The Big Clock [1948]

A number of makers of film noirs had a special fascination with the journalism industry it seems. However, though in The Big Clock, the protagonist works for a media corporation owned by the film’s scheming and megalomaniac antagonist, unlike Ace in the Hole or Sweet Smell of Success, its focus was not to provide a searing critique of the industry; rather, what the movie remains in essence is a superb and ingenious thriller. The film boasts of a labyrinthine plot that would require pages to fully describe, so suffice it to say, it’s about a guy who ends up leading a murder investigation with the irony being that the guy who’s been narrowed down as the prime suspect is he himself. He therefore doesn’t just need to conduct a parallel investigation of his own to find the real criminal, but also must stay one step ahead of those part of the investigation team. The brilliant script filled the deliriously convoluted cat-and-mouse storyline with great suspense buildup coupled with exemplary pacing, thus providing us with a nail-biting, thrill-a-minute ride. Ray Milland was excellent as a good man caught in a hellish situation, but the show-stealer performance was given by Charles Laughton – his turn as the tyrannical and power-wielding media mogul with a bizarre fascination for watches, was tour de force stuff to say the least.





Director: John Farrow
Genre: Thriller/Film Noir
Language: English
Country: US

M*A*S*H [1970]

Vietnam War was a watershed event for all of America, and rarely has something as serious as that was made to look so utterly farcical as in Joseph Heller’s brilliant book Catch-22. M*A*S*H, the pointed satire that catapulted Robert Altman to the highest echelons of critical acclaim and popularity, could perhaps be qualified as the cinematic counterpart of the groundbreaking novel. Controversial,

M*A*S*H [1970]

Vietnam War was a watershed event for all of America, and rarely has something as serious as that was made to look so utterly farcical as in Joseph Heller’s brilliant book Catch-22. M*A*S*H, the pointed satire that catapulted Robert Altman to the highest echelons of critical acclaim and popularity, could perhaps be qualified as the cinematic counterpart of the groundbreaking novel. Controversial,

M*A*S*H [1970]

Vietnam War was a watershed event for all of America, and rarely has something as serious as that was made to look so utterly farcical as in Joseph Heller’s brilliant book Catch-22. M*A*S*H, the pointed satire that catapulted Robert Altman to the highest echelons of critical acclaim and popularity, could perhaps be qualified as the cinematic counterpart of the groundbreaking novel. Controversial,

M*A*S*H [1970]

Vietnam War was a watershed event for all of America, and rarely has something as serious as that was made to look so utterly farcical as in Joseph Heller’s brilliant book Catch-22. M*A*S*H, the pointed satire that catapulted Robert Altman to the highest echelons of critical acclaim and popularity, could perhaps be qualified as the cinematic counterpart of the groundbreaking novel. Controversial,

M*A*S*H [1970]

Vietnam War was a watershed event for all of America, and rarely has something as serious as that was made to look so utterly farcical as in Joseph Heller’s brilliant book Catch-22. M*A*S*H, the pointed satire that catapulted Robert Altman to the highest echelons of critical acclaim and popularity, could perhaps be qualified as the cinematic counterpart of the groundbreaking novel. Controversial, anti-establishmentarian and unapologetically in-your-face, this superb black comedy gleefully mocked at the utter ludicrosity of not just the Vietnam War but all wars in general. The irreverent and iconoclastic movie chronicles the acts of blasphemous defiance by the doctors and nurses of a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War, led by the brazenly rebellious duo of Hawkeye Pierce (Donald Sutherland) and Trapper John McIntyre (Elliott Gould). The film is filled with loads of jokes and innuendoes that might seem crass, offensive, politically incorrect and sexist to many; but to think of it, the total dismissal of anything to do with morality, religion, bureaucracy and authority with such impudence and nonchalance was perhaps Altman’s intent to begin with – and in turn one of the principal reasons for its seamless entry into the collective consciousness of its age. And, at the end of the day, all the socio-political ramifications aside, the movie sure was hilarious. Each of the series of eccentric characters were incredibly sketched and superbly performed by the ensemble cast, with improvisation playing a key role in the film’s success.





Director: Robert Altman
Genre: Black Comedy/Political Satire/Social Satire/Ensemble Film/War Film
Language: English
Country: US

The Silence [1963]

The third and final chapter in Bergman’s thematically-linked “Faith Trilogy”, The Silence would probably rank among the most tonally complex, bizarre and controversial of the lot. Consequently, unlike Through a Glass Darkly and White Light, its inclusion into the trilogy, too, is exceedingly difficult to comprehend. Suffused with emotional starkness, grotesque symbolism, sexual repression, surrealism and discomfiting sensuality, the movie chronicles the complicated relationship between two sisters – the voluptuous and promiscuous Anna (Gunnel Lindblom), and her intellectual, repressed and ailing elder sister Ester (Ingrid Thulin). The two sisters, along with Anna’s kid son, make a stopover in a foreign country, and put up in palatial but largely empty hotel. While Ester is strongly attracted to Anna, the latter has the years come to be repulsed by her elder sister, and this strange chemistry gives rise to strong undercurrents between the two; meanwhile Anna’s son drifts aimlessly in the vast emptiness of the hotel, largely unaware of the psychological tug-of-war between the two ladies. The acting, as in all Bergman films, is great, with Thulin’s being especially nuanced and memorable. Though bereft of background score, the terrific black-and-white cinematography has played an immensely vital role in delineating the various tapestries of this provocative mood-piece.





