two weeks in another town (1962)
Minnelli's Two Weeks in Another Town crafts film experience as it mirrors the protagonist's experience to the letter. As we begin his life has been diffused, no passion, nothing in his life takes hold of meaning and lives it; the film is much the same. Scenes fall flat, romances never reach their peak, every emotion seems muted, or lost. We look around every corner and nothing seems to ring. Suddenly, Douglas' character discovers purpose and meaning in the final act, the film takes off, it's alive. To no end. We never get to fully experience that transformation as it's cut short by more crushing reality. Suddenly, the film shifts again into a bizarre bombast; a trip from the lunatic fringe.