Film Gold

If we told you ‘Deathtrap’ was the poorer cousin of ‘Sleuth’ (see Episode 13), would that be a bad thing? It would certainly be a great double bill, and the film on the docket this time is full of surprises, deception and plot twists. It’s not on a par with Hitchcock's ‘Psycho’ but does follow a similar structure as the viewer is engaged in one story before the film becomes something else enti...

We round off our look at Rocky III by going through theremaining scenes of the film. Without issuing too many spoilers, Rocky comes a cropper and his life goes seriously south, motivation all but gone. However, just as Clarence the Angel came to rescue George Bailey in our very first filmreview on this show, Rocky’s old rival Apollo Creed swoops in with a two-word plan that could be said to be sli...

Here’s part one of another swapcast with ‘The Stinking Pause’,hosted by Scott Phipps. This time round, Antony and Scott tackle the middle film of the original 5-film Rocky franchise (‘Rocky Balboa’ aka Rocky VI would eventuallyarrive after a long hiatus), a subject dear to both their hearts. After the gritty 1970s fairytale that was the original film,followed by Rocky’s redemptive rematch with Apo...

Antony and Luke complete their look at the flawed smorgasbord of ideas that is 1983’s ‘Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life’, going through the remaining good, bad, ugly, extremely violent & completely gross scenes, and separating the top tier from the filler tracks.   In this part, expect to hear discussion of galaxies,internal organs, death and anticlimax, not to mention the adventures of Mr C...

More than a pleasure to ‘get back’ (see what I did there?) with friend and podcast comrade Luke Thompson to round off our sort-of trilogy of Monty Python films (originally recorded on video, see below). This time round, Antony and Luke look at the flawed smorgasbord of ideas that is 1983’s ‘Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life’, going scene-by-scene through the good, bad, ugly, extremely violent, co...

Luke and Antony complete their look at the classic comedy ‘Monty Python’s Life of Brian', the talk originally recorded on video earlier this year (see below). It’s hard to avoid the controversy that surrounded this filmwhen it came out, and you will hear a clip or two from the remarkable TV debate around the more contentious aspects of it, the like of which would surely not be seen these days....

What more is there to say about Monty Python’s Life ofBrian? Well, we may as well give it a bash.   Luke Thompson takes on hosting duties for a swapcast between Film Gold and Luke’s English Podcast, originally recorded on video earlier this year (see below).   In this first part, Luke & Antony discuss among otherthings their histories with the film, the basic philosophy of the Python team rega...

Among Oliver Stone’s large and celebrated body of work is afilm from 1997 that was largely ignored and derided at the time but is a classic case of a rediscovered gem with cult appeal. Scott Phipps joins Antony to look at the dark and twisted ‘U Turn’. Sean Penn leads an ensemble cast including the ultimate femme fatale Jennifer Lopez and many recognisable and renowned names at various stages of t...

This time round we present our second Steven Spielberg filmand one that was very much a forerunner to (and inspiration for) the more famous ‘Jaws’, as an ordinary man is forced to find inner resources and transcend his limitations in order to defeat a seemingly unstoppable force that can’t be reasoned with.   By kind permission of Julian Charles of The Mind Renewed,the recording used here is from...

And so we say goodbye as Charles Foster Kane faces the final curtain…   Antony wraps up Citizen Kane’s final scenes, discusses the critical response to the film and its multi-decade legacy, and the final words -13 minutes of them- are given to the man himself, Orson Welles, aided by Huw Wheldon and Dick Cavett   If you’ve listened through this series (and the previous3-parter on Orson), we sincere...

Antony continues a scene-by-scene analysis of Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. As we enter the second half of the film, things are still going reasonably well with Charles Foster Kane, but the slow descent into despair and emptiness will soon begin with the famous ‘breakfast table montage’. As you listen to this and/or watch the film, it’s worth asking a fundamental question about acceptance of reality...

Our continuing journey into the world of Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane finds Antony beginning a scene-by-scene analysis, starting with the film’s Gothic horror opening,possibly the best-known final word of a character in any film, and then the sudden and jarring segue into the newsreel obituary of the world-famous Charles Foster Kane. We try to make sense of the sometimes absurdly non-linear structu...

We continue our multi-part series on Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane, finishing our prelude to the main film by looking at the shooting, storytelling, special effects, editing and sound/music. We also detail its commercial performance and the pushback from William Randolph Hearst. In Part 3, Antony will begin going scene by scene through the film   We hope you enjoy it!   'Film Gold' is on all...

