Alain Resnais
Blu-Ray Review: Hiroshima Mon Amour
In the final year of World War II, mankind did something which, in retrospect, seems almost unthinkable. The dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima in August 1945, resulting in the instant death of 80,000 people (many more were injured or subsequently died from the fallout), highlighted why we should never play god. Originally commissioned …
Blu-Ray Review: Mélo
Whilst cinema and theatre have often been pitted as ardent foes, the big screen owes the stage a debt of honour. So many of the most popular films ever made were initially written for the stage, it would be foolhardy to even think about listing examples. Although the popularity and influence of playwrights has quietly …
Blu-Ray Review: Last Year in Marienbad
Very occasionally, a film will come along which defies expectations and logic. A film which plays with the very texture of film and storytelling to create something which is simultaneously ambiguous, perplexing and profound. Between 1959 and 1963 Alain Resnais made three films which all dealt with fragmented memories and clouded history. Whilst both Hiroshima …
Film Review: Life of Riley
Until his passing last year, French director Alain Resnais had a celebrated career spanning seven decades. Undoubtedly, his most fertile period was in the late ’50s/early ’60s. However, he continued to make interesting and challenging films throughout. His first film, Hiroshima mon amour, along with Last Year in Marienbad and Muriel, established him as one …