Film Conversations

Dennis Claxton, RC Roberts, Dwayne Monroe

The standard measure of the quality and importance of a movie, or, to be grand, 'film', is enjoyment. This is certainly one measure, but not the only one. There are layers to be considered: movies as a capitalist enterprise, as a propaganda form, as art, as a fleeting means of escape from the psychological and material pressures imposed by a collapsing world, as a peek into how the past - or, people in the past with access to money, technical capability and script writing skill thought of their world - and many other things I'm surely neglecting. We'll talk about these things, avoiding the tendency of men to waste time with formless chatter. There's no time for that; the world is burning. There'll be structure, agendas, talking points and laughing no doubt. So not grim, but, well, how should I put this: also not a clown car of opinion.

Episodes

  1. 08/08/2025

    The Influence of Film on Our Political Views: Part 2

    Hello everyone, this is Dwayne Monroe, the host, along with Dennis Claxton and RC Charles Roberts of the Film Conversations podcast. In today's show, we continue a conversation we started in the previous episode: the ways film shapes political views and the value of film to understanding politics.    This has turned out to be a rich topic and so, we're planning a third episode to give Dennis a chance to fully develop his ideas which were cut a bit short this time around. There is, as always, a full listing of the films referenced during our conversation. I hope you enjoy. Film References Jean-Luc Godard Interview with Dick Cavett (1980)  https://youtu.be/BdeHqesLx4s?si=O90_yIyvGUD8JELg   Weekend https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weekend_(1967_film)   The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Discreet_Charm_of_the_Bourgeoisie   Douglas Sirk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Sirk   Luis Buñuel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Bu%C3%B1uel   Senses of Cinema https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2017/1967/weekend-jean-luc-godard-1967/   Charlie Wilson's War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Wilson%27s_War_(film)   Lions for Lambs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_for_Lambs   Inherit the Wind https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inherit_the_Wind_(1960_film)   State of Play https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Play_(film)    Bob Roberts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Roberts   Gattaca https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gattaca

    1h 23m
  2. 03/08/2025

    FW Murnau's Faust (1926)

    Welcome back to another episode of Film Conversations. After a bit of a hiatus, we're back and at full force, so to speak: RC Charles Robert is back at the table. Today's film is FW Murnau's silent masterpiece, released in 1926: Faust. To set the scene, here's an excerpt from the Criterion article on the film: Criterion Excerpt https://criterioncast.com/column/for-criterion-consideration/for-criterion-consideration-f-w-murnaus-faust One of the most well known legends of the  Renaissance period was Faust, a German necromancer whose exploits transformed into the tale of a man who sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for all the knowledge in the world. Over the centuries, the story has been countlessly reshaped and rebooted.  Most recently Russian director Alexander Sokurov (who is most well known for his one-take wonder,  Russian Ark) released a free-interpretation of the Faustian tale. The first film to directly adapt the story was made by Frederich Wilhelm Murnau in 1926, just before he moved to America. Based on a two-part dramatic poem by Goethe,  Faust  begins with the demon Mephisto who has made a bet with an Archangel that he can corrupt any righteous man's soul. If the Devil succeeds, he will win dominion over earth. The Archangel agrees, on the condition that the Devil set his sights on Faust, an elderly alchemist whose pursuit of knowledge and truth sets him apart from man.  The Devil delivers the plague to a local village, forcing Faust to use his alchemic skills to create an antidote.  After he fails to find a cure, Faust rejects God and science, turning to a book of dark magic to summon Mephisto (played by Emil Jannings).  Once Mephisto materializes on Earth, he presents Faust with a contract stating that he will now be able to cure the plague in exchange for his soul. [...] This was a great conversation that, as usual, ranged beyond the film to wider, yet still related matters. Oh and during the intro, the German film company UFA is mentioned. You can learn more about UFA here.

