Directed by:
Barbara LodenScreenplay:
Barbara LodenCinematography:
Nicholas T. ProferesCast:
Barbara Loden, Michael Higgins, Dorothy Shupenes, Peter Shupenes, Jerome Thier, Marian Thier, Nicholas T. Proferes, Anthony Rotell, Valerie MamchesVOD (1)
Plots(1)
Barbara Loden’s first and last directorial feature was inspired by a news story she had read about a woman who thanked a judge for convicting her to jail time, if only because of the respite it offered from the drudgery of daily life. Her film depicts a Pennsylvania housewife (Loden) in coal mining country who drops her marriage and parental responsibilities to drift through a series of bars and motels until she pairs up with a criminal on the run. A glamorous, romanticized Bonnie-and-Clyde tale, this is not - Wanda is a lost and aimless soul. After years in the wilderness, with very few public screenings, her story is now widely recognized as an American classic, one that portrays a traditionally undervalued and overlooked section of society. (British Film Institute (BFI))
(more)Reviews (1)
This film definitely stands out with its realistic camera work. It gradually gets under your skin because it's possible to identify with the protagonist and the horrifying world she lives in. However, it's also possible to see the film merely as a pose and an attempt to show how difficult the lower classes have it and what they resort to, or how they are dragged down by their apathy. But I lean more towards the first interpretation, which is so grandly named cinema verité.
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