A Fusillade of Passion

THE DAMNED
Luchino Visconti, 1969

Fellini. Antonioni. Bertolucci. De Sica. Pasolini. Rossellini. And Visconti. Italian cinema would practically be nothing hadn't those names existed.

Among those filmmakers, Luchino Visconti is the one whose works I find very exciting. Most of his films are fearless; yet underneath that audaciousness lies a certain touch of overwhelming tenderness.

Death in Venice is Visconti's most popular work. (That film is a tearjerker.) While The Damned is, in my opinion, his best and sadly underrated opus.

Women in Turmoil

They say that behind every man's success is a woman. And my favorite Beatle, John Lennon, once sang: "And woman I will try to express. My inner feelings and thankfulness. For showing me the meaning of success..."

Whether she's a mother, a sister, a wife, a lover, or a friend, a woman is truly an inspiration to a man. But what will happen if a man's inspiration suddenly finds herself battling her inner demon? Will the man still love her? (Just wondering.)

There are many depictions of women in turmoil; but few I found really outstanding. Here they are:



Ingrid Thulin, Cries and Whispers