Felicia is joined by Ryan Ritter to discuss the film that cemented the genre of Italian neo-realism in history; Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves (1948).

We chat about De Sica’s ability to discover raw talent from non-actors and guide them to deliver unforgettable performances. Along with how relatable this story has been to audiences over the years.

This is the final installment in the De Sica series and it brought great warmth to my heart to revisit and discuss these films. I hope my guests and I have inspired you to seek out his later work as well.

Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]

Check out our previous episode with Ryan:
Klute (Alan J. Pakula - Gordon Willis D.O.P. 1971)

Follow Ryan here:
IG: @crittical_analysisblog
IG: @popculturehistorianspodcast
Twitter: @PCHistorians
Letterboxd: @ryanritter
Website: Crittical Analysis (crittical-analysis.com)
Spotify: @popculturehistorians
Apple Podcasts: @popculturehistorians

Sources:

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/6246-the-joy-and-pain-of-one-good-meal-in-bicycle-thieves

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/3754-hou-hsiao-hsien-on-the-films-that-changed-his-life

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1538-remembering-suso-cecchi-d-amico

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1090-bicycle-thieves-ode-to-the-common-man

https://retrospectjournal.com/2024/03/24/bicycle-thieves/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/13/movies/bicycle-thieves-italian-neorealism.html

https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2020/cteq/bicycle-thieves-vittorio-de-sica-1948/

https://fourthwallwriting.com/2019/04/01/the-perfect-illusion-bicycle-thieves-as-pure-cinema/

https://www.criterion.com/current/top-10-lists/201-roger-corman-s-top-10

OUTRO SONG:
Bicycle Thieves by Alessandro Cicognini

FILMS MENTIONED:
Klute (Alan J. Pakula 1971)

Ghostbusters (Ivan Reitman 1984)

Beetlejuice (Tim Burton 1988)

Shoeshine (Vittorio De Sica 1946)

The Children Are Watching Us (Vittorio De Sica 1944)

Umberto D. (Vittorio De Sica 1952)

Miracle in Milan (Vittorio De Sica 1951)

Heart and Soul (Vittorio De Sica 1948)

Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese 1990)

Casino (Martin Scorsese 1995)

Marriage Italian Style (Vittorio De Sica 1964)

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (Vittorio De Sica 1963)

Il boom (Vittorio De Sica 1963)

Come and See (Elem Klimov 1985)

Nights of Cabiria (Federico Fellini 1957)

Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz 1945)

Listen to full episode :

 

Felicia is joined by Geoff Thomas to discuss the effects of capitalism on an old man and his dog in Vittorio De Sica’s Umberto D. (1952).

We chat about this film as a bridge between De Sica’s as a neo-realist filmmaker and his move towards comedies. Along with the themes of questioning the moral compass of authority figures present in this film.

Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]

Check out our previous episodes with Geoff:
Diary of a Chambermaid (Luis Buñuel 1964)
The Silence (Ingmar Bergman 1963)

Follow Geoff here:
IG: @cinema_gnt
Letterboxd: @gnthomas
Website: https://cinemamemry.wordpress.com/
Spotify: @cinematicmeoriespodcast
Spotify: @dontdespisemepodcast
Apple Podcasts: @cinematicmemoriespodcast
Apple Podcasts: @dontdespisemepodcast

Sources:
https://web.archive.org/web/20110721100149/

http://www.ingmarbergman.se/universe.asp?guid=66DA7015-8017-4303-9A31-658D02296D45

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/292-seeing-clearly-through-tears-on-the-smart-sentiment-of-umberto-d

https://www.nytimes.com/1955/11/08/archives/screen-honest-realism-de-sicas-umberto-d-is-story-of-old-man.html

https://www.deepfocusreview.com/definitives/umberto-d/

https://cinemafromthespectrum.com/2017/02/24/umberto-d-review/

OUTRO SONG:
Umberto D. by Alessandro Cicognini

FILMS MENTIONED:
The Silence (Ingmar Bergman 1963)

Diary of a Chambermaid (Luis Buñuel 1964)

Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica 1948)

The Leopard (Luchino Visconti 1963)

Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa 1952)

Shoeshine (Vittorio De Sica 1946)

The Third Man (Carol Reed 1949)

Miracle in Milan (Vittorio De Sica 1951)

Terminal Station (Vittorio De Sica 1953)

After the Fox (Vittorio De Sica 1966)

The Voyage (Vittorio De Sica 1974)

Sunflower (Vittorio De Sica 1970)

Two Women (Vittorio De Sica 1960)

Marriage Italian Style (Vittorio De Sica 1964)

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (Vittorio De Sica 1963)

Boccaccio ‘70 (Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, Mario Monicelli, Luchino Visconti 1962)

Rebecca (Alfred Hithcock 1940)

Il boom (Vittorio De Sica 1963)

Anora (Sean Baker 2024)

Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman 1957)

Tokyo Story (Yasujirō Ozu 1953)

Listen to full episode :

 

Felicia is joined by Jason Christian to discuss the story of two young boys who just want to buy a horse but get sent to a juvenile prison instead, in Vittorio De Sica’s Shoeshine (1946).

