The Oscar Project Podcast

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1930 film The Vagabond King. I'm joined by Rebecca Deniston from the Taking Up Room blog and Taking Up More Room newsletter and we talk about how movie musicals continue to be very stagey, try to come up with other films where a character changes identity and is unrecognized by his friends, and look at some great performances from several actors early on in their careers.

You can watch The Vagabond King online for yourself and be sure to check out Rebecca's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• If I Were King directed by J. Gordon Edwards
• The Vagabond King (1956) directed by Michael Curtiz
• Princess Diaries directed by Garry Marshall
• Les Misérables directed by Tom Hooper
• Mank directed by David Fincher
• Citizen Kane directed by Orson Welles
• The Love Parade directed by Ernst Lubitsch
• The Letter directed by Jean De Limur
• The Bride of Frankenstein directed by James Whale
• Charlie Chan films
• Rocky and Bullwinkle (series)
• Wicked directed by Jon M. Chu
• King of Jazz directed by John Murray Anderson

Other referenced topics:

• The Poems of François Villon by François Villon
• Variety review and full page advertisement
• Danny Reid's review on pre-code.com
• Mark Conlan writing on MovieMagg

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In today's episode, I interview Salvatore Scarpa, Max Burgoyne-Moore, and Rachid Sabitri, the directors and producer of the short film "Largo," a look at the refugee experience through the eyes of a young child.

Listen to hear about knowing that they had the right actor to play their young lead, a very ambitious script which turned out to be easier to write than to film, and one sure fire way to test and see if a boat actually floats.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
• The Complete Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino
• Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema by Lindy West
• The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• "Largo" directed by Salvatore Scarpa and Max Burgoyne-Moore
• Bicycle Thieves directed by Vittorio De Sica
• The Battle of Algiers directed by Gillo Potecorvo
• Pan's Labyrinth directed by Guillermo del Toro
• Looney Tunes
• The Godfather directed by Francis Ford Coppola
• Back to the Future directed by Robert Zemeckis
• Love Actually directed by Richard Curtis
• Barbie directed by Greta Gerwig
• "Yellow" directed by Elham Ehsas

Follow the film on Instagram @largo.film.

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1930 film The Green Goddess. I'm joined by Murray Mintz from the CineVibeZ Fanzine newsletter and we talk about how much fun George Arliss clearly has playing this role, the differences between the silent version and talkie version of the film, and we try to unravel a twisted knot of a love quadrangle.

You can watch The Green Goddess online for yourself and be sure to check out Murray's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• The Pink Panther directed by Blake Edwards
• The Towering Inferno directed by John Guillermin and Irwin Allen
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery directed by Jay Roach
• Space Jam: A New Legacy directed by Malcolm D. Lee
• The Green Goddess (1923) directed by Sidney Olcott
• Aladdin directed by John Musker and Ron Clements
• Disraeli directed by Alfred E. Green
• Adventure in Iraq directed by D. Ross Lederman
• Blood Island (film series)
• The King of Kings directed by Cecil B. DeMille
• Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder
• Lost Horizon directed by Frank Capra
• The Jackie Robinson Story directed by Alfred E. Green
• The Jolson Story directed by Alfred E. Green
• The Jazz Singer directed by Alan Crosland
• The Eddie Cantor Story directed by Alfred E. Green
• The Lion King directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff

Other referenced topics:

• The Fugitive (series)
• Variety review
• Film Daily review
• Danny Reid's review on pre-code.com

If you are interested in seeing AI generated videos of George Arliss, check out www.arlissarchives.com.

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In today's episode, I interview Phil Mazo, director of the short film "Replay," a short docucomedy that explores a memory from his own past.

Listen to hear about the challenges of making a documentary film about yourself, how Phil went about reaching out to the original interviewer to involve him in the project, and how certain memories can become lasting images in your mind even decades later.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League by Jeff Hobbs
• Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
• Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• "Replay" directed by Phil Mazo
• Goodfellas directed by Martin Scorsese
• Schindler's List directed by Steven Spielberg
• Fargo directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
• Back to the Future directed by Robert Zemeckis
• Rob Peace directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor
• "Medusa" directed by Courtney Podraza
• "What the Heck Is Going On." directed by Greg Rubner
• Mouse directed by Kenny Riches

Follow the Phil on Instagram @philmazo.

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1930 film Street of Chance. I'm joined by Amanda Kusek from The 90-Minute Movie newsletter and we talk about how the gambling murder in the film ands up being front page news, how it is sometimes easier to follow a silent film than a sound film with poor sound quality, and how many of the stars of this film had just started acting in films after having successful Broadway careers.

You can watch Street of Chance online for yourself and be sure to check out Amanda's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• Babylon directed by Damian Chazelle
• Ocean's Eleven directed by Steven Soderbergh
• Rounders directed by John Dahl
• Casino Royale directed by Martin Campbell
• Cimarron directed by Wesley Ruggles
• The Big House directed by George Hill

Other referenced topics:

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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In today's episode, I interview Alexandra Bahíyyih Wain, director of the short film "In the Clouds," a story of a family of Iranian refugees and the struggles they face in contemporary London.

