Wanda (film)
| Wanda | |
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DVD cover
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| Directed by | Barbara Loden |
| Produced by | Harry Shuster |
| Written by | Barbara Loden |
| Starring |
Barbara Loden Michael Higgins |
| Cinematography | Nicholas Proferes |
| Edited by | Nicholas Proferes |
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Release date
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Running time
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102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $115,000 |
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.
The film played at the 31st Venice International Film Festival where it won the Pasinetti Award for Best Foreign Film. A special restored version of the film was played at the 67th Venice International Film Festival out of competition.
Wanda Goronski, an unhappy housewife, stays on her sister's couch after leaving her husband. Showing up to a court divorce hearing late, she relinquishes her rights to her children and grants her husband a divorce.
Unable to find work, Wanda runs away with a man with whom she had a one night stand, only for him to abandon her at an ice cream stand. With rapidly dwindling funds, Wanda takes a nap in a movie theatre, where she is robbed in her sleep. Going to a bar to use the restroom, Wanda becomes infatuated with a man she thinks to be the bartender. Unbeknownst to her, the man, Norman Dennis, is a bank robber in the process of robbing the bar. Unable to rid himself of Wanda, Dennis takes her on the run with him. Even after learning about the details of Norman's lifestyle, Wanda decides to stay with Norman.
Wanda spends some time on the road with Norman, even though he becomes physically and emotionally abusive to her. Eventually, Norman convinces Wanda to be his lookout for a planned bank robbery. The robbery goes wrong, and Dennis is shot and killed; Wanda escapes undetected.
Alone again, Wanda hitches a ride with a man who attempts to sexually assault her. Wanda escapes and runs through the woods. The film ends with Wanda at a bar, where strangers supply her with food, alcohol, and cigarettes.
Barbara Loden stated that the film was semi-autobiographical and that she was inspired to write it after reading a newspaper report that a woman had thanked a judge after he sentenced her to prison. Her husband Elia Kazan claimed to have written the initial script and then "[Loden] rewrote it many times, and it became hers."
The movie was shot using on a budget of roughly $100,000 and using a crew of four: Loden, editor/cinematographer Nicholas Proferes, Lars Hedman doing lighting/sound, and assistant Christopher Cromin.Loden and Michael Higgins were the only two professional actors used in the production and most of their scenes were a result of improv between the two.
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