“Wanda” A heroine who refuses to accept the ending, her never-ending story

tiffany blue particles

The scene where Wanda and Dennis look up at the blue sky after spotting a radio-controlled airplane flying is probably the biggest highlight of the film, where the beautiful Tiffany blue leaves a strong impression. Dennis slowly climbs onto the roof of the car and announces his presence to the flying object. "Come back! This way!" Dennis' sudden act here seems like an SOS. Perhaps Dennis wants us to help those who have been left behind on an island in American society. This scene, in which the two stranded people dissolve into the blue sky and white clouds, is both funny and emotionally moving.

There is another important element in this scene. Dennis, who used to treat Wanda in a commanding tone, shows a surprising side when he hangs her jacket from behind when she's cold. Dennis is a person who can only treat women in a tragically forceful manner, so his attitude cannot be said to be defensible. Thinking back, even in the scene where they send her out to buy hamburgers in the middle of the night, Dennis may have been jealous of the family photo left in Wanda's wallet. Wanda chose to follow Dennis even after finding out he was a criminal. It can be said that this is one of the few actions that Wanda actively chose. And unlike all the men before her, Dennis never abandoned her. I just respected her choice. And the fact that this choice is neither dramatic nor romantic is what makes this work a unique masterpiece.

“Wanda” (C)1970 FOUNDATION FOR FILMMAKERS

An important conversation takes place between Wanda and Dennis. Wanda doesn't want anything in life, but Dennis tells her that she's not even an American citizen. Dennis promises to buy Wanda a hat. After finishing their shopping and driving again, Dennis throws away all of Wanda's lipstick and other items. There may have been a discrepancy between the image of Wanda that Dennis envisions and the Wanda that fulfills that vision. Or perhaps Dennis is irritated with himself for being so kind to Wanda. Dennis's constant attitude is depicted as a metaphor for the relationship between an authoritarian filmmaker and the female actors who follow him. Isabelle Huppert also mentions this.

According to Michael Higgins, Barbara Rhoden suggested they improvise the radio-controlled scene after she happened to see a radio-controlled airplane flying in the blue sky. Nicholas T. Professores, who served as the director of photography for this film, used the same documentary style to shoot works directed by novelist Norman Mailer. The fact that he was able to capture such rich variations in the narrow space of the car that Wanda and Dennis were riding in was largely due to his familiarity with flexible photography.

The 16mm film and small staff style of Wanda also influenced Elia Kazan's filmmaking. For ``The Unexpected Visitor'' (1972), he asked Nicholas T. Professores to be the director of photography and shot the film using 16mm film and a minimal crew. Just like in ``Wanda'', the scenery captured through the window and the coarse grain of the film are beautiful.

A movie/heroine who refuses the ending