Wanda (film)

Wanda is an independent 1970 drama film that was written and directed by Barbara Loden, who also stars in the title role. It is set in the anthracite coal region of eastern Pennsylvania.

Plot

Wanda, after a string of abusive relationships, abandons her family and seeks solace in the company of a petty criminal (Michael Higgins).

Evaluation

Stylistically the film is improvisational and meditative in nature, similar to the works of European directors like Robert Bresson. It is seldom seen, but strongly admired. Loden, the wife of director Elia Kazan, died from cancer before she had an opportunity to make another film. But the legacy of Wanda, one of the very few American feature films directed by a woman at that time, endures.

Further reading

• Melton, Ruby, "Barbara Loden on Wanda—'An Environment that Is Overwhelmingly Ugly and Destructive'", Film Journal v. 1, no. 2 (summer 1971), pp. 11–15.
• Reynaud, Bérénice, “For Wanda”, in The Last Great American Picture Show, Thomas Elsaesser, Alexander Horwath and Noel King, eds, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2004, 223-247 <also published in Senses of Cinema>

External links

• Wanda at the Internet Movie Database
• Wanda at AllRovi
• Wanda at the TCM Movie Database