    1h 25m
  3. 12/17/2024

    Battle of Algiers

    In today's episode, we discuss the 1966 Italian film, the Battle of Algiers. The film, based on events that occurred during the Algerian war against French occupation (1954-62) and specifically, the battle in the capital city of Algiers, depicts the actions of the various groups that fought against, and with each other during that war.  Here is a synopsis from Criterion:   "One of the most influential political films in history, The Battle of Algiers, by Gillo Pontecorvo, vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. As violence escalates on both sides, children shoot soldiers at point-blank range, women plant bombs in cafés, and French soldiers resort to torture to break the will of the insurgents. Shot on the streets of Algiers in documentary style, the film is a case study in modern warfare, with its terrorist attacks and the brutal techniques used to combat them. Pontecorvo's tour de force has astonishing relevance today."   As the Criterion synopsis states, 'Battle of Algiers' remains relevant. During this conversation, we use the film as a foundation for a broader conversation about its relevance to present concerns and the ongoing battle for liberation.   References:   Battle of Algiers - Criterion https://www.criterion.com/films/248-the-battle-of-algiers   George Jackson Interview (mentioned by Dennis) https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/jacksoninterview.html   Tariq Ali article https://socialistworker.co.uk/in-depth/the-killing-of-palestinians-is-undoubtedly-genocide-tariq-ali-and-others-speak-out/ French Algeria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Algeria

    1h 9m
  4. 09/23/2024

    Misogyny in Film

    On July 26 of 2024, a story was published by entertainment industry trade magazine Variety about Francis Ford Coppola's alleged behavior on the set of his film, Megalopolis.  Here is an excerpt from the article:   Video has surfaced of director Francis Ford Coppola that shows the legendary director trying to kiss young female extras on the set of his ambitious sci-fi epic. Variety has obtained two videos that were taken by a crewmember last year during the filming of a bacchanalian nightclub scene. Two sources told Variety that Coppola appeared to act with impunity on set. And unlike traditional movies, Coppola financed the entire $120 million budget himself, so there were none of the traditional checks and balances in place. The videos would appear to corroborate a bombshell report in the Guardian that claimed the 85-year-old director "tried to kiss some of the topless and scantily clad female extras" and told them "he was 'trying to get them in the mood.'" The Guardian story broke right before "Megalopolis" made its world premiere in Competition in Cannes.   [...] After reading this story, I immediately experienced disappointment. As a filmmaker, I've admired Coppola, and considered him to be a venerable elder of the industry. Beyond disappointment however, I began to think of misogyny in the film industry - a matter of patriarchal society and power, among other things. This brings me to our guest, Mary Wild who, we're happy to say, has been on Film Conversations before to discuss Hitchcock's Vertigo.  On Mary's bio page at the Global Center for Advanced Studies website she's described as a 'Freudian Cinephile' and pop psychoanalyst, creating content related to cinema, philosophy, and the modern cultural landscape, founder of the Projections lecture series at Freud Museum London, applying psychoanalysis to film interpretation, which has been running since 2012. She teaches film at City Lit and Picturehouse Cinemas, and has produced events for London Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Picturehouse Cinemas, White Cube Gallery, and Morbid Anatomy. She also co-hosts Projections Podcast, contributes to Evolution of Horror Podcast. In this episiode, we use the story of Coppola to examine misogyny in the film industry and beyond. Links   Variety article on Coppola https://variety.com/2024/film/news/megalopolis-set-video-francis-ford-coppola-kissing-extras-1236082653/   Mary Wild GCAS Page https://gcascollege.ie/mary-wild   Projections Lecture Series https://www.freud.org.uk/tag/projections/   Projections Podcast https://www.projectionspodcast.com/   Evolution of Horror Podcast https://www.evolutionofhorror.com/player   Hollywood by Garson Kanin https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1105839.Hollywood   Why women had better sex under socialism by Kristen R. Ghodsee https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53284567-why-women-had-better-sex-under-socialism?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_18

