Flixwise Podcast

Apologies to Mr. Scorsese and Mr. De Niro, but we at Flixwise think the true star of the 53rd movie on the Sight and Sound list, Raging Bull (1980), is editor extraordinaire Thelma Schoonmaker. Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese are often thought of as the quintessential actor/director tag-team. From Mean Streets through Casino the pair have amassed an impressive collection of great studies in toxic masculinity, perhaps none more noxious than today's first topic, Raging Bull. It's true that Raging Bull remains a terrific showcase for Scorsese's visual flourishes and De Niro's Capital-A Acting, and it's clear that this pair of heavyweights shared a strong conviction that the story of boxer Jake LaMotta needed to be brought to the screen. That said, today's panelists -  Lady P, Martin Kessler, and Marya E. Gates - spend a good deal of today's episode explaining why they think the woman stringing the story together is the true champion of this production.

For the second topic, the panel discusses other famous actor/director collaborators. They discuss why audiences enjoy watching recurring team-ups and they also discuss some of the pitfalls of going to the same actor well over and over again. Then they each offer up some of their personal favorite duos.

Finally, Marya tells listeners why they should check out her latest podcast project: Female Filmmaker Friday.

We are extremely honored to welcome back to the show renowned author and film historian, James Naremore.  He's joining Lady P in covering two of the films tied for the 53rd spot on the Sight and Sound Critics Poll - both of which happen to be directed by Alfred Hitchcock. First up in our Hitch 'Double Feature', the Master of Suspense's 1954 thriller, Rear Window. If you've been following our show for a while, you know that both James and Lady P adore Rear Window co-star, Thelma Ritter. You'll recall that they expounded on her virtues at length in the Journey to Italy episode. If that episode was any indication, expect the Thelma Ritter hour, with a smattering of other details about Jimmy Stewart and the Masculine Gaze thrown in for good measure.

Then, for the second feature, they go on a high stakes jaunt around the Eastern United States, with an in-depth analysis of Hitchcock's 1959 feature, North by Northwest. They talk about how a film with a plot  so nonsensical can possibly be considered one of the greatest of all time. Don't worry, there's no contrarianism or hot takes. North by Northwest is an unmistakable masterpiece. The discussion focuses on how the film's shagginess plays to its strengths - namely its sense of humor and over-the-top visuals.

Finally, they wrap things up with a brief discussion on James Naremore's recent projects, including his commentary track for the Criterion edition of Chimes at Midnight.

We've reached the final entry in our first Bette Davis series (first of many if Lady P has anything to say about it). Our previous 'All About Bette' episodes covered Davis' turns in All About Eve (1950) and The Little Foxes (1941). Rounding out this glorious trifecta is the sister act that would come to define the latter, post-Studio System, half of Bette's career: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). 

Largely due to the infamous feud between the film's two larger than life stars, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, Baby Jane is now primarily remembered as a campy novelty film. We at Flixwise are certainly no strangers to the art of playful exaggeration (See our Johnny Guitar episode). However, in the case of Baby Jane, we want to make sure that film's reputation as drag queen fodder, hasn't overshadowed the abject terror and sadness at the heart of the story. We also want to highlight the film's great formal achievements. Director/referee Robert Aldrich does a masterful job creating a sense of claustrophobia and dread, while also guiding two of Hollywood's biggest leading ladies through performances that would, for better or for worse, cement their respective personas for future generations.

For our previous 'All About Bette' entries Kristen Sales and Anne Marie Kelly gave pitches for why their favorite Davis film should be included in the Flixwise canon. Now it's Lady P's turn to convince skeptics, Kristen and Anne Marie that this perennial horror classic is worthy of the Flixwise Favorite's list. Will she succeed? Pull up a chair and give it listen to find out.

We have officially made it through the Top 50 of the Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time list! Let's all pat ourselveson the back and celebrate a job partially done. In all seriousness, this a proud moment for our show and we're excited to mark the occasion. Let us continue our commemoration of getting a 5th of the way through this seemingly endless list by raising a glass to one of Hollywood's most enduring and tenacious screen icons, Bette Davis.

Today's show is the second in our three-part Bette Davis marathon: All About Bette. In our first entry, we discussed Davis's career-defining turn in Joseph Mankiewicz's All About Eve (1950). This time we're tackling a less-widely seen Davis film, the 1941 adaptation of  Lillian Hellman's play,The Little Foxes (1941).  Lady P is joined once again by Kristen Sales and Anne Marie Kelly to talk about why The Little Foxes deserves greater recognition among Bette's filmography.

Talking points include Davis's relationship with the film's director, William Wyler, and the deep-focus cinematography courtesy of Director of Photography, Gregg Toland (which inevitably leads to comparisons with Citizen Kane). They also attempt to put the film in historical context and talk about why 1940s Hollywood was so into making turn-of-the-century family dramas (see also Meet Me in St. Louis and The Magnificent Ambersons). Finally, they decide whether or not The Little Foxes is worthy of the Flixwise Favorites list.  

