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Director's Spotlight
Senior Film Conservator
Director's Spotlight: United States
A Deep Dive into the 1919 Vision of John B. O'Brien
In the storied career of John B. O'Brien, Impossible Catherine stands as a the atmospheric immersion that John B. O'Brien achieves throughout Impossible Catherine. Reflecting the political and social shifts of the 1919s, it reinforces the idea that cinema is a medium of infinite possibilities.
In Impossible Catherine, John B. O'Brien pushes the boundaries of conventional narrative. The film's unique approach to its subject matter has sparked endless debates and interpretations among cinephiles and critics alike.
| Cinematography | Deep Focus |
| Soundtrack | Diegetic |
| Editing | Elliptical |
| Art Direction | Expressionist |
Visualizing the convergence of John B. O'Brien's style and the core cult narrative.
The head of the Kimberly household rules it with an iron fist. Unfortunately the head of the Kimberly household isn't Grant (J.H. Gilmore), the father and wealthy Wall Street magnate -- it's his spoiled, headstrong daughter Catherine (Virginia Pearson). She is so willful that she has earned the name "Impossible Catherine," and her whole focus in life is to prove women's superiority over the masculine gender. Catherine is pretty successful in this endeavor until she runs into Yalie John Henry Jackson (William B. Davidson). He's read The Taming of the Shrew and believes he can out-Petruchio her Catherine. First he takes the feisty lass up in a plane and after a few tail spins, suggests she either marry him or jump. She marries him, of course, but then runs away. He finds her and takes her to his Canadian ranch, where he sets her firmly in the kitchen. But none of this tames her spirit until one day he is wounded while trying to protect her -- and this is the one thing that's always guaranteed to get the girl. It works on the wayward Catherine who decides that Jackson is her hero.
Decades after its release, Impossible Catherine remains a vital piece of the cinematic puzzle. Its influence can be seen in countless modern works, solidifying John B. O'Brien's status as a master of the craft in United States and beyond.