Samuel Fuller: A Raw Confrontational Film-making Style
- Michael Daly
- Oct 20, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 28, 2019
Hello Readers. Glad to be back at blogging after a week off. Let's bring it back to American film after spending the last couple entry's in Japan and France. For this entry, I'll be discussing American filmmaker, Samuel Fuller. 'If you don't like the films of Sam Fuller, then you just don't like cinema.' This is a quote from Martin Scorsese which seems a bit provocative and dare I say, arrogant, but I do see where he's coming from. Fuller is not a really name you usually hear being regarded as an essential filmmaker, but his catalog of films are unique and his audacious style really stands out. His films are pulpy, unsubtle, and cheap, but he wasn't afraid to explore with serious and controversial themes such as war, racism and mental illness. I'll be discussing two film that I feel that define Fuller's bold vision.
The Steel Helmet (1951)
War was an important topic for Fuller. During World War II, Fuller joined the United States Army and was assigned as an infantryman to the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, and experienced heavy combat. Fuller believed that if you wanted to portray War in the most realistic way possible, the only way you can depict that is if you experienced combat yourself. The Steel Helmet is an essential film about the Korean War, which generally flies under the radar of other combat films, especially sub genre war films about World World War II and the Vietnam War. Fuller depicts the chaos of war bringing together white, black, and Japanese-American soldiers, a North Korean prisoner-of-war and a South Korean orphan. No Budget? No problem for Fuller and his crew. This was shot in 10 days with a budget of $104,000, and yet, Fuller is still able to create a raw and authentic piece.
My Personal Experience with The Steel Helmet - When I first watched The Steel Helmet I was shocked on how it confronts the audience with race and class issues. I find it insane that this was made as the Korean War was still in progress. A lot of war movies are black and white with their messages, but I find this one much more grounded. I also love how Fuller uses intense close-ups. Check this one out in the opening shot.
Shock Corridor (1963)
Shock Corridor is an insane, fun exploitation flick about a reporter faking insanity to investigate a murder in a mental hospital. Like most of Fuller's work, it is bold and risky. This is a movie kind of similar to Shutter Island (2010), although Scorsese goes for a more suspense feel with more Hitchcockian touch in that one. Here, Fuller is interested in exploring insanity, but he also doesn't shy away from some political and social themes here. It's a wonderful examination of the human psyche.
My Personal Experience with Shock Corridor - I thought One Flew Over the Cuko's Nest (1975) was the one of the best movies that explored insanity at an an Asylum. Then after I saw Shock Corridor I had to rethink that. The way it presented the internal turmoil of the patients and their suffering through some nice visual techniques was striking. Here is one of the many disturbing scenes in Shock Corridor.
Here, Sam Hamm talks about a Fuller classic, Pickup on South Street (1953). Not only is this considered one of Fuller's best film's, but it is also one of the great noir's of the 1950's. This just missed out on my noir list for my first entry so I figured this would be a great opportunity to mention it for this entry. Hamm discusses the communist scare aspect of the film and the typical trademarks that showcase a Fuller film. Readers if you haven't seen this movie, check it out as soon as possible. Pickup on South Street might be Fuller at his most crude and outrageous.
Keep in touch next week readers. Next entry will be about some of the top criterion releases that were released for this year.
Info on Film's: https://www.criterion.com/films/445-the-steel-helmet: https://www.criterion.com/films/534-shock-corridor
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