On episode 147 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by Pop Culture Confidential host Christina Jeurling Birro to discuss the latest film in their Powell and Pressburger series, The Tales of Hoffmann (1951).
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 a massive pivot in the type of film the Arches have made before, comes the film that was the last great film from them before their partnership broke. The Tales of Hoffmann follows a poet’s glamorous, gorgeous journey of recounting his past failed romances, and in doing so, the directors examine, in excellent fashion, the cost it takes to make art, and the sacrifices it takes to collects along the way. Ryan, Jay, and Christina break down their thoughts on the film, how meta the opera is for the directors, the crumbling of the Archers relationship, preview Peeping Tom, and go over the three sections of the film that make the film so elegant.
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This podcast runs 1h55m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger with a review of the film, Peeping Tom. 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).
