Picnic (1948)
*** (out of 4)
Ambitious and surreal short from Curtis Harrington shows an older couple and a younger couple going on a picnic. Once they begin eating the younger man notices a young woman dancing along the beach so he goes to follow her but no matter what he does he can't quite reach her. This film shares a lot in common with the director's FRAGMENT OF SEEKING, which was released two years earlier. In this film the settings have changed from the streets to the beach but both pretty much deal with the same thing. I thought this was a pretty good film, although like many of the director's films, a hundred people could view it and come up with a hundred different explanations as to what is happening. There's some nice atmosphere throughout the film and there's no question that it has a surreal touch to it. Another plus is the nice music score and the cinematography. It should also be worth noting that a Frankenstein like monster appears in the highlight of the film dealing with some stairs. This certainly isn't going to be mistaken for the work of Luis Bunuel but it's worth watching.