Winter Light (Ingmar Bergman, 1963)

8/10
Short Ingmar Bergman movie about an ailing priest losing his faith and how it affects, in particular, a woman desperately in love with him and a suicidal fisherman seeking his advice. I really liked it, it actually reminded me a little of Winter Sleep (or vice versa, more like). The priest's dilemma is moving, as are the reactions of those around him. The movie doesn't ask easy questions or offer easy answers. It's probably a "minor" Bergman masterpiece in his legendary filmography but it's worth watching.

The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)

8/10
This has to be a real anomaly in Hitchcock's filmography...it's an out-and-out horror movie, and more than a little campy. In terms of horror, I think Psycho aged a lot better than this one. But at the same time, I think Hitchcock was having more fun with it than maybe some people realized - I think quite a bit of it is tongue-in-cheek. There are still some remarkable sequences, usually involving the birds slowly assembling near Tippi Hendren's character. A scene with her smoking on a bench while they materialize is exquisite.
I also have to point out that, despite Hitchcock's work with leading ladies, Tippi Hendren was god awful. No idea what he saw in her, but I digress. Still very enjoyable.

High and Low (Akira Kurosawa, 1963)

8/10
High and Low is clearly divided into three acts - the first act focuses on the moral struggle of Gondo, forced into paying a ransom for his chauffeur's son. It seems very much of the theatre - virtually all the action takes place in the living room, with a small cast of characters as the issue is dissected from all sides. I enjoyed this act quite a bit - it's certainly an interesting dilemma for the viewer himself to struggle with as he watches the film.
The second act shifts into a police prodecural. Aside from the brilliantly-shot sequence on the train that opens this section, I thought this was easily the film's weakest moment. It could definitely have been trimmed down. But I did enjoy the double meaning the title takes on as they search high and low for the kidnapper.
The third act is the sting the cops set up to nail the kidnapper, and the best of the three, if only because it's so unexpected - chasing a scarred kidnapper with mirrored sunglasses and a carnation in his pocket through drugged-out slums and fast-moving clubs seems like something out of a Seijun Suzuki movie and not something you'd immediately associate with someone like Kurosawa. It definitely made the film that much more endearing to me.

8 1/2 (Federico Fellini, 1963)

8.5/10
No pun intended with the rating. Okay maybe a little. Quite an impressive movie, I feel like I have to watch it 10 more times before everything starts to sink in. It's so self-referential I feel like I only know a fraction of what the film is about after a single viewing. Heavy.