Wanda

On 19th March, 2019 released Blu-ray of “Wanda” restored by Criterion. As the Criterion Collection doesn’t release just movies, I tried to understand what is that “Wanda”, because the IMDB had about 2500 and KinoPoisk only 200 rating records.

Movie’s first minutes are showing the atmosphere of the post-WWII USA: the industrial heyday, the accumulation of wealth and therefore happy people.

One of these people was pleasing (probably an emigrant) Wanda, whose behavior and language testified to her ignorance and youthful, even childish naivety. And when she meets filthy gangster — Mr. Dennis (during whole movie she calls him that), their story becomes an analogue of the “Bonnie and Clyde” of the sixties …

Great amount of work done by Barbara Loden — the “auteur” of movie, who don’t have any serious work as a director/actor, except the “Wanda”. Comparing to Vincent Gallo’s “Buffalo 66” I had a thought that Gallo also might have influenced by “Wanda” while creating his masterpiece.

Movie Information

Country: USA
Studio: Foundation for Filmmakers
Genre: Drama, crime
Year: 1970
Runtime: 01:43:15
Written and directed by: Barbara Loden
Starred: Barbara Loden, Michael Higgins, Dorothy Shupenes, Peter Shupenes, Jerome Thier, Marian Thier, Anthony Rotell, M.L. Kennedy, Gerald Grippo, Milton Gittleman, Lila Gittleman, Arnold Kanig, Joe Dennis, Charles Dosinan, Jack Ford