World Cinema History

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory We round off our trilogy of Italian comedies with Erin Brown and Eric Trommater' s discussion of Marco Bellochio's 1967 film "China is Near," focusing on class struggle within the Italian Socialist party. With cinematography Tonino Delli Colli, editing by Roberto Perpignani, and music by Ennio Morricone, it also serves as an early look...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Eric Trommater, Sila Blume and Erin Brown discuss commedia all’italiana and Mario Monicelli's 1963 film "The Organizer." The film stars Marcello Mastroianni as a High School teacher turned labor organizer in Turin at the end of the 19th century. With a screenplay by Age & Scarpelli and cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno the film sho...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Erin Brown and Eric Trommater host a discussion with Canadian filmmaker Luke Higginson about his 2022 Time-Travel Comedy "Relax, I'm From the Future." Joining them were WCH regular Sila Blume and content creator Just Me DashV. Dawn Fields and Hillary Marek also came along for the ride. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGRXnWm3Ji...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Eric Trommater, Erin Brown and Sila Blume get a rare chance to discuss a film while it's still playing in American theaters. Paola Cortellesi's surprise hit "C'è ancora domani (There's Still Tomorrow)" is a comedy about domestic abuse in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1946 Rome. Filmed in black-and-white and in the Romani dial...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory In an exclusive interview for World Cinema History, independent filmmaker Sav Rodgers discusses the making of "Chasing, Chasing Amy" with Eric Trommater and Erin Brown. Comforted, as a "closeted queer kid in Kansas," by director Kevin Smith's 1997 Romantic Comedy "Chasing Amy," Sav would later give a Ted talk that came to the attention...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Erin Brown and Eric Trommater look at three versions of Charles Dyer's 1-act play "Staircase." Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Ugo Tognizzi, Robin Williams, and Gene Hackman all take turns in different decades adapting this early look at a queer couple. Check us out on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@worldcinehist?si=z8Yay0W0I-6APEZz ⁠⁠⁠...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Erin Brown hosts a conversation with Eric Trommater about Taika Waititi's 2010 coming of age comedy "Boy ." Years before directing "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Jo Jo Rabbit," Waititi had a huge hit in New Zealand with this story of an 11-year-old Maori boy meeting his father after a 6-year absence. Erin and Eric were both huge fans of the movi...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Eric Trommater, Erin Brown and Sila Blume celebrate Luis Buñuel's birthday by discussing his 1965, 45 minute, film "Simon of the Desert" with Claudio Brook as the real life 4th Century Saint Simeon of Stilites who sat on a pillar for 30 years and Silvia Pinal as El Diablo. #Surrealism #MexicanFilm #LuisBuñuel #CatholicCinema Watch the f...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Come have a pint at the pub with Erin Brown and Eric Trommater as they celebrate Saint Patrick's Day and discuss two adaptations of James Joyce's novel "Ulysses." The 1967 film, 'Ulysses,' co-written and directed by Joseph Strict, stars Milo O'Shea and the 2003 adaptation' Bloom,' Directed by Sean Walsh, features Stephen Rae as Leopold...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Eric Trommater, Mark Redfield and Erin Brown discuss the documentary "Burden of Dreams," (1982) directed by Les Blank, which follows Werner Herzog's shooting the film "Fitzcarraldo" in the Peruvian rain forest. They also look at Herzog's own documentary "My Best Fiend," about his long relationship with "Fitzcarraldo" star Klaus Kinski....