Ladies and gentleman, Flixwise has officially completed its review of the Top 50 Sight and Sound's Greatest Films of All Time. It's been a long time coming and we can think of no better way to mark the occasion than by having a Bette Davis podcast marathon... because every occasion should be cause to celebrate the fiercest queen in Hollywood history. 

Curiously, there weren't any Bette Davis movies on the Top 50 list. And curiouser still, there doesn't appear to be any Davis in the remaining 200. Fortunately, the Flixwise gang is here to correct this egregious error.

On today's show, we're kicking of our 'All About Bette' series with the film that many consider the pinnacle of her acting career: All About Eve (1950). Flixwise regular, Kristen Sales, tells listeners why she thinks All About Eve is one of the greatest films of all time. She'll have to convince host, Lady P, and fellow regular, Anne Marie Kelly, that Joseph Mankiewicz's celebration of "the theataar" and all of its backstage bickering is worthy of the Flixwise Favorites List.

Expect heaps of praise for Davis, George Sanders, Anne Baxter, and Thelma Ritter. Plus, an explanation for that weird scene with Eve and her "roommate".

On today's show, we're rounding out the Sight and Sound Top 50 with Kenji Mizoguchi's ghost story, Ugetsu Monogatari ('53). Notable for both its stunning long takes and its condemnation of the oppressive patriarchal values of Feudal Japan, Ugetsu has become the quintessential Mizoguchi text. Flixwise co-producer, Martin Kessler, and Eclipse Viewer host, David Blakeslee, join Lady P to discuss why they think Ugetsu's haunting tale of the destructive power of masculine pride managed to surpass both Sansho the Bailiff and Life of Oharu to become the highest ranking Mizoguchi film on the Sight and Sound list.

For the second topic, the gang talks cinema's greatest ghost stories. The panelist surmise that part of Ugetsu's enduring popularity is its supernatural element. That said, not all movie specters are as haunting as Machiko Kyo's Lady Wakasa. The panel talks about what kinds of ghosts make for effective cinematic renderings (and they try to figure out why movie ghosts have a thing for pottery). Then each panelists takes a turn talking about their personal favorite spirits from the great beyond.

At long last we've finally come to a Charlie Chaplin entry on the Sight and Sound Greatest of All Time list. Landing square on the 50th spot is Chaplin's 1931 feature, City Lights. Biographer, screenwriter, and film historian Professor Joseph McBride joins Lady P to talk about the legendary director and the enduring appeal of his silent comedies. They review the history of Chaplin as comedic actor and explain how he developed his infamous Tramp character. Along the way, they discuss City Lights' painstaking and costly production process, and Chaplin's insistence on maintaining complete control over every step in the film making process.

On today's show, Lady P is joined by Martin Kessler, Marcus Pinn, and Flixwise newcomer Lisi Tribble Russell. Lisi is on hand talk about the work of her late-husband, Ken Russell - the acclaimed British director behind such classics as Tommy and Women in Love. Lisi shares the story of her and Ken's longtime-friendship and eventual courtship, and describes what it was like to live and work with one her favorite directors.  In addition to those biographical details, the panel also digs deep into selects from Ken Russell's enormous and diverse body of work. They describe the evolution of Russell's style and how he managed to grow and change throughout his decades-spanning career, while still maintaining his signature iconoclastic touch.

But before they get to all that, there's a Sight and Sound entry to cover. At long last, we've reached the 50th film on the Greatest of All Time List, Chris Marker's La Jetee. La Jetee's narrative about a man traveling through time to save humanity from extinction has been imitated (see every intro to filmmaking class ever), remade, and remade again. However, Marker's original 1962 short remains the repudiated best of the bunch. Listen up to hear why this low-tech, sci-fi, mind-bender of a tale as proven such an enduring masterpiece.

For this episode, Flixwise art director Emma Guerard is here to discuss why she thinks Chris Noonan’s piglet-driven dramedy Babe belongs on the Flixwise Favorites list.  In order for Babe to make the prime cut, she’ll have to convince Lady P, Martin Kessler, and Marcus Pinn that there is more to Babe than Oscar-worthy special effects and cinema’s greatest all-mice a capella group.  Emma asserts the movie has a lot to say about the farm-fresh milk of human kindness, but will the panel be convinced, or send Babe out to pasture?

Today's 48th Sight and Sound entry is Jean-Luc Godard's eight-part essay-style documentary series Histoire(s) du Cinema. A film as sprawling and experimental as Histoire(s) requires both time and patience to parse. For that reason, the majority of this podcast is spent decoding Histoire(s) esoteric text.

Joining host, Lady P, to translate the film is a set of panelist with wide array of strong opinions on the film - as befits a figure as polarizing as Godard. First up, in his Flixwise debut, is film critic and host of The Cinephiliacs podcast, Peter Labuza. Peter's on hand to advocate for Histoire(s), not just as a piece of superlative filmmaking, but also for its significance as one of the few non-linear works on the S&S list. Co-producer, Martin Kessler, and Flixwise regular, Kristen Sales, are a little more skeptical about some of Godard's ideas, though they both found pieces in the film's 4+ hours that they could get behind. They talk about why they found Histoire(s) both totally great and totally frustrating. Lady P, meanwhile, spends most of the episode just frustrated and befuddled.