On episode 144 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by film critic Jesse Nussman to discuss the latest film in their Powell and Pressburger series, A Matter of Life and Death (1946).
Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys attempt to break down, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love.
In the start of a run of episodes that will feature the guys talking about Powell and Pressburger’s signature masterpieces, the Archers take a look at the power of love in the face of death and how having love can mean more than anything on this planet or in the afterlife. In a beautiful blend of black and white photography and technicolor, Powell and Pressburger delivered a cinematic statement that as long as a you have true love, nothing else matters and it’s stronger than logic, reason, or whatever else you want to throw at someone when they are under the spell of love; matters of the heart mean more than matters of the brain, thus is a necessity of life. Ryan, Jay, and Jesse break down their thoughts on the film, the power of love, various iconic shots within the film, map painting, and a special Nussman surprise at the end of the episode.
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This podcast runs 2h02m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger with a review of their next film, Black Narcissus. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.
Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).
