The Oscar Project Podcast

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1929 film The Valiant. I'm joined by Matthew Carlson from the "What Am I Making" newsletter and we talk about an unexpected prison jazz band, how the limitations of the film technology of the time impacted how stories were told on film, and how a very short play was adapted into a substantially longer film for this story.

You can watch The Valiant on YouTube and be sure to check out Matthew's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• The Cocoanuts directed by Joseph Santley and Robert Florey
• Unaccustomed As We Are directed by Lewis R. Foster and Hal Roach
• The Blue Angel directed by Josef von Sternberg
• The Way of All Flesh directed by Victor Fleming (lost film)
• Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood directed by Quentin Tarantino
• There Will Be Blood directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
• The Last Command directed by Josef von Sternberg
• Inherit the Wind directed by Stanley Kramer
• Judgment at Nuremberg directed by Stanley Kramer
• Scarface directed by Howard Hawks
• "The Only Girl in the Orchestra" directed by Molly O'Brien
• The Man Who Wouldn't Talk directed by David Burton
• "The Arrival of a Train" directed by Auguste and Louis Lumière
• "Workers Leaving The Lumiere Factory" directed by Auguste and Louis Lumière
• The Birth of a Nation directed by D. W. Griffith
• In Old Arizona directed by Irving Cummings and Raoul Walsh
• The Passion of Joan of Arc directed by Carl Th. Dreyer
• Pickpocket directed by Robert Bresson

Other referenced topics:

• The Valiant (play) by Holworthy Hall and Robert Middlemass

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In today's episode, I interview Amalie Atkins, whose film Agatha's Almanac is playing at the Galway Film Fleadh this July.

Listen to hear about the force that Amalie's aunt Agatha was in her life, the importance of being present in one's life, and the inherent challenges of shooting on film, especially when some of your film goes missing.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Fight Night by Miriam Toews
• Beauty: The Invisible Embrace by John O'Donohue
• The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise by Olivia Laing

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• Agatha's Almanac directed by Amalie Atkins
• Glide of Transparency directed by Betzy Bromberg
• Daisies directed by Věra Chytilová
• Women Without Men directed by Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari
• L'Iceberg directed by Dominique Abel , Bruno Romy and Fiona Gordon
• Wool 100% directed by Mai Tominaga
• The Red Balloon directed by Albert Lamorisse

Follow the film on Instagram @agathasalmanac and check out Amalie's website amalieatkins.ca.

Check out music from the artists whose work appears in the film including Castle If, Green-House, and Katarina Gryvul.

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1929 film Alibi. I'm joined by Jeff Kramer from the "Death Star Human Resources Department" newsletter and we talk about the innovative uses of the new sound technology to accompany the film images, the portrayal of both the police and gangsters in the film, and some of the interesting camera shots that the film employs to keep up the visual end of the story.

You can watch Alibi on YouTube and be sure to check out Jeff's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• The Blues Brothers directed by John Landis
• Reservoir Dogs directed by Quentin Tarantino
• Face/Off directed by John Woo
• The Dove directed by Roland West (partially lost film)
• Boston Blackie (film series)
• Cardigan directed by John W. Noble (lost silent film)
• The Racket directed by Lewis Milestone (listen to my episode about The Racket from the 1st Academy Awards)
• Toy Story directed by John Lasseter

Other referenced topics:

• Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
• Time review
• New York Times review

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In today's episode, I interview Jake Wachtel, whose film "The Sentry" recently screened at SXSW London, Raindance, and the Palm Springs International ShortFest.

Listen to hear about the idea for the film that came from wanting to get to know one of the anonymous henchmen from an action film like James Bond, the challenges of filming in the former residence of a king, and how visual effects and sound combined to create a ghostly character.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• The Overstory by Richard Power
• Playground by Richard Power

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• "The Sentry" directed by Jake Wachtel
• Karmalink directed by Jake Wachtel
• After Yang directed by Kogonada
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind directed by Michel Gondry
• Bicycle Thieves directed by Vittorio De Sica
• Minority Report directed by Steven Spielberg
• The Jungle Book directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
• "Cattywampus" directed by Jono Chanin (trailer)

Listen to "Love You Only" by Ros Sereysothea whose music is featured in the film.

