I most definitely saw Neo-Realism, and Breathless, in Engel, especially in Little Fugitive. It hadn't really struck me quite as much before, because I've been so caught up in the setting, and in recognizing everything I knew as a child. You might say that Engel's works are the nicer, optimistic side of Neo-Realism. I liked Lovers and Lollipops more this time than the last time I saw it, which was some time ago, but I still can't warm to Viveca Lindfors (in the third Engel movie), and I think she's a lousy actress.ChiO wrote:Thank you, Judith, for the reminder. It was my first time seeing the three Morris Engel films and to say I was floored would be an understatement. Each, especially THE LITTLE FUGITIVE, was a revelation. It is fascinating, and unfortunately rare, to watch a director who treats children as young persons with dignity rather than as primitive innocents or little adults. Like Jacques Tourneur and Charles Burnett, he captured children as children and with respect. Fabulous movies.
I saw more Kubrick and Burnett, rather than Cassavetes, in these films and there were certainly roots in Italian Neo-Realism. What a joy. Thanks again, Judith (and TCM), for helping me wander into these.
The children were remarkable, weren't they?