The Savage Eye

The 1959 movie The Savage Eye is a groundbreaking fusion of fiction and documentary filmmaking that delivers an existential meditation on post-WWII American urban life through a profound and starkly poetic narrative. Directed by Ben Maddow, Sidney Meyers, and Joseph Strick, this unique film stars Barbara Baxley, Gary Merrill, and Herschel Bernardi, intermingling their performances with non-actors to enhance the film's sobering authenticity and flights of social commentary.

The film unfolds through a series of loosely connected episodes witnessed in drab, grainy black and white by the main character, Judith (Barbara Baxley). Judith is a recently divorced woman trying to navigate her new path of singlehood in the vast and isolating landscapes of Los Angeles. Her interactions and observations of the city's diverse inhabitants throughout the movie formulate the foundational yet fragmented heart of the film's narrative.

Gary Merrill's character serves as our unseen but omniscient narrator, guiding our journey along with Judith. His everyman voice lends a narrative touch that is conscious, introspective, and characteristic of the film's unfiltered exploration of urban life in Los Angeles. The musings between Judith and the narrator weave beautifully raw tonal tapestries that are both stark and emotive in portraying the fragile human condition within the urban sprawl.

As Judith, Barbara Baxley delivers a performance that is haunting, filled with uncertainty and despair but also subtly enlightening in its exploration of solitude. Through her, the movie raises lingering questions about the very meaning and essence of human existence in an ever-changing and often dispassionate cityscape. Her portrayal of Judith's journey, both physical and emotional, as she metamorphoses from a fragile, defeated woman, to an observer, and finally an active participant in life is both visceral and evocative.

In a notable stylistic choice, the film integrates real-life people, events, and places into its narrative structure, dialing up the realism and adding a layer of raw authenticity. The blending of professional acting with documentary-style footage of Los Angeles city life, from the glitzy Hollywood glamour to the stark contrast of poverty-ridden streets, produces unusual cinematic montages that challenge conventional storytelling.

Herschel Bernardi plays a subtly disturbing role, but to reveal his character would venture towards spoiling the film. Suffice it to say; his performance adds yet another layer of complexity to this layered and textural film.

What sets The Savage Eye apart from other cinematic offerings of the era is its experimental nature. There's an exhilarating sense of unpredictability about the film that mirrors the unpredictability of urban life itself. It composes a kaleidoscope of human existence: loneliness, joy, despair, and hope are all intertwined and examined under an interrogative lens that is both brutal and empathetic. All the while, it does not shy away from the harsh realities of life - the poverty, the inequality, the alienation hidden beneath the city's glitz and glamor.

As a pioneering example of the cinéma vérité, or true cinema style, The Savage Eye pushes the boundaries of what cinema can do and say. The filmmakers cleverly manipulate light and shadow to infuse a sense of realism in their frame like rarely seen before. It presents itself as a brave and fascinating exploration of one woman's personal journey set against the backdrop of Los Angeles's broad and tumultuous landscape.

In viewing The Savage Eye, the audience is invited to embark on a contemplative journey guided by the intrinsic beauty and brutality of post-war urban American life. It offers a diametrically different cinematic experience, veered more towards introspective observational cinema. While not for everyone, audiences willing to approach this film with an open mind may find themselves profoundly moved by its stark, raw portrayal of life's joys and desolations and its pulsating poignancy.

The Savage Eye is a unique cinematic experience, existing at the peripheries of traditional narrative cinema and documentary filmmaking. It's a challenging yet rewarding plunge into the depths of human socio-political existence in the vast urban sprawl, a time capsule that captures the essence of post-war Los Angeles with a raw realism rarely witnessed on screen. Despite its seemingly bleak vision, the film manages to evoke a sense of hope - a firm reminder that life, though harsh, is worth living and exploring.