We chat about De Sica’s ability to get natural performances out of children, and how important it was to explore the lives of orphaned children after the war.

Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]

Follow Jason here:
Website: https://jasonchristianwrites.com/
Letterboxd: @exilemagic
Twitter: @jasonachristian
Cold War Cinema Podcast on Spotify: @coldwarcinema
Cold War Cinema Podcast on Apple: @coldwarcinema

Sources:
https://www.film-foundation.org/rsr-november-2023

https://www.asharperfocus.com/shoeshine.html

https://postmodernpelican.com/2022/12/16/shoeshine-1946/

OUTRO SONG:
Shoeshine by Alessandro Cicognini

FILMS MENTIONED:
The Lawless (Joseph Losey 1950)

Night and the City (Jules Dassin 1950)

Body and Soul (Robert Rossen 1947)

Quicksand (Irving Pichel 1950)

Rosetta (Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne 1999)

Miracle in Milan (Vittorio De Sica 1951)

The Young and the Damned (Luis Buñuel 1950)

The Gate of Heaven (Vittorio De Sica 1945)

The Children Are Watching (Vittorio De Sica 1944)

Heart and Soul (Vittorio De Sica 1948)

Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica 1948)

Umberto D. (Vittorio De Sica 1952)

Sunflower (Vittorio De Sica 1970)

The Witches (Franco Rossi, Mauro Bolognini, Luchino Visconti, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Vittorio De Sica 1967)

After the Fox (Vittorio De Sica 1966)

Marriage Italian Style (Vittorio De Sica 1964)

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (Vittorio De Sica 1963)

Il boom (Vittorio De Sica 1963)

Two Women (Vittorio De Sica 1960)

The 400 Blows (François Truffaut 1959)

The Kid with the Bike (Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne 2011)

Boot Polish (Prakash Arora 1954)

Where’s The Friend’s House (Abbas Kiarostami 1987)

I Was Born, But… (Yasujirō Ozu 1932)

Welcome to the Dollhouse (Todd Solondz 1995)

Good Morning (Yasujirō Ozu 1959)

Listen to full episode :

 

Felicia is joined by Bryan and Hannah Loomis to discuss a film about hope and making the most out of the life you’ve been given in Vittorio De Sica’s Miracle in Milan (1951).

We chat about De Sica and Zavattani’s (his long time writing partner) communist ideals and how they translate to the importannce of community and choosing your own family. Along with the mix of realism and fantasy to create a story that leaves the viewer feeling hopeful.

This is the series two opening film and I think this is the perfect example of how layered De Sica’s work often was, and how he could easily blend comedy and drama.

Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]

Follow Bryan and Hannah here:
Website: PODCAST | What a Picture (whatapicturepod.com)
Bryan on Bluesky: @bryanwhatapic
Bryan on Letterboxd: @bryan_whatapic

Catch up on our previous episodes with Bryan and Hannah:

All The President’s Men (D.O.P. Gordon Willis 1976)
I Was Born, But… (Yasujirō Ozu 1932)

Sources:
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/7755-miracle-in-milan-it-is-goodness

https://www.nytimes.com/1951/12/18/archives/the-screen-in-review-miracle-in-milan-an-italian-fable-directed-by.html

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/aug/01/beeban-kidron-miracle-in-milan

https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2020/cteq/miracle-in-milan-vittorio-de-sica-1951/

OUTRO SONG:
Miracolo a Milano (Suite) by Alessandro Cicognini

FILMS MENTIONED:
All the President’s Men (Alan J. Pakula 1976)

I Was Born, But… (Yasujirō Ozu 1932)

Shoah (Claude Lanzmann 1985)

Histories of Cinema (Jean-Luc Godard 1989-1999)

Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica 1948)

The Earrings of Madame De… (Max Ophüls 1953)

Umberto D. (Vittorio De Sica 1952)

Shoeshine (Vittorio De Sica 1946)

Divorce Italian Style (Pietro Germ 1961)

Marriage Italian Style (Vittorio De Sica 1964)

It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra 1946)

The Phantom Carriage (Victor Sjöström 1921)

Divorce of Lady X (Tim Whelan 1938)

Happy as Lazzarro (Alice Rohrwacher 2018)

Nomadland (Chloé Zhao 2020)

La chimera (Alice Rohrwacher 2023)

Yoyo (Pierre Étaix 1965)

Yi Yi (Edward Yang 2000)

Listen to full episode :

 

Felicia is joined by Jeanmarie Vargas to discuss Michael Haneke’s film about a woman just trying to live out her sexual fantasies in The Piano Teacher (2001).