Director: Ingmar Bergman
Genre: Drama/Psychological Drama
Language: Swedish
Country: Sweden

Network [1976]

Considered among the best works of the revered American filmmaker Sidney Lumet, Network was a prescient, tar-black critique of “trash television” and thus remains as relevant today as it was over three decades back. When a veteran news reader learns that he’s about to lose his job of 25 years, he falls off the hook and becomes the “mad prophet of the TV airwaves”. He initially creates embarrassment for his employers, however the tremendous ratings his prophetic slogan, “I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!” generates ensures he doesn’t just retain his prime-time show, a whole lot of crap gets added around him to spin as much money out of his sudden fame as possible. This trenchant satire is filled to brim with a host of superb performances – Peter Finch was absolutely terrific as Howard Beale, the tragic newsman who becomes a messiah for the troubled times and a mouthpiece for the generation’s angst; equally memorable turns were provided by William Holden as Beale’s long-time friend who’s forced to accept the madness around him with sardonic resignation, Faye Dunaway as a workaholic and insanely ambitious programming executive, Robert Duvall as the network’s scheming hatchet man, among others. Though the brilliantly written film divided critics and audience upon its release, its scathing indictment of all the lurid content religiously dished into our homes by the idiot box has elevated it over the years to the status of a modern day classic.





Director: Sidney Lumet
Genre: Drama/Black Comedy/Media Satire
Language: English
Country: US

Berlin Alexanderplatz [1980]

Berlin Alexanderplatz, based on Alfred Doblin’s novel, is R. W. Fassbinder’s magnum opus. Consequently, it has been a gratifying experience for me to complete this staggeringly ambitious 15 ½ hour epic, albeit over a number of sittings. Evocatively shot and leisurely paced, the movie, made in 13-parts and with an epilogue that delves into the surreal and grotesque recesses of a mad man’s mind, has the power to enthrall you and test your patience in equal measures. It chronicles the turbulent life and times, and the various loves and acquaintances of Franz Bieberkoff, its gullible, good-natured protagonist. Ex-convict Franz (played with incredible passion and power by Gunter Lamprecht), who was incarcerated for 4 years for killing his girlfriend in a fit of rage, decides to lead a straight life upon being released from jail; but life has other plans for him, and it comes a full circle for him when his sweetheart Mieze is killed by the man who he considers a friend – the serpentine and womanizing Reinhold, incidentally the same man who had once pushed him out of a car with tragic consequences. The film comprises of a slew of memorable, well-defined characters (brought through courtesy excellent performances, with my favourites being the melancholic Meck, and the vivacious Eva. However, all said, this does remain a flawed film. The rambling storytelling and the overt philosophizing aside, a lot of the actions of and interactions among the characters defy reason and/or explanation. Nevertheless they are mere footnotes vis-a-vis the grand and sweeping nature of this mammoth, tragic and operatic film.





Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Genre: Drama/Psychological Drama/Political Drama/Romantic Drama
Language: German
Country: Germany

Force of Evil [1948]

Film noirs are famous for blurring the lines between good and evil – there are no classical “heroes” in the dark world of noirs. Force of Evil, though not as well-known as some of its peers, remains a stunning film noir nonetheless for its bleak, gripping, bitter and seedy depiction of life in post War-Big Apple. John Garfield, in the best role of his career, provided a tour-de-force performance as Joe Morse, a cynical, corrupt, self-serving and gold-digging lawyer who works for the numbers racket. He has come up with a brilliant plan that, by playing on people’s superstition, will help in making the operation of mobster Ben Tucker (Morse’s employer) legal, while also earning him his first million-dollars in the process. However, the only catch of his ploy turns out to be his good-natured elder brother. And, as is common in this world of grime and greed, when things start going wrong, they do so in spectacularly devastating fashion, bringing about his nerve-racking fall from grace. His only salvation turns out to be a naïve young girl who he finds himself falling for. Ironically, the careers of director Abraham Polonsky and Garfield too suffered misfortune soon after the movie’s release for their suspected Leftist leanings.





Director: Abraham Polonsky
Genre: Crime Drama/Film Noir
Language: English
Country: US

The Big Heat [1953]

Doesn’t matter which way you look at The Big Heat – a frantic tale of obsession, a revenge story, a story of justice and redemption, or a dark chronicle of deceit and human corruption, the movie would emerge as a success – since this incredible noir worked in all these levels. Made nearly a decade after his masterly Scarlet Street, Fritz Lang’s The Big Heat remains a landmark work in this distinctive school of filmmaking. This gripping, hyper-violent (for its time) and nihilistic crime thriller is about a cop trying to get to the bottom of the suicide of another cop, against every kinds of odds possible – not just in the form of gangsters and thugs, but also his own department. However, when the antagonists kill his loving wife and his anger results in his suspension, he takes it upon himself to bring the psychotic mob-boss down – not just for justice, but also for vengeance. And in this hot pursuit he finds an unlikely help in the form of the mobster’s naïve but disgruntled moll. Great photography and crackling, staccato dialogues were just two of the many components of this fast-paced, hardboiled film. Foremost among those components were the excellent performances of Glenn Ford as the hell-bent-on-revenge-and-justice cop, Lee Marvin as the sinister villain, and Gloria Grahame as the woman-scorned.





Director: Fritz Lang
Genre: Crime Thriller/Film Noir/Police Procedural/Gangster Movie
Language: English
Country: US