☆☆☆☆☆ Classic
Separation (1968) is a visually gorgeous and arresting film with one of the most complicated edits on film.
Directed by Jack Bond.
Starring Jane Arden, David de Keyser and Ann Lynn among many others.
A visually gorgeous and arresting film with one of the most complicated edits that I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. Its a difficult film to understand unless you do some research. The film is cut and presented as if you were going through the mental breakdown of the lead female character. The director chose to split time between the present and past while simultaneously switching between reality and fantasy which left me confused, baffled but in awe of how it looks visually.
The most jaw dropping scenes are the video projections across an entire wall of an apartment when Jane's character is in bed. We see her present, past, fantasy and her real life projected while she is in a scene in the foreground. Then the projected film starts to melt into burnt bubbles on screen.
I could clearly see what Bond and Arden were aiming for, but missed by not queuing in the audience with an edit that clarifies whether its a past, present, reality or fantasy sequence on the background projection. I would love a crack at a re-edit to clarify the projections to make the film more comprehensible. I think its the key to unlocking the visual power of this film.
The scene below is hard to follow unless you understand that the filmmakers are editing the scenes, so that you are seeing, hearing and feeling what Jane's characters mind is thinking about at this point of the film. She is disturbed mentally, so that her mind is racing with past and present events in her mind. The voice over is of her husband played by Dan, who happens to be her psychologist in this scene and who is standing to the right side of her.
Film Scene
Trivia - Music is by Stanley Myers, and one song "Salad Days" is by the British rock group Procol Harum. The instrumental music is by Procol's original Hammond organist Matthew Fisher.
Note - If you would like to view Separation (1968) to rent or buy please click on the link below the comments. It is sponsored by Google, so it is the safest and most secure way to get a copy for your film library.
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