Past Masters

SPRING NIGHT, SUMMER NIGHT (A) - This perfect nugget of Americana filmmaking finally got some attention on its 50th anniversary last year. The Appalachian love story has been one of the lost gems of cinema, and its restoration is a triumph.

This BFI story explains the movie's phenomenon, including its connection to the Guild Cinema and its former co-owner Peter Conheim. This is essentially the only film J.L. Anderson ever crafted and sought to release, and it is flawless, essentially a blueprint for the American New Wave of the late 1960s and '70s.

Gorgeous black-and-white images abound in the rural setting. Anderson employs a pseudo-documentary style, melding a handful of professional actors with locals. A brother and sister -- who question whether they are actually blood siblings -- take their attraction a step too far, leaving Jessica (Larue Hall) pregnant. Carl (Ted Heim) flees for a while as the family grapples with the disgraceful situation. The hard-ass father (John Crawford) bickers constantly with his wife (the mesmerizing Marj Johnson, with that '60s Ethel Kennedy glow about her), who likes to flirt around town.

The bar scenes are covered in grit. The landscapes in southeast Ohio are stunning. One extended scene involving a sensuous young woman licking an ice cream cone while riding on the back of a motorbike is a master class in filmmaking. Just one element in an absolute masterpiece.

COLD WAR (B+) - There's something antiseptic about Pawel Pawlikowski's postwar love story set behind the Iron Curtain. Stunningly shot in crisp black-and-white, every scene is meticulously laid out and a feast for the eyes.

But "Cold War" can be a little too cold. Joanna Kulig and Tomasz Kot play star-crossed lovers whose off-and-on romance ebbs and flows along with the fate of the Eastern Bloc. Like the smooth jazz that dominates the soundtrack, the film itself can feel light and effervescent, not unlike "Roma" in the way it entertains visually but fizzes away with the aftertaste.

This is Pawlikowski's follow-up to "Ida," but it lacks the gravitas of that previous film. Kulig and Kot are moving throughout, but there is something off about their chemistry (which is partially the point). At 89 minutes, this is succinct storytelling and especially luscious on the big screen.

BONUS TRACKS
A representative clip from "Spring Night, Summer Night," including that motorbike sequence:



A fine analysis of "Spring Night, Summer Night":