FilmBabble: The Sight and Sound Top 100

Today, Charlie and Antonio take their second trip to the world of Senegalese cinema: Djibril Diop Mambéty's TOUKI BOUKI. Listen along as they grapple with this renegade classic raging against French colonialism. They discuss the ethics of filming animal violence, the film's depiction of the lingering effects of colonialism, and the natural beauty of the Senegalese landscape. Hop in!

Intro/outro music: "walking down" by Jauwn

TOUKI BOUKI (1973), Senegal, written and directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty, cinematography by Pap Samba Sow, featuring Magaye Niang, Mareme Niang, and Aminata Fall

Trash. Agnes Varda. Waste. France. Debris. Aging. Detritus. Death. Junk. All this and more swings in the orbit of THE GLEANERS AND I, the 2000 French documentary by legendary maverick filmmaker Agnes Varda. Filled to the brim with quirky characters, Varda among them, THE GLEANERS AND I takes Charlie and Antonio for an easy, breezy ride. Hop in!

Intro/outro music: "Flitcraft" by Mekons

THE GLEANERS AND I (2000), France, directed and shot by Agnes Varda

In this week's FilmBabble, the gents tackle the still-reigning sci-fi behemoth, Metropolis. Nearly 100 years later, Fritz Lang's awe-inspiring feat of cinema continues to challenge and excite conversation, even without much of the original footage. Does its reputation and towering legacy prove worthy, or has the last century ushered in enough new marvels for us to consider it eclipsed?

Intro/outro music: Main theme from 'Mildred Pierce', composed by Max Steiner

METROPOLIS (1927), Weimar Republic, written by Thea von Harbou, directed by Fritz Lang, cinematography by Karl Freund and Günther Rittau, featuring Alfred Abel, Brigitte Helm, Gustav Fröhlich, and Rudolf Klein-Rogge

The Filmbabble Boys get thrown a curveball on this one: a short film?! Namely, 1962's LA JETÉE, a short film by iconoclastic French filmmaker Chris Marker. The cinematic medium itself is toyed with like a cat playing with a ball of yarn. Travel through time with us, one still image at a time...

Intro/outro music: "BURNOUT" by jauwn

LA JETÉE (1962), France, written and directed by Chris Marker, cinematography by Jean Chiabout and Chris Marker, featuring Jean Negroni, Hélène Châtelain, Davos Hanich, and Jacques Ledoux

What do you live for? For art, or for love? Join us as we break down the electrifying technicolor miracle that is The Red Shoes, with special guest Ciara Lally.

Intro/outro music: 'Bolero' by Maurice Ravel

THE RED SHOES (1948), United Kingdom, written and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, cinematography by Jack Cardiff, featuring Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, and Marcus Goring.

Stand back. Here comes Charlie and Antonio's first dive into the mystical pool that is Andrei Tarkovsky's work. First up: his towering historical epic ANDREI RUBLEV. Faith, humanity, art, death, history, war. Join the FilmBabble Boys as they tackle this legendary Russian film (and the man who made it!)

Intro/outro music:  "jazzy" - jauwn

ANDREI RUBLEV (1966), USSR, written by Andrei Konchalovsky and Andrei Tarkovsky, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, cinematography by Vadim Yusov, starring Anatoly Solonitsyn, Ivan Lapikov, Nikolai Grinko, Irma Raush, and Nikolai Buryayev.

FilmBabble is BACK, and in full force! This week, Charlie and Antonio take a very brief trip to a certain European country, alongside the picturesque Ingrid Bergman and sour co-star George Sanders. "What will they find there?" you may be asking yourself. Perhaps we're asking ourselves the same question.

Intro/outro music: 'Bossanova' by Liborio Conti

JOURNEY TO ITALY (1954), Italy and France, written by Vitaliano Brancati and Roberto Rossellini, directed by Roberto Rossellini, cinematography by Enzo Serafin, featuring Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders.

A woman's mysterious disappearance pulls at the bond between her lover and her friend. Memory... hazy, unreliable memory. Charlie and Antonio take all this in and more in Michelangelo Antonioni's 1960 classic: L'AVVENTURA. Join them as they follow the beautiful Monica Vitti through Antonioni's illustriously misty Italy. 

Intro/outro music: "Onie" by The Electric Prunes

L'AVVENTURA (1960), Italy, written by Michelangelo Antonioni, Elio Bartolini, and Tonino Guerra, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, cinematography by Aldo Scavarda, featuring Monica Vitti, Gabriele Ferzetti, and Lea Massari.

Hey, let's go! Take a step out the front door and wave hello to your big, furry neighbor, Totoro. In the lush Japanese countryside, mystery and wonder abound. The kids know where to look. Do you?

Intro/outro music: 'Torn Flesh' by Karl Casey (White Bat Audio)

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (1988), Japan, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, cinematography by Hisao Shirai, featuring Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning, Tim Daly, Lea Salonga, and Pat Carroll (English dub, 2005)

Melodrama is never mellow, and Douglas Sirk makes that very clear. In this week’s episode, the FilmBabble gentlemen watch a proper technicolor tearjerker. Surrender to it, you know you want to…

Intro/outro music: Handel’s Harp Concerto, 3rd Movement performed by Josh Layne (Harpist in the Wild)

IMITATION OF LIFE (1959), USA, written by Eleanore Griffin and Allan Scott, directed by Douglas Sirk, cinematography by Russell Metty, featuring Lana Turner, Juanita Moore, Sandra Dee, Susan Kohner, and John Gavin.