Follow Jake on Instagram @jakewachtel.director and the film @thesentryfilm.

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1929 film The Letter. I'm joined by Lewis Beer from the "Slow Moving Pictures" newsletter and we talk about the importance of sound right from the beginning of the film, the structural differences between the play and the film versions of the story, and the force that was Jeanne Eagles in this film that was sadly lost not long after its release.

You can watch The Letter on YouTube and be sure to check out Lewis's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• Red Desert directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
• The Seventh Seal directed by Ingmar Bergman
• The Exorcist directed by William Friedkin
• The Greatest Story Ever Told directed by George Stevens
• Game of Thrones (series)
• The General Line directed by Sergei M. Eisenstein
• The Letter directed by William Wyler
• A Woman Under the Influence directed by John Cassavetes
• All About Eve directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
• Of Human Bondage directed by John Cromwell
• Dangerous directed by Alfred E. Green
• Babylon directed by Damien Chazelle
• Jeanne Eagels directed by George Sidney
• Mary Poppins directed by Robert Stevenson
• Bedknobs and Broomsticks directed by Robert Stevenson
• The Good Fairy directed by William Wyler
• Murder! directed by Alfred Hitchcock
• The Little Foxes directed by William Wyler
• The Bride of Frankenstein directed by James Whale
• Cavalcade directed by Frank Lloyd
• Pygmalion directed by Leslie Howard and Anthony Asquith
• The Red Shoes directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
• For the Freedom of the East directed by Ira M. Lowry (lost film)
• White Shadows in the South Seas  directed by W.S. Van Dyke
• "Killing the Killer" directed by Ulrich K.T. Schulz
• "Tin Toy" directed by John Lasseter
• Toy Story directed by John Lasseter
• Sadie Thompson directed by Raoul Walsh (listen to my previous episode on that film)
• The Invisible Man directed by James Whale
• Island of Lost Souls directed by Erle C. Kenton

Other referenced topics:

• Manchester Guardian article about the arrival of sound cinema
• The Letter by W. Somerset Maugham
• Alt Film Guide review of The Letter
• "Dr. Ramona Curry on Lady Tsen Mei, the First Chinese-American Film Star" by Paul R. Spitzzeri
• Photoplay spread featuring Lady Tsen Mei
• Ethel Proudlock case which inspired the story and play that inspired the film

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In today's episode, I interview John DiLeo, a film writer whose most recent book Not Even Nominated: 40 Overlooked Costars of Oscar-Winning Performances, was published in 2024.

Listen to hear about the process for picking actors and films for this book, some things the Academy might be able to do to revamp the acting categories at the Oscars, and a movie character dinner party for the ages.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• And You Thought You Knew Classic Movies: 200 Quizzes for Golden Age Movies Lovers by John DiLeo
• Screen Savers: 40 Remarkable Movies Awaiting Rediscovery by John DiLeo
• There Are No Small Parts: 100 Outstanding Film Performances with Screen Time of 10 Minutes or Less by John DiLeo
• Three Days in June by Ann Tyler
• How to Giggle: A Guide to Taking Life Less Seriously by Hannah Berner
• There Are Places I Remember by Michael DiLeo
• The works of Pauline Kael

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• 7th Heaven directed by Frank Borzage
• Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans directed by F.W. Murnau
• Street Angel directed by Frank Borzage
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood directed by Quentin Tarantino
• Emilia Pérez directed by Jacques Audiard
• The Bandwagon directed by Vincente Minnelli and Richard Schickel
• The African Queen directed by John Huston
• Now, Voyager directed by Irving Rapper
• The Purple Rose of Cairo directed by Woody Allen
• Sullivan's Travels directed by Preston Sturges
• Notorious directed by Alfred Hitchcock
• All About Eve directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
• Mildred Pierce directed by Michael Curtiz
• A Letter To Three Wives directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
• Road House directed by Jean Negulesco
• Mr. Deeds Goes to Town directed by Frank Capra

Follow John on Instagram @john.dileo.12, check out his website at johndileo.com and buy the book on Amazon and check out all his books on his Amazon author page.

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1929 film Coquette. I'm joined by Maria Banson from the "Brunello Bombshell" newsletter and we talk about how the filmmakers used light and darkness to highlight aspects of Norma's personality, a technical snafu that derailed an early showing of the film with sound, and the way the entire film centers around Mary Pickford.