Fiona Powell guest host a discussion of Martin Scorsese's famous statement about Marvel Superhero Movies. First, though, we remember David Lynch. In honor of Marvel, we added a post credit scene. On the panel were Fiona Powell, Eric Trommater, Yasi Soufi, Sila Blume, Mat Bradley-Tchurigi, Vern Quixote, and Erin's Brown. We also get the opinions of the audience in an open forum section. #Marvel #Ma...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory F.W. Murnau, Werner Herzog and Robert Eggers have all sunk their teeth into the myth of the vampire. Our panel of Eric Trommater, Yasi Soufi, Vern Quixote, Daniel Kiekhefer, and a guest Literature Professor who just wanted to be known as Alicia, take a bite at all three films. Which film did you like best? Let us know in the comments. #...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Eric Trommater, Yasi Sofi, Sila Blume and Vern Quixote finish our discussion of 2024 on film with Yasi's picks for best documentaries. Plus a bit of drama over questions like: Are modern movies too long? Is assigning stars to films on Letterbox just arbitrary? Should partially good films make the list for their best parts or should film...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Our panel of Eric Trommater, Yasi Sofia, Sila Blume and Vern Quixote continue their look at 2024 in films. Eric's favorite films from 2024: 1. Love Lies Bleeding 2. C'é Ancora Domani 3. Janet Planet 4. Seed of the Sacred Fig 5. Chime 6. Terrestrial Verses 7. Here (Belgian film) 8. Do Not Expect Much from the End of the World 9. 18x2 Bey...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Part One of our season 2 premiere looks back at 2024. Our panel includes Sila Blue, Yasi Sofi and Vern Quixote. The focus this week is on the year in horror. Films discussed include: Back to Black, Close Your Eyes, Asteroid City, Civil War, Long Legs, A Complete Unknown, Abigail, In A Violent Nature, Little Bites, Humane, Never Let Go,...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Our panel of Eric Trommater, Hy Bender and Sila Blume discuss Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in Hammer Studio's second Gothic Horror adaptation. Sila accidentally watched the wrong movie but that's ok. Yoni Ivy also joined us and claims Eric has a doppelganger on YouTube. She also opines upon Shakespeare perhaps being a woman? Yes we...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Our panel of Eric Trommater, Hy Bender, Sila Blume and Yassi Soufi discuss the first of three horror films from Hammer Studios. This week Peter Cushing takes on the role of Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee that of his monster. #Hammer #PeterCushing #ChristopherLee #Frankenstein #Horror Check us out on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://youtube....

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Special Guest Host Fiona Powell leads Eric Trommater, Yassi Soufi, Sila Blume and Hy Bender in discussion of John Malkovich as con-man and Kubrick impersonator Alan Conway. The film was written by Kubrick's long-time Personal Secretary Anthony Frewin who, coincidentally happens to have been Fiona Powell's brother-in-law! #Kubrick #Malko...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Eric Trommater, Yassi Soufi and Sila Blume discuss Peter Greenaway's puzzling historical piece. Set four years after The Glorious Revolution, in Kent, England, the film is seen as an allegory, by Yassi, a comedy of manners, by Sila, and a bit vulgar, by Eric. Check us out on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@worldcinehist?si=z8Yay0W0I-6A...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Eric Trommater, Yassi Soufi, Hy Bender, Sila Blume and Mat Bradley-Tschirgi discuss this dark comedy about events following the death of the Soviet Dictator Stalin from the creators of TV's "Veep."The all-star cast includes Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Paddy Considine, Rupert Friend, Jason Isaacs, Olga Kurylenko, Michael Palin, A...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Eric Trommater, Yassi Soufi and Sila Blume discus this pivotal film in the Social Realism/Kitchen Sink Drama genre. Tom Courtney and Michael Redgrave square off in Alan Silitoe's adaptation of his own short story. Will our panel square off over the film? Listen to find out. Check us out on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@worldcinehist?...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Eric Trommater, Sila Blume, Yassi Soufi, and guests discuss Richard Lester's Day in the Life of George, Paul, John and Ringo aka The Beatles. #TheBeatles #RichardLester Check us out on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@worldcinehist?si=z8Yay0W0I-6APEZz ⁠⁠⁠  on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/world-cinema-history/...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Remembering Donald Sutherland (1935-2024). With: Eric Trommater, Yassi, Hy Bender, Sila Blume, Mark Redfield, Hilary Marek, Shona Charlton and Kathy Edge. We tackle Nicholas Roeg's haunting adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's novella. Sutherland and Julie Christie find time, between mourning the loss of their daughter, restoring a cathedr...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory Eric Trommater, Yassi Soufi, Sila Blume and Hy Bender are joined by Kathy Edge, Mark Redfield, Michael Iuliiano, Carlo Barbieri and Matt Bradley-Tschirgi to discuss "The Citizen Kane of Horror Films." Mark shares his personal memories of working with Ingrid Pitt. Eric finally understands Folk Horror. Check us out on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://...

Help keep us ad free at: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory The usual gang of Eric Trommater, Yassi Soufi, Hy Bender and Sila Blume are joined by special guests Mark Redfield and Fiona Powell. Does this 75 year old Ealing Comedy still hold up? Can Alec Guinness really play all nine members of the D'Ascoyne family? Can Denis Price kill them all? Who wore ridiculously over-the-top Edwardian women'...