Cinéclub Podcast

Joe Tindall

5.0 (1)
FILM INTERVIEWS

Cinéclub Podcast

Film podcast based in Brighton, UK. cineclub.substack.com

MAR 3

Episode #14 - Dogma 95 at 30 with Richard T. Kelly

In March 1995, the Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier stood on stage in the Odeon cinema in Paris, then holding a conference celebrating cinema’s first century, and read the Dogma 95 manifesto. Signed by von Trier and fellow Danish director Thomas Vinterberg, the Manifesto makes many references to the perceived failure of the French nouvelle vague movement of the 50s and 60s, and calls for the use of a raging “technological storm” to strip films of their cosmetics and their reliance on illusion. The reading ended with von Trier showering his audience in copies of the manifesto printed on distinctive red paper. Perhaps more famous than the manifesto itself is the accompanying ‘Vows of Chastity’ that Dogma filmmakers would commit to. The Vows are a series of creative restrictions: cameras must be handheld; locations and props must be real; only available light can be used, and genre films are prohibited. The first Dogma film was Vinterberg’s Festen in 1998, shortly followed by Von Trier’s The Idiots. Fellow Danes Sore Kragh-Jacobsen Kristian Levring joined the Dogma ‘brotherhood’, making Mifune (1999) and The King is Alive (2000) respectively. The project also travelled outside Scandinavia, with Jean-Marc Barr’s Lovers shot in France in 1999, and the American Harmony Korine’s Julien Donkey-Boy released the same year. I’m conscious that we don’t describe the plots of these films in much detail on the podcast. If you’re unfamiliar, here are some trailers that introduce the tone and style of Dogma 95 reasonably well, although they do use un-Dogma elements such as superimposed graphics and non-diegetic music. * Festen * The Idiots * Mifune * The King is Alive * Julien Donkey-Boy We are now 30 years on from the initial disruption of the Dogma 95 project, and so it seems an apt moment to take stock of the movement and its relevance in 2025. So I spoke with Richard T. Kelly, of the aforementioned Dogme documentary and book. Richard and I discuss Lars von Trier’s work before Dogma 95, the distinctively Scandinavian flavour of the initial films, the common dismissal of Dogme as a brand or marketing exercise, the legacy of the movement, and more. Please enjoy. You can also listen to this podcast on… * Spotify * Apple Podcasts (I will update with the Apple link as soon as I can. There is a lag between publishing the podcast and it appearing there.) Shownotes * The text of the Dogma 95 manifesto * The ‘Vow of Chastity’ * The Name of This Film is Dogme95 * Extract demonstrating the rules as mentioned by Richard in the podcast * The Name of This Book is Dogme95 * The book is now out of print, but available from libraries or from second-hand booksellers such as Abe Books * It is also available in a Kindle edition * Richard’s website * Order The Black Eden, Richard’s latest novel * Aksel Sandemose’s ‘Law of Jante’ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cineclub.substack.com

35 min
FEB 3

Episode #13 - James Williamson

When the French film historian George Sadoul coined the term ‘The Brighton School’ in 1945, he was primarily referring to two important filmmakers who began working in the late 1800s: James Williamson, and his friend George Albert Smith, though both lived and worked (to cite a well-worn local phrase) in “Hove, actually.” This podcast has covered G.A. Smith before, in the very first episode from January 2024. Back then, I spoke to Dr. Frank Gray, author of The Brighton School and the Birth of British Film, and I’m very happy to have Frank back for this episode to talk about James Williamson. Frank and I discuss Williamson’s encounters with Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope; his background as a chemist; his relationship with George Albert Smith; the innovation of his films Attack on a China Mission and Fire!, and more. You can also find this episode on… * Spotify * Apple Podcasts (I will update with the Apple link as soon as I can. There is a lag between publishing the podcast and it appearing there.) Show notes * Buy the Cinéclub fanzine * 52 pages w/ articles on cinematic representations of the German urban guerilla group The Red Army Faction, Claude Chabrol’s 1962 film The Third Lover’ and some pieces on punks in cinema. DIY and sold on a not-for-profit basis at a cost that just covers the cost of printing: £3.50 plus postage. * James Williamson films * Devil’s Dyke Fun Fair (estimated 1896) * Attack on a China Mission (1900) * Stop Thief! (1901) * Fire! (1901) * More on BFI Player * The Cinéclub podcast on George Albert Smith, also featuring Frank Gray * Casting Shadows, a Radio 4 drama about early filmmaking in Brighton and Hove, including Williamson and Smith. Narrated by Frank Gray * Edwin S. Porter’s The Life of an American Fireman (1903) * Original version * Porter’s later re-cut version * Info on Hove Museum’s film collection, which includes James Williamson-related artefacts Bibliography * David Fisher, Cinema By Sea: Film and Cinema in Brighton & Hove Since 1896 (Brighton: Terra, 2012) * Frank Gray, The Brighton School and the Birth of British Film (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019) * Martin Sopocy, James Williamson: Studied and Documents of a Pioneer of the Film Narrative (London: Associated University Presses, 1998) * Martin Sopocy, Postscripts to James Williamson in Film History, Vol. 22 No. 3 (2010) p.313-328 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cineclub.substack.com

