Rapture (1965) vs. Evening (1966)

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Rapture (John Guillermin, 1965) vs. Evening (Eduard Galic, 1966)

Vote for either x1965 or x1966 (italicization unnecessary).

The deadline for voting is 12 a.m. EST on Friday, June 14.

If you need access to the films, please let us know.

[Mario Gaborovic]

You can see the short Predvecerje here on my channel where I personally uploaded + translated:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdx96z5nULo

These people speak in heavy accent so I couldn't dig one line at all. Hence I just put "???"

[DT.]

Thanks for the upload, Mario!

That said, I have to go with x1965. Despite the ickiness of its storyline, I have a soft spot for Rapture and its incredibly expressive cinematography. It'd make a great double bill with Clay from the same year, which it shares more than a few formal and narrative qualities with.

[mesnalty]

I've got more or less the same feelings as DT. Evening is beautifully haunting, and it'd get my vote in many matchups, but Rapture was a really pleasant surprise. Wasn't expecting much, with The Blue Max being the only Guillermin film I'd previously seen, but this was beautifully shot and I can forgive the ickiness of the plot when it's tackled with such gusto. A few too many Dutch angles for my taste, but otherwise delightful.

x1965

[ofrene]

x1965

[Lencho of the Apes]

I feel like that cycle of early-sixties movies about young people and mental health haven't aged well, but seeing how a number of them are clustered up in that 1962-65 period makes me wonder if wasn't responding -- even preemptively -- to the current of youth-driven social evolution that was building up in those years. Something like this almost lies explicitly on the surface of Spider Baby (made in '64/premiered in '67), in which all the children of America are infected with a disease that's going to drive them insane when they hit puberty.

[ItsUhhMee]

Sorry, I've not been active on here. Been busy with a new job. I'm gonna get these three in, though, promise! (And catch up on the ones unseen from previous rounds).

[rischka]

x1966 -- lovely lament for the lost towns of istria. rapture had nice cinematography but i couldn't get past the creepiness of sundays with cybele and blue velvet's dean stockwell.

[Brotherdeacon]

x1965, Yes Rischka, I agree about the creepiness of Sundays and Cybele, but we can't blame films on actors involvements can we? If we can, I'll reminisce of Dean Stockwell as The Boy with the Green Hair, which was a revelation to the young Brotherdeacon--realizing I wasn't the only freak kid in a conservative community of Stepford Husbands. To tell the truth, I think Rapture benefits quite a bit from its perverse subtexts. It sure doesn't seem like an American movie, even if some money came from its shores--had a uniquely Brit sensibility to me, say Whistle Down the Wind (1961) or A Taste of Honey (1961), but a tad more unspoken, closeted sexuality in its daddy/daughter/scarecrow/escapee underbelly. The entire film was carried on the shoulders of that young actress, Patricia Gozzi, who blazed a compelling and multifaceted characterization like a seasoned, talented pro with motion-picture personification insights beyond her years. Though all the cast was fine, their quality of excellence points to John Guillermin as deserving of directorial kudos.

Enjoyed Evening (Eduard Galic, 1966) for the moody hidden history of those disappeared country folk in each assorted village. But I kept thinking of real estate values rather than the themes Mr. Galic most probably wanted me to think about. For lack of a better comparison, Rapture seemed a large work with risks, good performances, very nice scope B&W cinematography, quizical motivations and lovely locations; whereas Evening was decidedly smaller in scope, yet not really intimate--more evocative of a list of compact obituaries with atmospheric photos included. In truth these films shouldn't be compared so tersely. They were both very moving and unusual. Tough match.

[john ryan]

x1966

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Voting closed! Rapture (1965) wins!