This grim, heavy-handed melodrama chronicles the life and problems of Deborah Blake (Kathleen Quinlan), a young schizophrenic mental patient. We observe as her subdued parents take her to yet another mental hospital, which looks clean and decent. Deborah is treated by Dr. Fried (Bibi Andersson, Bergman’s reliable actress), a skillful therapist who gets past her […]

Israeli director Moshe Mizrahi tells the serio-comic story of a young widow named Rosa, only 21, who according to Jewish law, has to marry her late husband’s brother. But what if the brother is only 11? The Oscar-nominated film, which is set in Jerusalem in the 19th centure, is nicely shot. Mizrahi is better known for […]

Directed by Aleksander Petrovic, this Oscar nominated film from Yugoslavia centers on a gypsy traveling saelesman, who rescues a young girl from her sexually abusive stepfather. One of the first films to deal with the issue of gypsies in what was then Yugoslavia. Oscar Nominations: 1 Best Foreign Language Film   Oscar Awards: Oscar Context: […]

Robert Aldrich’s Gothic horror film is a well-executed follow-up to his 1962 “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” but not as satisfying or enjoyable. Both films star Bette Davis as a deranged woman in her horror queen era (just before the end of her viable career as a star), and both were commercial hits at […]