitle that I remember for this film is: Never Bet the Devil Your Head.

Access the film here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3261CD9A4114F97A

Mahanagar by Satyajit Ray - 1963

So when we talk about the work of Satyajit Ray as an example of Indian cinema, we are definitely not talking about Bollywood stuff.  Yet the actress from this film - the first Ray ever directed - did, later, become a Bollywood star.

Here's a film by one of the most interesting directors ever.  It's a film about a woman who is compelled to abandon her traditional gender role through economic pressures.  Is she moving from a type of slavery to freedom or just from one form or slavery to another?

Click on 'cc' to get the English subtitles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KHu12xYxU4