    1h 10m
  5. 02/15/2024 · BONUS

    Film Conversations: Gaza

    This episode began as a thought months ago, not long after the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attack. At that time, we anticipated violence - there's a long history of Israeli assaults on the Palestinian people. We did not, however, anticipate a genocidal campaign and widening regional war. It's a wide ranging talk between Dennis and Dwayne since Charles was unable to join us this time.   Our conversation does not have the structure of our usual shows. There is a film, Farha, at the heart of things and we do discuss it but more as a point of reference than to critique or review. We'll talk about Farha at greater length on a subsequent show.     The links shared with the show notes will point you to information resources we've found helpful in sorting through this unfolding disaster. Resources Farha   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farha_(film)   The Great Book Robbery The Great Book Robbery is a powerful and poignant chronicle of cultural destruction. It tells the story of the 70,000 Palestinian books that were looted by the newly formed State of Israel in 1948. The film weaves together a range of storylines to create a dramatic, engaging, and deeply emotional structure. https://bbrunner.eu/movie/the-great-book-robbery/   Leila Khaled Interview: Palestine is an International Liberation Struggle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BBvzyKL-G4   A Life in Struggle: Exclusive with Leila Khaled, Icon of Palestinian Resistance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSv0Vqk_ILg   Solidarity with Palestine: Free Resources and Further Reading https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/blogs/news/solidarity-with-palestine-free-resources-and-further-reading?_pos=4&_sid=e479de814&_ss=r   The 1948 Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappé https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/olj/jps/vol36-141/vol36-141_b.pdf   Ten Myths About Israel by Ilan Pappe https://www.jadaliyya.com/Author/4114   Gaza An Inquest into Its Martyrdom by Norman Finkelstein  https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520318335/gaza   The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World by Antony Loewenstein   https://www.versobooks.com/products/2684-the-palestine-laboratory

    1h 17m
  6. 11/06/2023

    Film Conversations Episode 7 All That Breathes with Amrita De

    In today´s episode, we speak with Amrita De, Postdoctoral fellow in the Center of Humanities and Information at Penn State University about All That Breathes, a 2022 documentary film directed by Shaunak Sen. Let me read a bit about Amrita from her page on the Penn State University website: Amrita´s research focuses on global south masculinity studies and affect theory. Her works have been published in NORMA, Boyhood Studies, Global Humanities and are forthcoming in other edited collections. She is also working her way through her first novel centered around contemporary Indian Masculinities.   Here's the synopsis of All That Breathes from the film´s Wikipedia page:   All That Breathes is a 2022 documentary film directed by Shaunak Sen. It is produced by Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer under the banner of Rise Films. The film follows siblings Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad, who rescue and treat injured birds in India.   The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2022, where it won Grand Jury Prize in World Cinema Documentary Competition. It also had a screening at the Cannes Film Festival in the special screening section, where it won the Golden Eye. It was later nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film.   Two brothers Saud and Nadeem were raised in New Delhi, looking at a sky speckled with black kites, watching as relatives tossed meat up to these birds of prey. Muslim belief held that feeding the kites would expel troubles. Now, birds are falling from the polluted, opaque skies of New Delhi and the two brothers have made it their life's work to care for the injured black kites. [...] This was an excellent conversation and we were very glad to have Amrita as a guest. I hope, you enjoy. Show Note Links All That Breathes - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_That_Breathes Amrita's webpage: https://www.amritade.com/home Variety Interview with the film makers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbLoQ8GPxeA ASAP Connect Interview with Mohammad Saud and Salik Rehman   https://youtu.be/I5kL2YMb4Vk?si=I4Zx5RFMtsE-tNFs

    1h 14m

About

The standard measure of the quality and importance of a movie, or, to be grand, 'film', is enjoyment. This is certainly one measure, but not the only one. There are layers to be considered: movies as a capitalist enterprise, as a propaganda form, as art, as a fleeting means of escape from the psychological and material pressures imposed by a collapsing world, as a peek into how the past - or, people in the past with access to money, technical capability and script writing skill thought of their world - and many other things I'm surely neglecting. We'll talk about these things, avoiding the tendency of men to waste time with formless chatter. There's no time for that; the world is burning. There'll be structure, agendas, talking points and laughing no doubt. So not grim, but, well, how should I put this: also not a clown car of opinion.