39 min
JAN 6

Episode #12 - John Smith

Happy new year, and welcome to Cinéclub podcast number 12. For this episode I was very lucky to talk with John Smith, a London-based experimental filmmaker who has been working since the early 1970s. John’s films include The Girl Chewing Gum from 1976, The Black Tower from 1985, Slow Glass, made between 1988 and 1981, and the Hotel Diaries series which ran from 2001 until 2007. His latest, Being John Smith, uses his very common and un-Googleable name and its effect on his life and work as a way to explore themes of celebrity, mortality, how to make art in a global crisis, and much more. The film will be showing as part of a gallery exhibition at the Kate McGarry Gallery in Shoreditch in East London between 18th January and 15th February 2025. There’s a link to the show in the shownotes for this episode. John and I discuss the influence of the London Filmmakers Co-Op, his signature blend of the mundane and the profound, the role of politics, humour and documentary in his work, and more. Please enjoy. You can also find this episode on… * Spotify * Apple Podcasts Show notes * Buy the Cinéclub fanzine * 52 pages w/ articles on cinematic representations of the German urban guerilla group The Red Army Faction, Claude Chabrol’s 1962 film The Third Lover’ and some pieces on punks in cinema. DIY and sold on a not-for-profit basis at a cost that just covers the cost of printing: £3.50 plus postage. * John Smith’s website * Info on The Girl Chewing Gum and The Man Phoning Mum * Info on The Black Tower * Info on Slow Glass * Info on the Hotel Diaries series * Info on Being John Smith * Info on John’s exhibition at the Kate McGarry Gallery, 18th January - 15th February 2025 * 20 of John’s films on the DAFilms streaming platform * Erika Balsom’s excellent dossier on The Girl Chewing Gum for the Tate Gallery * Includes material on John’s experiences at the London Filmmaker’s Co-Op (discussed in the podcast episode) and much more This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cineclub.substack.com

44 min
12/02/2024

Episode #11 - The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum with Julian Preece

Cinéclub Podcast #11 is the second edition of the podcast designed to tie in with the release of the Cinéclub fanzine, which came out last month. The zine features a big piece on cinematic treatments of the German urban guerilla group The Red Army Faction and one key film there is The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum from 1976, directed by Volker Schlöndorff and Margharethe von Trotta and based on the book by Heinrich Boll. The eponymous protagonist of Katharina Blum is an ordinary woman who finds herself the subject of a police raid and subsequent interrogation after spending the night with a suspected member of an RAF-style terrorist group. She is hounded by the media, who collude unethically with the police, and push to her limits. The film ends with a shooting. To find out more I spoke to Julian Preece. Julian is a Professor of German at Swansea University and the author of a BFI Classics monograph on The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum which was released in 2022, as well as Baader-Meinhof and the Novel, published in 2012, and various articles in academic journals on the RAF or, as he refers to them in this discussion, the ‘RAF’. In our conversation we discuss the New German Cinema; the theme of surveillance; the film’s references to famous media images of the Red Army Faction; the importance of the musical score; and the subsequent films the directors made on similar subjects. You can also find this episode on… * Spotify * Apple Podcasts Show notes * Buy the Cinéclub fanzine * The ‘Red Army Faction on Film’ article includes writing on The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum as well as The German Sisters and The Legend of Rita, also discussed in the episode * Julian’s BFI Classics book on The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum * Julian’s book Baader-Meinhof and the Novel * The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum is, frustratingly, not available to stream at present. It is available on Blu-ray in the following editions: * Studio Canal * Criterion Collection This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cineclub.substack.com