Listen to hear about the inspiration for the story based on anti-immigration sentiment, how the shooting location became a bit of a character unto itself, and the challenges of finding actors to play her lead roles that fit a very specific set of skills.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• The works of Stephen King
• I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai
• Habibi by Craig Thompson
• The Life of Pi by Yann Martel 
• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• "In the Clouds" directed by Alexandra Bahíyyih Wain
• The films of Mike Flannigan
• The Haunting of Hill House (series)
• The Humans directed by Stephen Karam
• The Innocents directed by Eskil Vogt
• A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night directed by Ana Lily Amirpour
• Burn After Reading directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
• Erin Brockovich directed by Steven Soderbergh
• Legally Blonde directed by Robert Luketic
• Sister Act directed by Emile Ardolino

Follow the film on Instagram @intheclouds.film and Alexandra @alexbahiyyihwain.

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1930 film The Rogue Song. I'm joined by Helen Cox from the Movies of Note newsletter and we talk about how MGM could let a momentous film like this end up lost over the years, the incredible work put in by YouTuber Unreeled8 to recreate the film from what we do have remaining, and how MGM marketed the film as a Laurel and Hardy production rather than relying on the relatively new stars that featured more prominently in the film.

You can watch the reconstruction of The Rogue Song by Unreeled8 on YouTube and be sure to check out Helen's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• Big directed by Penny Marshall
• The Birds directed by Alfred Hitchcock
• Such Men Are Dangerous directed by Kenneth Hawks
• Singin' in the Rain directed by Stanley Donen and Eugene Kelly
• Raider of the Lost Ark directed by Steven Spielberg
• Madame X directed by Lionel Barrymore
• Hollywood Revue of 1929 directed by Charles F. Reisner
• Scream directed by Wes Craven
• Bulldog Drummond directed by F. Richard Jones
• Condemned directed by Wesley Ruggles
• Disraeli directed by Alfred E. Green
• The Green Goddess directed by Alfred E. Green
• The Love Parade directed by Ernst Lubitsch
• Romancing the Stone directed by Robert Zemeckis

Other referenced topics:

• Martin Dickstein's 1930 review in the Brooklyn Eagle
• Phil Hall writing on cinema-crazed.com
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare

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In today's episode, I interview Tobias Eckerlin, director of the short film "A Sparrow's Song," a story of a widowed air raid warden in the midst of World War II struggles to overcome grief and rediscover joy in her life.

Listen to hear about the challenges of creating a consistent look and feel in an animated virtual world, the importance of using sound and music to support and enhance the visual world, and what the experience of the Student Academy Awards was like.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Mouthful of Birds: Stories by Samanta Schweblin
• Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• "A Sparrow's Song" directed by Tobias Eckerlin
• Zodiac directed by David Fincher
• The Lord of the Rings directed by Peter Jackson
• Stalker directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
• Ratatouille directed by Brad Bird
• Soul directed by Pete Docter
• Aladdin directed by John Musker and Ron Clements

Follow Tobias on Instagram @tobiaseckerlin.visuals.

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1929 film Their Own Desire. I'm joined by Maria Banson from the Brunello Bombshell newsletter and we talk about Norma Shearer's place as an inspiration for women in Hollywood of the time, the portrayal of a young athletic woman on screen, and a special bond between father and daughter that is a throughline in the film.

You can watch Their Own Desire on YouTube or rent it from Amazon and be sure to check out Maria's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder
• The Last of Mrs. Cheyney directed by Sidney Franklin
• The Hollywood Revue of 1929 directed by Charles F. Reisner
• The Private Life of Helen of Troy directed by Alexander Korda (partially lost film)
• The Patriot directed by Ernst Lubitsch (lost film)
• Wonder of Women directed by Clarence Brown (lost film)
• A Woman of Affairs directed by Clarence Brown
• Madame X directed by Lionel Barrymore
• The Big House directed by George Hill
• Romance directed by Clarence Brown
• Coquette directed by Sam Taylor
• The Divorcee directed by Robert Z. Leonard
• Anora directed by Sean Baker

Other referenced topics:

• Their Own Desire (novel) by Sarita Fuller
• The Crown (series)
• Letterboxd reviews from Chris Hughes and Gentry
• Terry Sherwood writing on Stardust and Shadows

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In today's episode, I interview David and Sam Cutler-Kreutz, the duo over brother directors behind the film "A Lien" which was nominated for Best Live Action Short at the 97th Academy Awards last March. Their latest short film "Trapped" is also qualified for the 98th Academy Awards.

Listen to hear about the inspiration for the story based on their own childhood as sons of a teacher, a creative effects solution that solved the central problem of their film, and the story of shooting alongside a much bigger production at the same location. 

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• The works of Agatha Christie
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
• Red Rising series by Pierce Brown
• The Will of the Many by James Islington
• Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• "Trapped" directed by David and Sam Cutler-Kreutz
• "A Lien" directed by David and Sam Cutler-Kreutz
• Uncut Gems directed by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie
• Parasite directed by Bong Joon-ho
• The Social Network directed by David Fincher
• A Serious Man directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
• The Marx Brothers movies
• The Lord of the Rings directed by Peter Jackson
• Andor (series)
• Michael Clayton directed by Tony Gilroy

Follow the film on Instagram @_trappedfilm, David @davidcutlerkreutz, and Sam @samcutlerkreutz.

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