We chat about Haneke’s shift in the 2000s to create more films focused on women and their struggles. Along with the importance of diegetic music as it relates to pushing the story forward.

This marks the end of the Haneke series, it was a pleasure (even when it was a displeasure) to revisit his films and watch them through multiple new lenses. He’s such a layered artist whose work will always remain relevant and I hope my guests and I have inspired you to watch more of his work (or maybe it’s time for a rewatch).

Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]

Follow Jeanmarie here:

Movie Friends Podcast - That’s Messed Up Series on Patreon: https://www.moviefriendspodcast.com/
Spotify:@MovieFriendsPodcast
Apple Podcasts: @MovieFriendsPodcast
Twitter: @jeanmarievargas

Sources:

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4994-michael-haneke-on-the-art-of-the-erotic-long-take

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4965-the-piano-teacher-bad-romances

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/6342-breaking-the-ice-the-beginning-of-desire-in-the-piano-teacher

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/nov/09/londonfilmfestival2001.londonfilmfestival1

https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2003/michael-haneke/piano_teacher/

https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2017/cteq/the-piano-teacher/

https://cinemafromthespectrum.com/2017/04/03/the-piano-teacher-review/

https://www.fearsomequeer.net/blog/film-retrospective-the-piano-teacher

https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2013/08/16/the-piano-teacher-is-a-psychosexual-masterpiece.html

https://www.austrianfilms.com/news/en/bodymichael_haneke_talks_about_the_piano_teacher_body

OUTRO SONG:
Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls

FILMS MENTIONED:
Funny Games (Michael Haneke 1997)

Caché (Michael Haneke 2005)

71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance (Michael Haneke 1994)

The Seventh Continent (Michael Haneke 1989)

Code Unknown (Michael Haneke 2000)

Time of the Wolf (Michael Haneke 2003)

Benny's Video (Michael Haneke 1992)

Beau is Afraid (Ari Aster 2023)

Secret Ceremony (Joseph Losey 1968)

Listen to full episode :

 

Felicia is joined by Riley Greenwood to discuss a film about a family who makes a questionable decision in Michael Haneke’s The Seventh Continent (1989).

We chat about Haneke's decision to not give the audience any answers but instead allows them to wonder why people make certain decisions. Along with how the story is fragmented to disorient the viewer.

Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]

Follow Riley here:
IG: @rileydreamwood
Letterboxd: @rileydreamwood

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2008/apr/30/hanekeshouseofhorrors

https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2005/cteq/seventh_continent/#:~:text=The%20Seventh%20Continent%20seems%20postmodern,monstrousness%20of%20everyday%20bourgeois%20society.

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8010-michael-haneke-s-alienation-effect

https://flaszonfilm.com/2020/10/30/understanding-michael-haneke-the-seventh-continent-1989/

https://fresques.ina.fr/europe-des-cultures-en/fiche-media/Europe00218/interview-with-michael-haneke.html

OUTRO SONG:
Show of Strength by Echo and the Bunnymen

FILMS MENTIONED:
Amour (Michael Haneke 2012)

Funny Games (Michael Haneke 1997)

Fraulein – Ein deutsches Melodram (Michael Haneke 1986)

Benny's Video (Michael Haneke 1992)

The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke 2001)

The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke 2009)

71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance (Michael Haneke 1994)

La notte (Michelangelo Antonioni 1961)

Beau Travail (Claire Denis 1999)

La cerémonie (Claude Chabrol 1995)

Listen to full episode :

 

Felicia is joined by Nathan Cowles to discuss Michael Haneke’s dark mystery about the roots of evil in The White Ribbon (2009).

We chat about how Haneke tackles children and violence in his films and the concept of “good vs evil”. Along with the use of black and white and lack of score that help amplify the film’s message.

Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]

Listen to our previous episode with Nathan:

A Summer’s Tale (Éric Rohmer 1996)

Follow Nathan here:
Letterboxd: @cowles
YouTube: @Cowles
IG: @cowles.mov

Sources:
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-white-ribbon-2010

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/nov/12/the-white-ribbon-review

https://www.austrianfilms.com/news/en/bodymichael_haneke_the_white_ribbon__interviewbody

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/movies/30white.html

https://brightlightsfilm.com/the-children-are-watching-you-michael-hanekes-the-white-ribbon/

https://thepointmag.com/criticism/white-ribbon/

OUTRO SONG:
O Sacred Head Now Wounded - Fernando Ortega

FILMS MENTIONED:

A Tale of Summer (Éric Rohmer 1996)

Code Unknown (Michael Haneke 2000)

Caché (Michael Haneke 2005)

Funny Games (Michael Haneke 1997)

Amour (Michael Haneke 2012)

Funny Games (Michael Haneke 2007)

71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance (Michael Haneke 1994)

The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke 2001)

Benny’s Video (Michael Haneke 1992)

Martha (Rainer Werner Fassbinder 1974)

Au hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson 1966)

Winter Light (Ingmar Bergman 1963)

Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman 1982)

Listen to full episode :

 

Felicia is joined by Jane Waldner to discuss Michael Haneke’s groundbreaking 1997 film Funny Games and his 2007 shot for shot remake.

We chat about how important the original film was and remains, and what caused him to remake his own work in the English language. Along with his exploration of violence in film as it relates to the audiences consumption of this type of imagery.

Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]

Listen to our previous episode with Jane:

Faces Places (Agnès Varda & J.R. 2017)

Follow Jane here:

IG: @janesviews
Letterboxd: @jwaldner

Sources:

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/6347-funny-games-don-t-you-want-to-see-how-it-ends

https://www.cinema.com/articles/5600/funny-games-michael-haneke-interview.phtml#google_vignette

OUTRO SONG:
Bonehead - Naked City

FILMS MENTIONED:

Faces Places (Agnès Varda & J.R. 2017)

Caché (Michael Haneke 2005)

71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance (Michael Haneke 1994)

Crash (Paul Haggis 2004)

Code Unknown (Michael Haneke 2000)

The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke 1989)

Run Lola Run (Tom Tykwer 1999)

Fat Girl (Catherine Breillat 2001)

Listen to full episode :

 

Welcome to Season 2!

After a summer break the show is back and with a few changes.

We’re still focusing on a different director or cinematographer each month, with a new guest each week to discuss a film in that artist’s filmography. What we’re doing is moving away from a scene by scene breakdown of the story, and instead moving towards discussion the aritst’s unique stamp on the film.

The purpose of this show was always to focus on the artist, so we’ll be talking about what lead them to create this piece, what films did they make before and after this, and what trademarks, common themes/ideas do they like to explore that are present in this film (or not).

Listen below for more details and I hope you enjoy the new format!

 

Listen to full episode :

 

Felicia is joined by Vanya Garraway to discuss David Cronenberg’s exploration of media consumption in a little film called Videodrome (1983).

We chat about how this Toronto classic has become a cautionary tale on the effects of hiding behind the ‘content’ you view. Along with the ways in which Cronenberg created a new cinematic language unique to the city of Toronto that is still relevant today.

Oh yeah, and long live the new flesh!

This marks not only the end of the Cronenberg series, but also the end of season one of this show - we will be taking a summer break and I can’t think of a better episode to leave you with until our return in the fall.

Send us your thoughts on the episode - what is your favourite film set in Toronto? Let us know by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]

Listen to our previous episode with Vanya:

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (John Cassavetes 1976)

Follow Vanya here:

IG: @nostalgiaphile
IG: @paidinsweat (film program)
Twitter: @nostalgiaphile
Twitter: @paidinsweat (film program)

Sources:
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/337-videodrome-make-mine-cronenberg

https://www.criterion.com/current/top-10-lists/237-olivier-assayas-s-top-10

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4357-experience-necessary-deborah-harry-in-videodrome

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1678-videodrome-the-slithery-sense-of-unreality

https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/videodrome-how-cronenberg-subverts-the-noir-thriller-genre/

https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2004/perversion/videodrome_seduction/

OUTRO SONG:
801 A, B by Howard Shore

FILMS MENTIONED:
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (John Cassavetes 1976)

Days of Thunder (Tony Scott 1990)

Gladiator (Ridley Scott 2000)

Swimfan (John Polson 2002)

The Talented Mr. Ripley (Anthony Minghella 1999)

The Fly (David Cronenberg 1986)

Rabid (David Cronenberg 1977)

Shivers (David Cronenberg 1975)

The Brood (David Cronenberg 1979)

Crimes of the Future (David Cronenberg 2022)

The Dead Zone (David Cronenberg 1983)

Scanners (David Cronenberg 1981)

History of Violence (David Cronenberg 2005)

Eastern Promises (David Cronenberg 2007)

Seven (David Fincher 1995)

Last Night (Don McKellar 1998)

Take This Waltz (Sarah Polley 2011)

Naked Lunch (David Cronenberg 1991)

Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze 1999)

Secretary (Steven Shainberg 2002)

Listen to full episode :