44 min
11/30/2024

Episode #11 - The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum with Julian Preece

Cinéclub Podcast #11 is the second edition of the podcast designed to tie in with the release of the Cinéclub fanzine, which came out last month. The zine features a big piece on cinematic treatments of the German urban guerilla group The Red Army Faction and one key film there is The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum from 1976, directed by Volker Schlöndorff and Margharethe von Trotta and based on the book by Heinrich Boll. The eponymous protagonist of Katharina Blum is an ordinary woman who finds herself the subject of a police raid and subsequent interrogation after spending the night with a suspected member of an RAF-style terrorist group. She is hounded by the media, who collude unethically with the police, and push to her limits. The film ends with a shooting. To find out more I spoke to Julian Preece. Julian is a Professor of German at Swansea University and the author of a BFI Classics monograph on The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum which was released in 2022, as well as Baader-Meinhof and the Novel, published in 2012, and various articles in academic journals on the RAF or, as he refers to them in this discussion, the ‘RAF’. In our conversation we discuss the New German Cinema; the theme of surveillance; the film’s references to famous media images of the Red Army Faction; the importance of the musical score; and the subsequent films the directors made on similar subjects. Buy the Cinéclub fanzine at www.cineclub.bigcartel.com The ‘Red Army Faction on Film’ article includes writing on The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum as well as The German Sisters and The Legend of Rita, also discussed in the episode Find shownotes at cineclub.substack.com

44 min
11/04/2024

Episode #10 - Film fanzines special w/ Teal Triggs and Jay Hinman.

This is a very special edition of the podcast because it’s a celebration of the first Cineclub Fanzine which is now available. It’s 52 pages and covers cinematic representations of the German urban guerilla group The Red Army Faction from the 1960s to the late 2000s, Claude Chabrol’s 1962 film ‘The Third Lover’, and some pieces inspired by the excellent book Destroy All Movies on punks in cinema. It’s very DIY and sold on a not-for-profit basis at a cost that just covers the cost of printing, and it’s yours for £3.50 plus postage. Buy it here. So this episode is a celebration of film fanzines, and of fanzines in general. It features a conversation with Teal Triggs, a Professor at the Royal College of Art and the author of the book Fanzines, a beautiful collection of zines with insightful essays. I also talk to Jay Hinman. Jay has released a cinema zine called Film Hemmorhage. but also runs various zine-related projects including the music zine Radio Dies Screaming and a website dedicated to fanzines called Fanzine Hemorrhage. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cineclub.substack.com

36 min
10/29/2024

Episode #10 - Film fanzines special with Teal Triggs and Jay Hinman

This is a very special edition of the podcast because it’s a celebration of the first Cineclub Fanzine which is now available. It’s 52 pages and covers cinematic representations of the German urban guerilla group The Red Army Faction from the 1960s to the late 2000s, Claude Chabrol’s 1962 film ‘The Third Lover’, and some pieces inspired by the excellent book Destroy All Movies on punks in cinema. It’s very DIY and sold on a not-for-profit basis at a cost that just covers the cost of printing, and it’s yours for £3.50 plus postage. Buy it at www.cineclub.bigcartel.com So this episode is a celebration of film fanzines, and of fanzines in general. It features a conversation with Teal Triggs, a Professor at the Royal College of Art and the author of the book Fanzines, a beautiful collection of zines with insightful essays. I also talk to Jay Hinman. Jay has released a cinema zine called Film Hemmorhage. but also runs various zine-related projects including the music zine Radio Dies Screaming and a website dedicated to fanzines called Fanzine Hemorrhage.

36 min
10/07/2024

Episode #9 - Toby Amies

Cinéclub episode #9 is a conversation with Toby Amies. Toby is a documentary filmmaker, director of the features The Man Whose Mind Exploded from 2012, and In The Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50 from 2022. We spoke online earlier in the year and discussed Toby’s previous life as a presenter on MTV, how he met Drako, the star of The Man Whose Mind Exploded, documentary ethics, working with Robert Fripp, and much more. Show notes here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cineclub.substack.com

48 min

Thoughtful and interesting

08/03/2024

Don_negro

Thoughtful conversations about film, frequently the intersection of film and other forms of art.

Film podcast based in Brighton, UK. cineclub.substack.com

Creator

Joe Tindall
Years Active

2024 - 2025
Episodes

24
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Joe Tindall
Show Website

Cinéclub Podcast