Closed Set w/ Themistoklis Alexis

In the second instalment of our three-part series on Elia Kazan (1909-2003), we cover his controversial testimony before the House of Un-American Activities Committee during the days of the Hollywood Blacklist, as well as the films he helmed throughout the 50s. Kazan's testimony made him a polarizing figure within the industry, and he followed it with silver screen classics like On the Waterfront, East of Eden, and the prophetic A Face in the Crowd. Join us as we explore the works and the transgression that made Kazan's decorated, yet tarnished legacy. Kisses many.

The podcast returns with the first of a three-part series covering Elia Kazan (1909-2003), a director, actor, and novelist whose career in film spanned over 30 years. In addition to being a celebrated theatre director who staged works from titans like Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller, Kazan co-founded the Actors Studio and helmed films like Gentleman's Agreement, A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, and East of Eden. The director's life wasn't without controversy, as his testimony to the House of Un-American Activities Committee during the days of the Hollywood Blacklist made him a polarizing figure in the industry. Join us as we look at his early films, his brief stint as a member of the communist party, and his role in the Group Theatre and the Actors Studio. Kisses many.

We return for a look at the life and work of Jean-Pierre Melville (1917-1973), a beloved French director, screenwriter, and occasional actor who helmed the classics Le Silence de la Mer, Les Enfants Terribles, Leon Morin - Pretre, Le Doulos, and Le Samourai. After serving in the French Resistance during World War II, Melville returned to his native Paris to live out his dream of making films and was the only French filmmaker of his era to own his own studio. A cinephile with encyclopedic knowledge and an undying love of American film noir, Melville created a singular, intimate Paris underworld of cops and crooks, all while developing a style that became a forebear of the French New Wave. Kisses many.

We return for a look at the life and work of the great Ida Lupino (1918-1995), a prolific and beloved actress, screenwriter, and director. Born to a family of performers, Lupino was the only woman of her era to claim a director's chair and drafted the blueprint for independent filmmaking in the US, all while maintaining an enviable output. In addition to directing 100+ episodes of television, she helmed seven feature films, many of which shed light on subjects that most studios wouldn't touch, from unwed mothers to polio to rape. As an artist as talented in front of the camera as she was behind it, Lupino enjoyed a productive, albeit tumultuous career that spanned over 40 years. Kisses many.

This week, we take a look at the work of decorated American screenwriter and director Robert Benton (b. 1932). After working as an art director at Esquire and a writer on classics like Bonnie & Clyde and What's Up, Doc?, Benton tried his hand at directing in the early 70s and helmed some gems like the acid western Bad Company, the neo-noir mystery The Late Show, and family drama Kramer vs. Kramer. Join us as we celebrate these great works and more from this 3-time Oscar winner. Kisses many.

This week, we revisit the life and work of the great Czech-British filmmaker Karel Reisz (1926-2002). A seminal figure of England's Free Cinema movement and the British New Wave, Reisz announced his arrival with the 1960 "kitchen sink" classic Saturday Night and Sunday Morning before directing memorable films like Morgan - A Suitable Case for Treatment, Isadora, The Gambler, and The French Lieutenant's Woman. Join us as we celebrate the work of a reserved and unassuming man who deftly examined some of the darker sides of human behaviour. Kisses many.

In this episode, we desperately try to stave off the sophomore jinx with a comprehensive look at the life and work of George Roy Hill (1921-2002), who helmed classics like the western Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, caper film The Sting, the flapper-era musical Thoroughly Modern Mille, the cult classic Slap Shot, and the adaptation of John Irving's novel The World According to Garp. Join us as we revisit these works and more in the spectrum-spanning catalogue of the erudite, stingy, and perverted Hill.

We properly kick off the Closed Set podcast with a celebration of the life and work of John Cassavetes (1929-1989), a pioneer of independent American cinema responsible for films like Shadows, Faces, A Woman Under the Influence, and Love Streams. A uniquely talented director, actor, screenwriter, and playwright, Cassavetes remains beloved by filmmakers and cinephiles alike for his raw, honest, and most importantly, nuanced examinations of love and life. Kisses many.