319 episodes
Life and Art from FT Weekend Financial Times
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- Arts
Life and Art from FT Weekend is the twice-weekly culture podcast of the Financial Times. On Monday, we talk about life, and how to live a good one in one-on-one conversations. On Friday, we talk about ‘art’ – in a chat show. Three FT journalists come together to discuss a new cultural release across film, TV, music and books. Hosted by Lilah Raptopoulos, together with the FT’s award-winning writers and editors, and special guests.
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Culture Chat: ‘Kinds of Kindness’ is a movie so cruel it’s funny
This week, we talk about the very disturbing new film ‘Kinds of Kindness’. It is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, known for surreal movies such as ‘Poor Things’, ‘The Favourite’, and ‘The Lobster’. This film marks a return to dark, inaccessible weirdness for the Greek New Wave director. Is it grotesque in a bad or a good way? And do we like the ‘Lanthimos vibe’? Lilah is joined by film critic Nicolas Rapold and the FT’s Topher Forhecz to discuss.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Here’s the FT’s review of Kinds of Kindness, by Raphael Abraham: https://on.ft.com/3xBo4De
– An interview with Yorgos Lanthimos (2015), about ‘The Lobster’: https://on.ft.com/3VG7J8g
– Nicolas Rapold is on X @NicolasRapold. Follow him and his podcast ‘The Last Thing I Saw’, here: https://rapold.substack.com/
– Our episode ‘Is Poor Things A Feminist Film?’ is available here or wherever you listen.
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Books that help with election anxiety
It’s a big year for voting! There are national elections in 64 countries, affecting more than half the world. And many of us are anxious about an uncertain future. FT Weekend columnist Nilanjana Roy had a good idea in the midst of her own election fever: to find perspective, she turned to literature. Today, Nila shares what she came away with, and recommends books that can help reframe how we think about elections, no matter where we live.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And please share this episode with your friends!
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Nilanjana’s column on literature and elections: https://on.ft.com/3z9whiy
– The books that she recommends in this episode:
• Raag Darbari by Shrilal Sukla
• A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
• Modi’s India by Christophe Jaffrelot
• Quarterlife by Devika Rege
• Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
• The Age of the Strongman by our own Gideon Rachman
• Another England by Caroline Lucas
• Infomocracy by Malka Older
– Nilanjana is on Instagram @nilanjanasroy and on X @nilanjanaroy
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Culture chat: Roger Federer is too nice for documentaries
Roger Federer is one of the world’s greatest tennis players – but is he dramatic enough for a full film? Today we discuss the new Federer documentary, just released on Amazon Prime. It’s called Federer: Twelve Final Days, and follows the tennis star in the run-up to his retirement. Does the film fully reflect his legacy well? Is Federer boring? And how do we feel about the next batch of tennis stars? Chief features writer Henry Mance and deputy arts editor Raphael Abraham join Lilah to discuss.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And please share this episode with your friends!
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Raph’s interview with 22-year-old Italian Grand Slam winner Jannik Sinner: https://on.ft.com/4etUAro
– Henry’s interview with tennis star Boris Becker on his money, marriages and what he learned in prison: https://on.ft.com/3VPUMKy
– Henry is on X @henrymance.
More or less:
– Raph recommends the Julio Torres film Problemista. You can check out his stand-up comedy here
– Henry recommends Creation Lake, the upcoming novel by Rachel Kushner publishing in September
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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We need to rethink old age, with Martin Wolf
Imagine a world in which the typical life arc isn’t one of studying for 20 years, working for 40 years, then sitting retired and lonely for 35. As people live longer than ever, our chief economics columnist Martin Wolf worries that this approach to old age is unsustainable and unaffordable. He thinks we can and should do better. Martin is one of the world’s most respected writers on economics and politics, and at 77, he’s a prime example of staying active later in life. Today, he joins Lilah to discuss what we can do to age better, individually and as societies.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And please share this episode with your friends!
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Martin’s column, ‘Increased longevity will bring profound social change’: https://on.ft.com/4aX6FTg
– His column on falling fertility rates, ‘From the baby boom to the baby bust’: https://on.ft.com/4ejtxip
– Our earlier episode, ‘Martin Wolf on how to change one’s mind’.
– Martin’s podcast series ‘Democracy in Peril’ is available now via the FT News Briefing feed. Click here for the latest episode, or search ‘Martin Wolf series’ wherever you listen
– Lilah and Martin refer to Andrew Scott’s book The Longevity Imperative
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Culture chat: why do we still love Shakespeare?
Shakespeare turns 460 this year, and this week we’re talking about why he’s still as important as ever. FT Weekend Magazine editor Matt Vella and deputy editor Cordelia Jenkins join Lilah to share what they learned while putting together their recent special, which features Shakespeare mysteries, lore, and some of the UK’s best known theatre actors. We also talk about the experience of watching his plays live. It’s summer, after all, and the outdoor Shakespeare festivals are on, and as the Magazine’s tagline suggests: Shakespeare Lives!
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and email at lifeandart@ft.com.
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Shakespeare links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Cordelia’s interview with the four actors who played King Lear is here.
– Explore 28 great Shakespeare mysteries here: https://on.ft.com/4ccEz7p
– Unravelling the secret history of the red book of Hamlet: https://on.ft.com/3x5ZFFP
– Who was Shakespeare? What do we really know about his life? https://on.ft.com/4cgvfzm
– Here’s Cordelia’s column on Love Island being like the Elizabethan court: https://on.ft.com/3x6CkDT
– Lilah recommends the new Bat for Lashes album, The Dream of Delphi. Here’s Arwa’s profile of her: https://on.ft.com/4ely8Rc
– Cordelia Jenkins is on X @CordeliaJ. Matt Vella is @mattvella
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. -
Building the world of ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’
What is it like to build an Oscar-winning film set on one of the most meticulously-designed action movies of all time? Jacinta Leong did just that on Mad Max: Fury Road, and she’s back again as an art director on Furiosa, which is out now in theatres. Director George Miller’s prequel to Fury Road, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, is set in the same desert wasteland as the previous Mad Max movies. It also repurposes many of the same machines in Fury Road. Jacinta brings us behind the scenes, and tells us how the creative team built them.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And please share this episode with your friends!
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– The FT’s review of Furiosa is here: https://on.ft.com/4bRJue4
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.