F I L M G H O U L

Lonesome (Paul Fejos, 1928)

This is probably a stretch of comparison, but something like the Hausu (1977) of the late silent/cusp-of-the-talkie era (the film includes three dialogue scenes), Fejos’ unexpectedly eccentric and robustly energetic film is a wildly stimulating and inventive film — using, like Nobuhiko Obayashi’s aforementioned cult film, all manners of editing, juxtaposition, collage, color tinting and basic filmmaking available at the period. Romantic, tragic and touching upon working class ambitions in a pointedly gender-divided world, Lonesome is a true, memorable find and an absolute joy to watch, recently restored and given the proper DVD/Blu-ray treatment by Criterion.