Following on from Film Gold’s Orson Welles special last time round, Antony this time tackles head-on, with another multi-parter, the grandaddy of American films, Citizen Kane. The first two parts look at the background and the making of the film before we go scene-by-scene through the film in later parts. This time round, Antony intros this deep dive and looks at Orson Welles’s arrival in Hollywoo...

Just as Orson Welles finally bowed out in 1985, we must do the same. This time round Antony and Ghosty pick up Orson’s film career from his acting gig in the sublime ‘The Third Man’, a couple of returns to Shakespeare territory and a trio of absolute masterworks of his own making, namely ‘Touch of Evil’, ‘The Trial’ and ‘F For Fake’ (plus a couple of other films along the way). Finally we look at...

We continue our Orson Welles journey, accompanied by uberfan David ‘Ghosty’ Wills, with discussion of the big daddy of all films, 1941’s Citizen Kane. Was this both a blessing and a curse for Orson’s career? We also discuss Welles’s forays into wartime politics and the films ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’,, ‘The Stranger’, ‘The Lady From Shanghai’ and ‘Macbeth’.   The final part will be out at the en...

Following on from our Marlon Brando and Michael Caine deep dives in the last few years, this time Orson Welles gets the Film Gold treatment. David ‘Ghosty’ Wills joins Antony for a 3-parter looking at the great man’s life, work and legacy. First up we discuss Orson’s early life and the start of his theatre and radio careers, both of which Ghosty feels are somewhat undervalued when compared to his...

We are delighted to bring you another swapcast with former Film Gold guest and my podcasting ‘spiritual brother’, Julian Charles of ‘The Mind Renewed’. On the docket this time is a true classic from the master, Stanley Kubrick. It’s a film that works beautifully on the level of pure comedy but is absolutely packed with layers of meaning, both overt and subtle, and is a showcase for the remarkable...

Antony and returning guest Luke Thompson of ‘Luke’s English Podcast’ tackle William Friedkin's underrated 1977 thriller, starring Roy Scheider. This film wasn't a success in its day but has been reassessed over the decades and could now be considered a 'hidden masterpiece'. The plot is very simple but the film is marvellously evocative, and the production of the film is a story in...

One of the films that ushered in the new century, Requiem For A Dream is a virtuoso powerhouse from director Darren Aronofsky, featuring a remarkable lead performance by Ellen Burstyn. Although primarily dealing with drug addiction, it hits all kinds of other points of social and emotional impact, such as the power of television, the pain of loss, the fragility of dreams and the human need for lov...

The story of HMS Bounty and the mutiny that took place aboard it is a compelling narrative that has not surprisingly been the subject of many film adaptations and other creative endeavours. In this discussion from 2020 that originally went out on the Stinking Pause podcast, regular Film Gold collaborator Scott Phipps is joined by myself and Steven Byford for a long and expansive discussion of the...

Antony joins frequent collaborator Scott Phipps to take a deep dive (sans canoe) into a true 1970s classic, as part of ‘The Stinking Pause’ 10th anniversary celebrations. The making of this film is almost as mind-blowing as the movie itself. Insurance, who needs it?   Enjoy!   The Cahulawassee River valley in Northern Georgia is one of the last natural pristine areas of the state, which will soon...

We complete our Michael Caine tribute, a joint presentation of the ‘Film Gold’ and ‘The Stinking Pause’ podcasts, as the great man turns 90. Antony Rotunno and Scott Phipps count down their top 5 Caine performances and also discuss his ultimate legacy after 60 years as a film star. There are audio clips galore to complement the conversation, including Michael reading from the first of his many mem...

Michael Caine, born as Maurice Micklewhite, has been acting for 70 years and been a star for nearly 60. This 2-part joint presentation of the ‘Film Gold’ and ‘The Stinking Pause’ podcasts celebrates the life and career of a true cinematic icon as he approaches his 90th birthday. In this first part, Antony Rotunno and Scott Phipps look at Caine’s upbringing and give an overview of his career before...

Originally recorded for 'The Mind Renewed' podcast and hosted by Julian Charles, this is a four-way discussion, also including Mark Campbell and Frank Johnson, about the 1978 conspiracy thriller Capricorn One , starring Elliott Gould, James Brolin, Branda Vaccaro and Hal Holbrook and written and directed by Peter Hyams. About to embark upon the first crewed mission to Mars, three NASA astronauts (...