While October is a month of horror films and fun scares, it also heralds the best season: Fall. Below is a collection of some films to get you in the mood for seasonal change, autumnal tones, and familial strife.
All That Heaven Allows (1955), Dir. Douglas Sirk
Predicated on a May-December romance. The difference here is that the woman, attractive widow Cary Scott (Jane Wyman), is considerably older than the man, handsome gardener-landscaper Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson). Throwing conventional behavior to the winds and facing social ostracism, Cary pursues her romance with Ron, who is unjustly perceived as a fortune-hunter by Cary's friends and family -- especially her priggish son, Ned (William Reynolds).
The Stranger (1946), dir. Orson Welles
Immediately following World War II, ex-Nazi Franz Kindler (Orson Welles) is living under a false identity as a teacher in a small Connecticut town, and has even married the headmaster's daughter (Loretta Young) as part of his cover. But when one of Kindler's old German associates (Konstantin Shayne) arrives unexpectedly in town, bringing in his wake a sly federal investigator (Edward G. Robinson), Kindler resorts to desperate measures to preserve his secret.
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), dir. William Wyler
Fred, Al and Homer are three World War II veterans facing difficulties as they re-enter civilian life. Fred (Dana Andrews) is a war hero who, unable to compete with more highly skilled workers, has to return to his low-wage soda jerk job. Bank executive Al (Fredric March) gets into trouble for offering favorable loans to veterans. After losing both hands in the war, Homer (Harold Russell) returns to his loving fiancée, but must struggle to adjust.
An Autumn Afternoon (1962), Dir. Yasujiro Ozu
In the wake of his wife's death, aging Shuhei Hirayama (Chishu Ryu) struggles to maintain balanced relationships with his three children. He tends to spoil his eldest, the happily married Kazuo (Shinichiro Mikami), who spends more of his father's money than his own. The middle child, 24-year-old Michiko (Shima Iwashita), is looking for love herself, but feels obligated to run Shuhei's household and care for his youngest child, teenaged Koichi (Keiji Sada), who can't connect with his father.
Autumn Sonata (1978), Dir. Ingmar Bergman
After a seven-year absence, Charlotte Andergast (Ingrid Bergman) travels to Sweden to reunite with her daughter Eva (Liv Ullmann). The pair have a troubled relationship: Charlotte sacrificed the responsibilities of motherhood for a career as a classical pianist. Over an emotional night, the pair reopen the wounds of the past. Charlotte gets another shock when she finds out that her mentally impaired daughter, Helena (Lena Nyman), is out of the asylum and living with Eva.
*NOTE: All of these films are available on Youtube, however, since some of them are foreign language films, they are not available with English subtitles.
Sources: Google for film summaries, 12345
ONTD, what are your favorite classic films with a fall vibe? Or any films with a fall vibe? (I expect some Practical Magic spamming in here, fyi.)
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All That Heaven Allows (1955), Dir. Douglas Sirk
Predicated on a May-December romance. The difference here is that the woman, attractive widow Cary Scott (Jane Wyman), is considerably older than the man, handsome gardener-landscaper Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson). Throwing conventional behavior to the winds and facing social ostracism, Cary pursues her romance with Ron, who is unjustly perceived as a fortune-hunter by Cary's friends and family -- especially her priggish son, Ned (William Reynolds).
The Stranger (1946), dir. Orson Welles
Immediately following World War II, ex-Nazi Franz Kindler (Orson Welles) is living under a false identity as a teacher in a small Connecticut town, and has even married the headmaster's daughter (Loretta Young) as part of his cover. But when one of Kindler's old German associates (Konstantin Shayne) arrives unexpectedly in town, bringing in his wake a sly federal investigator (Edward G. Robinson), Kindler resorts to desperate measures to preserve his secret.
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), dir. William Wyler
Fred, Al and Homer are three World War II veterans facing difficulties as they re-enter civilian life. Fred (Dana Andrews) is a war hero who, unable to compete with more highly skilled workers, has to return to his low-wage soda jerk job. Bank executive Al (Fredric March) gets into trouble for offering favorable loans to veterans. After losing both hands in the war, Homer (Harold Russell) returns to his loving fiancée, but must struggle to adjust.
An Autumn Afternoon (1962), Dir. Yasujiro Ozu
In the wake of his wife's death, aging Shuhei Hirayama (Chishu Ryu) struggles to maintain balanced relationships with his three children. He tends to spoil his eldest, the happily married Kazuo (Shinichiro Mikami), who spends more of his father's money than his own. The middle child, 24-year-old Michiko (Shima Iwashita), is looking for love herself, but feels obligated to run Shuhei's household and care for his youngest child, teenaged Koichi (Keiji Sada), who can't connect with his father.
Autumn Sonata (1978), Dir. Ingmar Bergman
After a seven-year absence, Charlotte Andergast (Ingrid Bergman) travels to Sweden to reunite with her daughter Eva (Liv Ullmann). The pair have a troubled relationship: Charlotte sacrificed the responsibilities of motherhood for a career as a classical pianist. Over an emotional night, the pair reopen the wounds of the past. Charlotte gets another shock when she finds out that her mentally impaired daughter, Helena (Lena Nyman), is out of the asylum and living with Eva.
*NOTE: All of these films are available on Youtube, however, since some of them are foreign language films, they are not available with English subtitles.
Sources: Google for film summaries, 12345
ONTD, what are your favorite classic films with a fall vibe? Or any films with a fall vibe? (I expect some Practical Magic spamming in here, fyi.)