You can watch Coquette on YouTube and be sure to check out Maria's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• Our Dancing Daughters directed by Harry Beaumont
• A Woman of Affairs directed by Clarence Brown
• Pandora’s Box directed by G. W. Pabst
• 7th Heaven directed by Frank Borzage
• Anora directed by Sean Baker

Other referenced topics:

• Coquette: A Play in Three Acts by George Abbott and Ann Preston Bridgers
• Photoplay Magazine review

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In today's episode, I interview Nina Gantz, whose film "Wander to Wonder" was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards.

Listen to hear about the original even darker version of the story that never made it to the screen, some thoughts about how you can tell stories in animation that you can't tell anywhere else, and how eyelids can become one of the biggest challenges on a film set.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• The Expanded Earth: PREPARE TO SEE THE WORLD AS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE by Mikey Please
• Pastoralia by George Saunders

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• "Wander to Wonder" directed by Nina Gantz
• "Edmond" directed by Nina Gantz
• Jason and the Argonauts directed by Ray Harryhausen
• Clash of the Titans directed by Desmond Davis
• "Dimensions of Dialogue" directed by Jan Švankmajer
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind directed by Michel Gondry
• "The Eagleman Stag" directed by Michael Please
• The Last Days of Emma Blank directed by Alex van Warmerdam
• The Northerners directed by Alex van Warmerdam

Follow Nina on Instagram @ninagantz, check out her website at ninagantz.com and watch the film on demand on Vimeo.

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1929 film The Divine Lady. I'm joined by Janelle Miley from the "Right Now, You Like Me" newsletter and we talk about how closely the film aligns with the real life story of Emma Hamilton, some incredible naval battle sequences for the time period, and compare this film to some other Frank Lloyd directed films of the time that we have seen.

You can watch The Divine Lady on YouTube and be sure to check out Janelle's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• "Plane Crazy" directed by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney
• Syncopation directed by Bert Glennon
• Wings directed by William A. Wellman
• The Jazz Singer directed by Alan Crosland
• Mutiny on the Bounty directed by Frank Lloyd
• Cavalcade directed by Frank Lloyd
• East Lynne directed by Frank Lloyd
• The Hunger Games directed by Gary Ross
• The King of Kings directed by Cecil B. DeMille
• It's a Wonderful Life directed by Frank Capra
• Two Arabian Knights directed by Lewis Milestone
• Abraham Lincoln directed by D. W. Griffith
• The Ten Commandments directed by Cecil B. DeMille
• Emma directed by Clarence Leon Brown
• My Fair Lady directed by George Cukor
• That Hamilton Woman directed by Alexander Korda
• State Fair directed by Walter Lang
• Lonesome directed by Paul Fejos

Other referenced topics:

• The Divine Lady: A Romance of Nelson and Emma Hamilton by E. Barrington (also available on Project Gutenberg)
• Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• "Hail to the Redskins" fight song
• Photoplay review
• Harrison's Reports review

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In today's episode, I interview Radha Mehta, who co-directed the short film "Witness" with Saif Jaan. The film tells the story of an Imam of a small town mosque who is faced with choosing between upholding the values of his mosque or protecting the safety and spiritual belonging of a trans man congregant.

Listen to hear about the story's basis in Saif Jaan's real experience, how difficult it was to find a working mosque willing to allow a story about a trans character to be filmed inside, and what it's like to land your ideal casting for an important role in a film.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• "Witness" directed by Radha Mehta and Saif Jaan
• An Act of Worship directed by Nausheen Dadabhoy
• Iron Man directed by Jon Favreau
• About Elly directed by Asghar Farhadi
• A Separation directed by Asghar Farhadi
• Salaam Bombay! directed by Mira Nair
• Close directed by Lukas Dhont
• Vision Quest (upcoming series)
• A Real Pain directed by Jesse Eisenberg
• One of a Kind (Wakhri) directed by Iram Parveen Bilal
• "Dosh" directed by Radha Mehta

Follow Radha on Instagram @radhamehta and the film @witness.shortfilm
be sure to check out the film at the 2025 Raindance Film Festival in London this June.

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