{"id":3623,"date":"2007-07-12T12:24:41","date_gmt":"2007-07-12T19:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3623"},"modified":"2020-12-29T12:15:29","modified_gmt":"2020-12-29T19:15:29","slug":"savage-eye-the-1960","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3623","title":{"rendered":"Savage Eye, The (1960)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Half the women in this place are living on bourbon, cottage cheese, and alimony.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Poster-162x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"162\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-23079\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Poster-162x300.jpg 162w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Poster-69x128.jpg 69w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 162px) 100vw, 162px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA depressed new divorcee (Barbara Baxley) occupies her free time with diversions, including an affair with a married man (Herschel Bernardi) she doesn&#8217;t particularly like.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Divorce<\/li>\n<li>Documentary<\/li>\n<li>Feminism and Women&#8217;s Issues<\/li>\n<li>Gary Merrill Films<\/li>\n<li>Los Angeles<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nMade on weekends over a year&#8217;s time by a collective team of directors &#8212; Ben Maddow, Sidney Meyers, and Joseph Strick &#8212; this pseudo-documentary (only five professional actors were used) is both powerful and unique. As we watch the film&#8217;s protagonist, Judith McGuire (Baxley), move throughout her day, we gain an unfiltered glimpse at Los Angeles in the late 1950s: Judith gets her hair done on a weekly basis, has a drink at the bar after lunch, plays poker gratefully with strangers, watches a faith healing ceremony, attends a boxing match, and goes to a strip club with her &#8220;gentleman friend&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>Although there&#8217;s no real-time dialogue in the film, Judith&#8217;s back-and-forth commentary with her &#8220;angel&#8221; (or conscience), played by Gary Merrill, allows us to see behind the fa\u00e7ade of her actions, and empathize with her unspoken thoughts and reactions: she refers to her unborn children (she used birth control) as &#8220;killed&#8221;; she longs for her philandering ex-husband to want her back; she admits that she&#8217;s seeing a married man &#8220;for revenge&#8221;; she agonizes over time passing painfully slowly. The cumulative effect is one of hypnotic fascination, as we eventually realize that Judith&#8217;s status as a divorcee is meant to represent the essential loneliness of all humans, and that she&#8217;s not alone in her despair. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Barbara Baxley in the lead role<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Baxley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Baxley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-60375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Baxley.jpg 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Baxley-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Baxley-128x96.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Baxley-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A powerful depiction of post-divorce despair<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Depressed.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Depressed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-60376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Depressed.jpg 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Depressed-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Depressed-128x96.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Depressed-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Many memorable images of Americans attempting to assuage their loneliness and dissatisfaction<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Surgeon.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Surgeon.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-60377\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Surgeon.jpg 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Surgeon-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Surgeon-128x96.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Surgeon-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The surreal transvestite scene near the end of the film<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Surreal2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Surreal2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-60378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Surreal2.jpg 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Surreal2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Surreal2-128x96.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Savage-Eye-Surreal2-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Leonard Rosenman&#8217;s eclectic score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes. This unusual movie should be seen by all film fanatics at least once. It&#8217;s listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary&#8217;s book, but it probably doesn&#8217;t have much of a current following. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0054270\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1960\/06\/07\/archives\/screen-essay-on-love-the-savage-eye-bows-at-translux-52d.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Half the women in this place are living on bourbon, cottage cheese, and alimony.&#8221; Synopsis: A depressed new divorcee (Barbara Baxley) occupies her free time with diversions, including an affair with a married man (Herschel Bernardi) she doesn&#8217;t particularly like. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Divorce Documentary Feminism and Women&#8217;s Issues Gary Merrill Films Los Angeles Review: Made on weekends over a year&#8217;s time by a collective team of directors &#8212; Ben Maddow, Sidney Meyers, and Joseph Strick &#8212; this&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3623\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3623"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3623\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60379,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3623\/revisions\/60379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}